HONG KONG (ABP) — One year after it was postponed because of the SARS outbreak in Asia, the 14th Baptist Youth World Congress opened Aug. 5 in Hong Kong, with 3,500 people from more than 70 countries. The opening session…
40 years later, church recalls ordination of first female Southern Baptist pastor
DURHAM, N.C. (ABP) — When Addie Davis was ordained to the gospel ministry Aug. 9, 1964, she and the supportive congregation were unknowingly making history. Forty years later, Watts Street Baptist Church in Durham, N.C., celebrated with Davis — now…
N.C. Baptist committee says keep multiple giving plans
GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — The Baptist State Convention of North Carolina likely will not change or abandon its four funding options for churches, even though some Baptists in the state have called for a simpler method of supporting Baptist ministries…
Former IMB journalist Creswell to join N.C. convention staff
GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — Mike Creswell, a 24-year veteran of the International Mission Board, is expected to join the staff of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina in mid-September to promote giving to the convention's mission budget. Creswell will…
Kerry, Bush campaigns focus on stem-cell research
WASHINGTON (ABP) — On the third anniversary of a controversial decision by President Bush limiting embryonic stem-cell research, both parties' presidential campaigns focused on the morally contentious topic. In Aug. 9 campaign appearances, Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards and…
Christian values gaining credibility in era of business reform, consultants say
CHASKA, Minn. (ABP) — As a parade of former Enron executives defend themselves before a federal grand jury during August, a new era is emerging in American business, according to business leaders and consultants. The Enron scandal represents a pendulum…
Baptist ends 28-year career training Army chaplains
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (ABF) — Chaplain Hal Roller recently retired as commandant of the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School after a 28-year career that included numerous military honors, such as the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. But teaching other…
San Antonio church collects, fills backpacks for 525 schoolchildren
PROGRESO, Texas (ABP) — Elementary school children in Progreso, Texas, are going back to school this year with a heavy burden, thanks to a church in San Antonio. In less than seven months, members of the Fellowship at Westcreek collected…
Protestants in U.S. losing majority status, study says
CHICAGO (ABP) — Protestants could cease to be the majority religious group in the United States within the next year, a new study by the National Opinion Research Center says. Between 1972 and 1993, the Protestant share of the U.S….
News briefs from Associated Baptist Press
Appeals court bans town's Christian prayers RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — A federal appeals court has banned a South Carolina town from offering Christian-only prayers at city council meetings. A three-judge panel of the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals…
Researchers argue over whose numbers to believe about gambling’s impact
DALLAS (ABP) — A recently released study on the economic impact of casinos in Texas trumpets casinos' benefits without fully considering their cost to taxpayers, according to independent researchers. And they claim a companion study on the social impact of…
North Carolina Baptists help hurricane victims
HATTERAS, N.C. (ABP) — Once again Baptist volunteers are helping with clean-up efforts in the wake of a hurricane along the East Coast. Hurricane Alex hit North Carolina's Outer Banks on Aug. 3 bringing 100 mph winds, heavy rain and…