The planned merger of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship state groups in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi will benefit poverty, food insecurity and anti-racism ministries well beyond that region, CBF Executive Coordinator Paul Baxley said. “The oldest Together for Hope sites are in…
CBF state organizations in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi to merge
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship state organizations in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi have voted to merge into a single regional organization in a process facilitated by CBF leaders. “Our coordinating councils have all unanimously approved this and in each of our separate…
After Hurricane Ida, CBF churches urged to prepare to help when the time is right
Ministers and congregations eager to provide material assistance to Louisiana and Mississippi residents affected by Hurricane Ida are mostly going to have to wait before taking action, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship leaders and ministers said during an Aug. 30 Zoom call….
In Busia, Kenya, a rare look at what became of a mission project 15 years later
It’s a common scenario in church mission work: A congregation goes into an area and provides a much-needed ministry, and then they leave for whatever reason and never see the results that follow. But every now and then a chain…
If you want to help the poor, first understand their humanity
Humanizing the poor and hungry is a vital first step for individuals and churches called to combat poverty and hunger, a group of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship ministers and lay leaders learned during a recent webinar hosted by CBF Heartland. “It’s…
Together for Hope partnership steps up the drive for hunger relief in Mississippi
Together for Hope is venturing full force into the realm of proposing legislation and lobbying to finance an expansive anti-hunger initiative in Mississippi. “I’ve never participated in a grassroots campaign quite like this,” said Jason Coker, national director of Together…
Nationwide, twice as many people are hungry during pandemic
Experts predicted food insecurity would skyrocket as the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the nation’s economy. According to those who regularly minister to the poor and hungry, those predictions have turned out to be accurate. “It’s bigger than anything we’ve ever seen,”…
Despite forced letter from Trump, agencies distributing USDA food boxes
Millions of boxes of USDA surplus food are being shipped with mandated letters from President Donald Trump asserting his concern to protect the well-being of Americans struggling through the coronavirus pandemic — including recommendations for wearing masks and practicing social…
New book explores pain of preaching after a suicide in the congregation
In January 2009, I sat down at my desk to think about the upcoming season of Lent. I was the pastor at Wilton Baptist Church in Wilton, Conn. I had been there for just over two years but was the…
More Americans are hungry, but ‘it doesn’t have to be that way’
It’s a fact that food insecurity is getting steadily worse in the United States in part because of the coronavirus, a Baptist mission expert reports. But it’s a myth that hunger and poverty are conditions Americans simply have to accept,…
COVID-19 pandemic creating long-lasting food shortages for poor
The COVID-19 pandemic will leave a lasting impact on food-insecure Americans and the organizations that combat hunger.
Civil Rides sends cyclists pedaling into history, ministry
Some of the photos on Jason Coker’s Facebook page may give the impression he’s out riding the Tour de France these days. But the helmet, colorful team jersey and cycling pants he and others are wearing in the April picture…