By Bob Allen The Baptist State Convention of North Carolina voted Nov. 11 to trim its annual budget by $1 million, citing a decline in giving of about 7 percent. “While it is true that the receipts of many churches…
Tennessee Baptists elect first black president
By Bob Allen The Tennessee Baptist Convention elected the first African-American president in its 140-year history Nov. 11. Michael Ellis, 54, pastor of Impact Baptist Church in Memphis, was elected by unanimous vote of more than 940 messengers attending the…
NCC hires two staffers
By Bob Allen The National Council of Churches, an ecumenical partnership of 37 Christian faith groups in the United States, has announced two hirings for key leadership roles. NCC officials announced Nov. 7 the hiring of Aundreia Alexander, head of…
Baptist churches aim to plant seeds of hope in the Delta
By Bob Allen Birthplace of blues legends such as Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and Howlin Wolf, the Mississippi Delta is better known for hardship and despair than a message of hope, but faith and community leaders in one small…
Black Baptists in U.S. take on Ebola
By Jeff Brumley A coalition of black Baptist organizations announced today its intention to combat the ongoing Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The African-American Baptist Mission Collaboration issued a statement that its constituent members — the Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission…
American Baptist leader to advocate for people with disabilities
By Bob Allen Curtis Ramsey-Lucas, managing director of resource development for American Baptist Home Mission Societies, has been named director of interfaith engagement for an outreach arm of the American Association of People with Disabilities. In an agreement between the…
BWA reconfirms 2015 Africa congress
By Jeff Brumley The 21st Baptist World Congress will convene as planned in Durban, South Africa, next year despite disease and travel concerns in Africa, Neville Callam, general secretary of the Baptist World Alliance, said in a news release Oct. 27….
Second vote on Brewton-Parker accreditation due in December
By Bob Allen An appeals committee affirmed a decision by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges in June to terminate the accreditation of Brewton-Parker College but determined new financial information supplied by the college warranted keeping the…
New Baptist Covenant gets $1 million gift
By Bob Allen A Texas foundation started by Sysco founder and Baptist layman John Baugh has pledged $1 million over four years for operating expenses of a movement spearheaded by former President Jimmy Carter to unify U.S. Baptists across racial,…