Growing up in Georgia, I devoured collards, cornbread and the columns by Louie D. Newton in the weekly issues of The Christian Index, the Georgia Baptist newspaper. Newton was a well-known pastor, former editor of the Index, and a denominational…
Chaplain Service job seems made to order
When a prison inmate requests a special diet for religious reasons, is it really part of the inmate's faith? It's Randy Myers's job to find the answer. It's the kind of question Myers will grapple with in his new job…
ANOTHER VIEW: As U.S. tops 300 million, what about the church?
The population of the United States soared past 300 million in October, with no signs of declining anytime soon. Only two other countries contain more than 300 million people: China and India, with more than 1 billion each. Like those…
Virginians help dreams come true in African ministry
Nineteen volunteers from Community Heights Baptist Church of Cedar Bluff, Va., went to Kyela, Tanzania, for two weeks in July. Hundreds of churches take mission trips—what makes this one different is that it began 15 years ago. Pastor Allen Jessee…
Breakout sessions at BGAV to focus on RASNet
Five breakout sessions at this year's annual meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia will focus on the Ray and Ann Spence Network for Congregational Leadership, RASNet's director Bob Dale told Paige Peak, communications officer for the Virginia Baptist…
Evangelical Forum to hold 5th annual meeting
The Evangelical Forum will host its fifth annual meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 8, at the Green Run Baptist Church in Virginia Beach. The meeting is being held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia….
New issue of Heritage Seekers is released
Sam Houston and Texas Baptists are featured in the new issue of Heritage Seekers, the magazine for children and families published by the Center for Baptist Heritage & Studies. The theme of this issue is on the spirit of individualism,…
N.J. court gives gays marriage rights, but not claim to name
The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Oct. 25 that the state's constitution requires that marriage rights be available to same-sex couples on an equal basis with heterosexuals. But the court left state legislators to decide whether to refer to the…
Questions and answers on N.J. gay marriage decision
Q: What did the New Jersey Supreme Court rule? A: The majority said that while there is no “fundamental right to same sex-marriage” in New Jersey, it is unconstitutional to deny gay couples the same rights as married couples. Q:…
WMU children’s curriculum to make education easier
Today's children are tomorrow's missionaries and missions leaders in Baptist churches, so Woman's Missionary Union is taking children's missions education to the next level, describing their new materials as “relevant, redesigned and ready-to-use.” “Think about it,” said Mitzi Eaker, children's…
Missouri panel wants to exclude 18 churches
If a Missouri Baptist Convention committee has its way, messengers to the convention's annual meeting Oct. 31 were expected to effectively eject 18 congregations. If messengers agree to the move, it would likely be the largest such exclusion of congregations…
Missouri panel wants to exclude 18 churches
If a Missouri Baptist Convention committee has its way, messengers to the convention's annual meeting Oct. 31 were expected to effectively eject 18 congregations. If messengers agree to the move, it would likely be the largest such exclusion of congregations…