BUCHAREST, Romania (ABP)—Project Ruth’s Mihai Ciopasiu is all too glad to talk about the success the organization has enjoyed the past two decades serving the poorest and most shunned children in Romania. The nonprofit began as a day center with…
CELEBRATE RETIREMENT: Congregation helps widow who faces eviction from her home
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.(ABP)—Mary Cate Jones never doubted her congregation would help when it learned she faced a foreclosure crisis last month. But raising $35,000 in the last two weeks of May and finding a donor to match the rest? The 78-year-old…
For this Baptist, ‘business as mission’ is calling
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (ABP)—Some Christians live out their faith by ministering in churches, visiting prisoners or serving as missionaries. Jordan England does it by designing and selling furniture. “This is my calling,” said England, the 31-year-old owner and CEO of Industry…
Interreligious dialogue is nothing new, but ministers and others are changing the way they do it
Interfaith dialogue is on the rise, not just in formal conversations led by judicatory leaders but in local communities where friendships forge as ministers of various faiths work together for common goals amid increasing religious diversity in the Bible belt….
Interfaith talks on the rise in the Bible Belt
Interfaith dialogue is on the rise, not just in formal conversations led by judicatory leaders but in local communities where friendships forge as ministers of various faiths work together for common goals amid increasing religious diversity in the Bible Belt….
North Carolina network has eyes to see region’s poor
ROANOKE RAPIDS, N.C. — The demographics of Halifax County, N.C., are appalling. Unemployment is above 13 percent and one resident in four earns income below the poverty line. The county is part of the fourth poorest congressional district in the…
Haitians push N.C. congregation out of comfort zone
MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. (ABP)—Nobody in Mount Olive, N.C., was quite prepared for an influx of Haitian immigrants seeking low-paying jobs in area poultry processing plants, but the community’s First Baptist Church viewed the challenge as an opportunity. Dennis Atwood knew…
Haitians push church out of comfort zone
MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. (ABP)—Nobody in Mount Olive, N.C., was quite prepared for an influx of Haitian immigrants seeking low-paying jobs in area poultry processing plants, but the community’s First Baptist Church viewed the challenge as an opportunity. Dennis Atwood knew…
Spiritual direction useful for churches too, says minister
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.—A period of guided spiritual direction is often recommended for Christians struggling with their enthusiasm for discipleship. “There are times when we need help getting unstuck,” said Jayne Davis, minister of spiritual formation at First Baptist Church in Wilmington,…