The way Jonathan Wilkins sees it, members of his Baptist church in Thomaston, Ga., should have the right to carry guns into worship services to protect the congregation. Wilkins’ Baptist Tabernacle and a Georgia gun-rights association are challenging a new…
Virginia Baptist Foundation awards grants to ministries
RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia Baptist Foundation has awarded grants totaling $20,000 to four Virginia Baptist ministry partners, according to Ronald C. Hall, president and CEO of the Foundation. “This ministry is made possible through the Christian stewardship of others,”…
WMUV, Bluefield training transformational leaders
BLUEFIELD, Va. — Both Woman’s Missionary Union of Virginia and Bluefield College are committed to training leaders who can transform their communities, say spokespersons for the organizations. While working in South Africa, Sara Hubble helped find families for abandoned babies….
Panamanian woman plants new congregation
PEDASI, Panama — When Cristina Sosa de Hopkins closed her medical practice in Costa Rica and moved to Panama, the last thing on her mind was starting a church. She was more concerned that her license to practice medicine earned…
OPINION: Saying goodbye to Robert
Unexpected blessings are the best kind — like finding a $20 bill on the sidewalk, that first word coming out of the mouth of your child or finding the dishes washed and put away when you come home. They’re like…
OPINION: When our eyes are open
Throughout the years, Baptists have affirmed the biblical teaching that the Holy Spirit gives gifts to the members of the church. These gifts are given for the building up of the body of Christ and for the work of ministry….
New IMB chief insists he has ‘no intention of being an interim’
DALLAS — International Mission Board trustees elected as president of the missions agency Tom Elliff — a 67-year-old longtime Oklahoma pastor, one-time missionary and former president of the Southern Baptist Convention. And despite his age, Elliff insists he has "no…
Creative ministry takes on a life of its own among Panamanian Baptists
LA CHORRERA, Panama — When church leaders plan a meeting, there are always some “clowns” who show up. Usually leaders just hope they don’t all show up at once and dominate the meeting. But that’s exactly what Panamanian Baptists are…
EDITORIAL: Is that a trumpet I hear?
Voices first heard in childhood often continue to impact us with potent echoes from the past. At the speed of thought I return to that small church in Jefferson County, Mo., where I grew up. It was Sunday evening and…
HERITAGE: Wheeling and dealing
Hunter Riggins is forever engaged, quite literally, in wheeling and dealing. He is one of America’s leading automobile dealers; and across the years he has honed and refined the skills of relationship building, customer satisfaction and sealing the deal. And…
VITAL SIGNS: Disagreeing agreeably
After one particularly frustrating performance by his Green Bay Packers, legendary Coach Vince Lombardi called his team together. He was determined to get them refocused on the things that made for winning. As they knelt before the coach, he held…
OUT LOUD
“The Phelps family represent only themselves, but we do not have a copyright on the Baptist name, so they have the freedom to use and abuse that name. As a result, Baptists everywhere are defamed by them." A. Roy Medley…