When our church was tested by fire

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

— 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…

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (ABP) — A group of Florida children with cuts and bruises stood by an overturned bus June 29 watching paramedics try unsuccessfully to save the life of their 6-year-old friend. The children, from a church-affiliated day-care center…

ATLANTA (ABP) — The leaders of one of America's most historic Christian denominations voted overwhelmingly July 4 to endorse same-sex civil marriage and encourage their local congregations to extend religious marriage to gay couples. Meeting July 4 in Atlanta, about…