BLUEFIELD — Students eager to combine their passion for Christian service with their academic disciplines found an opportunity on a recent medical mission trip sponsored by Bluefield College. Five students joined two professors and campus minister David Taylor in performing …
Muslims pray for ‘soul of America’ at U.S. Capitol in first ever event
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Swapping prayer rugs for massive plastic rain tarps, an estimated 3,500 Muslims gathered at the foot of the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 25 to pray for “the soul of America” in a grassroots demonstration of religious and…
Virginia Baptists deploying teams to assist victims of Georgia floods
The business district of Douglasville, Ga., was under water Sept. 22. RICHMOND — Virginia Baptists’ disaster relief ministry is gearing up to assist victims of “epic” floods in Georgia that killed at least 10 people the week of Sept. 20….
Faith leaders urge G-20 summit to remember the poor
PITTSBURGH (ABP) — Faith leaders including the missions coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship said the Sept. 24-25 G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh provided a unique opportunity to raise their concerns about the plight of the world's poor. Religious leaders, including…
Barna survey: Women pastors gaining ground in United States
VENTURA, Calif. (ABP) — The percentage of churches in the United States employing a woman as senior pastor has doubled during the past decade, according to a new survey by the Barna Group. The evangelical pollster said one church in…
Court voids $5 million judgment against Westboro Baptist Church
RICHMOND (ABP) — A federal appeals court has thrown out a $5 million judgment against members of a controversial Baptist church who picketed the funeral of a Marine killed in Iraq with inflammatory signs including "Thank God for Dead Soldiers."…
For these volunteers, a missional lifestyle doesn’t demand travel
RICHMOND, Va. — For more than 10 years, Clement “Mickey” Woodward has made a mission trip once a month. His mission experience (or, more accurately, his over 5,000 mission experiences) has typically taken him no more than 30 miles from…
As BTSR’s marks 20th year, its first homecoming is scheduled
RICHMOND — The two-decade old Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond will host its first homecoming celebration Oct. 16-17, welcoming alumni back to campus for two days of festivities. Homecoming will offer the school, which this year is in the midst…
Non-denominational, Baptist churches dominate listing of largest, fastest-growing congregations
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — About one-fourth of the largest and one-third of the fastest-growing churches in America are Baptist, according to an annual listing compiled by LifeWay Research for Outreach Magazine. Nearly half of the nation's largest and fastest-growing churches…