When plans to return to their church building for Advent were canceled by the ongoing pandemic, the congregation of Pulaski Heights Baptist Church turned their attention from inward to outward and ultimately declared Jubilee. Beginning in mid-March, the Little Rock,…
The stars are lining up for Middle Church’s fire rebuilding fundraiser this week
A constellation of stars has been assembled to help guide Middle Collegiate Church in New York City from the ashes of its historic building destroyed by fire Dec. 5. Located in the city’s iconic East Village, the congregation claims numerous…
A vote is ‘a kind of prayer,’ Warnock says in first Senate speech
A vote is “a kind of prayer,” Baptist pastor Raphael Warnock said in his first speech on the Senate floor as a newly elected legislator. The March 17 speech was a blistering call to protect voting rights and a critique…
A surprising discovery: Many Americans are favorable toward online group prayer
New research into the impact of online church programming suggests that virtual prayer gatherings may boost participation and fellowship for Christians active or inactive in congregational life. Online corporate prayer opportunities, when offered, have been found to be especially effective…
With $1 million grant, 25 Alliance of Baptists congregations are working to understand systemic racism and overcome it
Twenty-five churches associated with the Alliance of Baptists are participating in a five-year national scholarly study of how to expose and address systemic racism in their local contexts. The “Churches that THRIVE for Racial Justice” initiative is funded by a…
Equality Act gets a hearing, Black pastors advocate for an alternative, and new national poll shows a majority opinion
As the United States Senate held its first hearing for the proposed Equality Act March 17, a group of Black Christian leaders threw their support behind a competing piece of legislation known as the Fairness for All Act. The Equality…
Co-chairs of Baylor commission on historic representations say their research was distressing
Members of a Baylor University commission charged with recommending ways to address the institution’s historic ties to slavery and the Confederacy often were distressed as they studied the racist beliefs and actions of the university’s founders. “I would say it…
Transitions for the week of 3-19-21
Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly. STAFF CHANGES Megan Turner Doud, to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia, as coordinator of young Baptist ministries. She comes from…
Terrorist group in Mozambique accused of beheading children
Islamic militants in Mozambique are committing gruesome acts of terror against children, according to Save the Children UK. The international relief agency reports that children as young as 11 have been apprehended and beheaded by militants in the Mozambique province…
To heal racism, seek atonement before reconciliation, authors say
White Christians must seek atonement before reconciliation if the wounds of racism are to be healed, two religion scholars said during a March 16 webinar on evangelicalism and race in America. “You can’t have change until you have had true…
As unaccompanied children surge across the border again, Baptist ministries retool
A massive facility for immigrant children run by a Baptist-affiliated nonprofit has been reopened after sitting dormant for 20 months. The Carrizo Springs Influx Care Facility in Carrizo Springs, Texas, is operated by BCFS, formerly known as Baptist Child and…
For 35 years, this couple has served high-risk and incarcerated youth
Hanne and Scott Larson have spent nearly 35 years serving high-risk and incarcerated youth with Bible studies, re-entry, job readiness and other programs now operative in 40 states and 35 nations. To date, about 75,000 young people have been assisted….