People and institutions of faith from Florida to North Carolina are kicking into high gear to help the victims of Hurricane Helene even as they struggle assessing the human need and the scope of physical damage. Even in the most…
What I learned hearing 10 Baptist pastors talk about LGBTQ inclusion
Last Friday, I attended the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina’s 30th anniversary gathering at First Baptist Church of Greensboro, N.C. The theme of “thriving together” took on particular interest to me as a young seminarian because of one of…
CBF North Carolina marks 30 years of cooperation with emphasis on ‘fellowship’
Thirty years ago, a group of North Carolina Baptists gathered to figure out a new way of working together as they were feeling less and less comfortable in their longstanding home, the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. Their historic…
This Bucket Challenge offers DIY cleanup relief for disaster victims
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has turned to the bucket to counter the pandemic limits placed on disaster response ministry, said Daynette Snead-Perez, CBF’s U.S. disaster response manager. A “1,000 Bucket Challenge” seeks individuals and churches to fill 1,000 5-gallon buckets…
Franklin Graham, toxic charity concerns send churches packing from Operation Christmas Child
Years of viral news articles describing Operation Christmas Child as a form of toxic charity have contributed to a movement of churches away from the Samaritan’s Purse ministry.
Religion Notes: Church giving on rise despite drops in attendance
-Nurturing young children, teens
-Ministry to the military
Hurricane season has ended (yay) but the poor aren’t cheering
The 2018 hurricane season, which officially ends today, unleashed yet another barrage of terrifying and destructive weather that left huge swaths of the nation soaked, flattened – or both. And as usual, it is those with the fewest resources who have been left with the biggest obstacles to overcome.
Toward a deeper understanding of Baptist ordination
The first thing I learned walking into a job at a Baptist church in West Jefferson, North Carolina was that the frontier of freedom in the Church is found in Baptist life. I was raised United Methodist and pursued ordination…
Transforming together: What CBFNC’s General Assembly taught me
Recently I attended the Cooperative Baptist Church of North Carolina’s General Assembly. I was honored to receive the Randall and Lou Lolley Scholarship for my theological education at Duke Divinity School. But I couldn’t help but feel more than just…