PENSACOLA Fla. (ABP) — As the wind and rain of Hurricane Dennis bore down on First Baptist Church of Pensacola, Fla., Barry Howard preached his first sermon as the church's new pastor. About 60 congregation members — and five dogs…
North Carolina Baptist executive leaving to return to pastorate
CARY, N.C. — Jim Royston will step down as executive director-treasurer of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. Royston, 57, plans to retire from denominational service and become senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Mooresville, N.C., near Charlotte….
Bellevue elects Steve Gaines to fill legendary pulpit
CORDOVA, Tenn. (ABP) — The fabled pulpit of Bellevue Baptist Church near Memphis will have a new occupant — 47-year-old Alabama pastor Steve Gaines. Gaines, pastor of Gardendale's First Baptist Church in Gardendale, Ala., was presented by a search committee…
Grieving is universal, but grief process differs for everyone, counselors say
RALEIGH, N.C. (ABP) — In life, there's at least one guarantee: You'll lose someone you love. Coping with the death of a relative or friend is tough no matter who you are. But for people in faith communities, a few…
CBF assembly OKs partner proposal, elects officers, sends missionaries
— Editor's note: This story summarizes stories previously released by ABP GRAPEVINE, Texas (ABP) — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship July 1 affirmed a long-awaited proposal for how the moderate group relates to its “partner” institutions and organizations — one of…
British Baptists respond to bombings; Baptist World Congress will go on
DIDCOT, England (ABP) — Worldwide Baptists will continue with plans to meet July 27-31 in England, despite the “horror” caused by deadly bombings that struck London July 7. British Baptists, who will play host to the Baptist World Congress in…
Alliance’s Cuba travel license pulled pending investigation
WASHINGTON (ABP) — A missions partnership between Baptist groups in the United States and Cuba may be in jeopardy, pending the outcome of an investigation by the U.S. Treasury Department. In a letter received June 27, department officials notified the…
Meeting with SBC, European leaders could spawn new conservative group
WARSAW, Poland (ABP) — Twelve conservative Baptists from Europe met with nine Southern Baptist leaders July 1-2 in Warsaw, Poland, in what one participant said could be a precursor to a new international organization of “like-minded” Baptists. The participants said…
Division over homosexuality threatens American Baptist ranks
DENVER (ABP) — American Baptists are a step closer to a long-anticipated showdown over homosexuality and diversity after completing their biennial meeting July 4. The denomination's General Board, meeting prior to the larger convocation in Denver, accepted the first reading…