Baker Publishing Group

Key gospel imperative lost in the hubub of a 24-hour news cycle

“We may not end poverty in the next decade, but I think we can take some significant steps toward reducing food-insecurity in the United States and around the globe.”

Embracing the power of story

We share a new series in BNG’s Storytelling Projects about the Norfolk Street Choir as part of our "Singing Our Faith" theme.

While Norfolk, VA is a performance rich city, Freemason Baptist Church’s idea for a street choir was never about performance. Rather, it was “to lift spirits and add dignity to human beings, no matter their circumstances.”

Norfolk Street Choir infuses dignity with a dose of music

Communal singing draws forth “beauty beyond ourselves that we get to see, get to participate in,” Bob Shoup, minister of music, said. Special groups like the street choir amplify that beauty among people for whom “experiences of beauty are harder to come by.”

We created Storytelling Projects because we believe stories, rooted in the Jesus Story, have the power not only to inform but to transform people and communities. They can be sources of spiritual insight, imagination, creativity and hope for all who seek justice and mercy.