By Bob Allen A Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary student arrested March 17 and charged with sexual assault has been expelled and removed from student housing, officials of the school in Wake Forest, N.C., said March 21. A special chapel service…
Seminary student charged with sexual assault
By Bob Allen A student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary was arrested Saturday, March 17, and charged with second-degree sexual offense against another male student in a campus apartment. William Birch William Watson “Billy” Birch, 43, was arrested after admitting…
Bill McConnell nominated for CBF moderator-elect
Associated Baptist Press A Knoxville, Tenn., layman has been nominated as moderator-elect of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Bill McConnell Bill McConnell, immediate past deacon chair at Knoxville’s Central Baptist Church of Bearden, will be recommended for election at the CBF General…
Long-time WMU leader Helen Fling dies
Associated Baptist Press Helen Fling, 97, a longtime leader in Woman’s Missionary Union, died March 1. Her memorial service was March 6 at Mountain Brook Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala. The wife of Pastor Robert Fling, she was president of…
Burma refugee liaison is new BWAid director
By Robert Dilday An advocate for Burmese refugees has been named director of Baptist World Aid, an agency which works closely with Baptist disaster-relief organizations in Virginia and North Carolina. No caption submitted Rothangliani Rema Chhangte will assume her new…
Former teacher, youth pastor indicted on sex charges
By Bob Allen An Alabama grand jury indicted a former teacher and Southern Baptist youth minister March 6 on eight counts of sexual abuse 20 years after he avoided firing from his school-teacher job for similar allegations. Daniel Acker, who…
Washington minister to receive BWA human rights award
By Robert Dilday Edgar Palacios, a Salvadoran who serves as associate pastor for Christian education at Calvary Baptist Church in Washington, is the 2012 recipient of the Baptist World Alliance’s Denton and Janice Lotz Human Rights Award. The announcement was…
Pastor found guilty of abuse
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist pastor was sentenced to five years in prison Feb. 28 after a jury in Texarkana, Ark., found him guilty of sexually assaulting a 3-year-old girl inside his church last April. South Texarkana Baptist Church…
Baptist association asks church with sex-offender preacher to leave
By Bob Allen A Florida Baptist church that recently opened its pulpit to a registered sex offender has been asked to withdraw from its local association of Southern Baptist churches. Jacksonville Baptist Association leaders said March 2 that conversations with…