WASHINGTON (ABP) — Less than two days after the death of William Rehnquist, President Bush bumped up Judge John Roberts to replace him as chief justice of the United States. The move alters the already-complex political landscape surrounding Roberts' nomination….
Influential minister John Claypool dies of cancer-related causes
ATLANTA (ABP) — Influential preacher and theologian John Claypool died Saturday, Sept. 3, at a hospital in Atlanta, where he was a visiting professor of preaching at Mercer University's McAfee School of Theology. The 74-year-old Kentucky native died at Dekalb…
Mississippi couple finds memories amid rubble of ‘dream house’
PASS CHRISTIAN, Miss. (ABP) — “She wanted me to buy her the house of her dreams,” he says. “This was it.” His voice choked with raw emotion, Bob Zeller points toward the pile of rubble that now lies where his…
In Bayou La Batre, hit by Katrina, movie drama becomes all too real
BAYOU LA BATRE, Ala. (ABP) — In the Hollywood film “Forrest Gump,” the hero scores an economic coup when his boat is the only one in the Bayou La Batre, Ala., shrimping fleet to survive a hurricane. Sadly, for the…
CBF groups start disaster response in south Alabama, Mississippi
ATLANTA (ABP) — In a small coastal Alabama town ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, the Alabama branch of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is partnering to provide assistance to residents, most of whom lost everything. Alabama CBF is joining efforts with Volunteers…
Gulf Coast pastor challenges I-10 colleagues to help victims
PENSACOLA, Fla. (ABP) — A Florida Panhandle pastor whose church was devastated by Hurricane Ivan last year has challenged churches along the Interstate 10 corridor to respond compassionately to victims of Hurricane Katrina. Barry Howard, pastor of First Baptist Church…
S.C. church wants to ‘adopt’ families hit by hurricane
HAMPTON, S.C. (ABP) — A Baptist church in South Carolina is looking to help a few families from New Orleans to start their lives over after experiencing the destructive forces of Hurricane Katrina. Pastor Greg Clements of First Baptist Church…
Casinos, churches alike decimated as Katrina pounds Mississippi
BILOXI, Miss. (ABP) — Hurricane Katrina punished the sacred and profane alike as it came ashore on the Mississippi Coast Aug. 29, gutting sturdy brick churches and glittering casinos, historic oceanside homes and modest tin-roofed bungalows. From New Orleans to…
Katrina sows destruction, confusion along La., Miss. coastlines
SLIDELL, La. (ABP) — Katrina has passed on to the north. Communications are out in Covington, La. Slidell, La., is a mess. And virtually nothing's left of Pass Christian, Miss. Such stories have been repeated all over the Gulf Coast…
Amid chaos, New Orleans officials rail against federal response
SLIDELL, La. (ABP) — Frustrated local officials in the New Orleans area came out swinging Sept. 1 against their federal counterparts, calling the response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster in that city immorally slow and uncoordinated. With communications in the…
As Katrina strikes La., Miss., Baptist relief workers respond
(ABP) — Baptists across the nation are opening their doors and hearts to those fleeing Hurricane Katrina. Baptist churches throughout Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi have become impromptu shelters for refugees fleeing Hurricane Katrina Aug. 29. In partnership with the American…
CBF readies for response as Katrina hits Gulf states
ATLANTA (ABP) — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is preparing to handle both financial contributions and volunteer requests in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, even before damage assessments have been made, said David Harding, CBF's international coordinator for emergency response. The…