At a dinner honoring volunteers April 19, it was stated that only 25 percent of prison inmates have visitors. This means that prison ministry volunteers are surrogate parents to most of these teenagers, for these teenage volunteers may be the…
Promoter sees parallels between church, NASCAR
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.—Gray Garrison rarely stops thinking about good ol’ fashioned stock car racing. He’s always figuring out his latest angle, a fresh and exciting way to keep people flocking to the legendary Bowman Gray Stadium which he and his family…
Human trafficking spurs action at Campbell University
BUIES CREEK, N.C.—When three Campbell University students began a journey of education and empowerment more than three months ago, they had no idea their perseverance would result in reaching more than 200 fellow students and staff members. Junior education major…
OPINION: What happened to Pentecost?
Whatever happened to Pentecost? That was (and is) the day set aside on the calendar in celebration of the Holy Spirit and the infusion of the Spirit in the ministries of the apostles at Jerusalem as recorded in Acts. Remarkably…
OPINION: Becoming an organic local church
I recently had the privilege of traveling with a group of divinity students from Wake Forest University to western North Carolina where we visited several sustainable, organic farms. We met and worked with people who are experimenting with innovative and…
WINN RECOMMENDS
Be Not Afraid, Samuel Wells (Brazos Press) Wells has penned a theologically deep and emotionally rich account of how faith confronts fear. Dean of the chapel at Duke University since 2005, Wells will become vicar of a prominent London church…
OPINION: A passionate engagement of creative minds
One recent magical Saturday night I shared in a banquet in Charlottesville, Va. The food, table and company were gathered in celebration of creativity, imagination and art as spiritual practice. Tables were decorated with simple butcher paper painted with splashes…
OUT LOUD
“Christianity is a faith and not a musical genre.” Chad Butler The drummer in the band Switchfoot was discussing with the Dallas Observer the group's reluctance to describe themselves as a “Christian band.” “An alternate name and the election of…
VITAL SIGNS: Our hidden addiction
You know all too well that our society is prone to addictions. We do nearly everything to excess. Not just the obvious culprits: alcohol, gambling, pain-killers, sex, work. There are a multitude of things which, done in moderation, are life-giving…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Understand, don’t underestimate, investments
The term “investments” can be a scary thing for churches. With the crash and continued volatility of the stock market still fresh on your budget’s bottom line, investing may seem impossible or imprudent. And let’s be honest—if there is no…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Ministers, growing spiritually and relying on God
How do people in ministry remember that they, too, are children of God when there are so many pressures to respond first to the needs of others? How do ministers (of all kinds) learn to seek their strength primarily from…
Burmese Baptists struggle to adapt to life in United States
By Jeff Brumley Most pastors will attest the ministry isn’t anything close to a 40-hour work week. On top of sermon preparation, preaching, hospital visits and counseling, the leader of one congregation of Myanmar refugees in Jacksonville, Fla., has an…