By Ken Camp Josie rises early to catch a 5:30 a.m. bus to the San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind, where she has worked five days a week ever since she became visually impaired several years ago. She returns home…
An ancient story; still true in 2012
By Marv Knox Our Bible study class has been reading from the Old Testament prophet Amos in the weeks leading up to Easter. This is the season the church calls Lent, a period of preparation for commemorating Jesus’ death, burial…
CBF initiative brings hope to nation’s poorest counties
By Vicki Brown The Lakota of Bridger, S.D., now have fresh eggs available in their neighborhood at about half the cost, and young women in Helena, Ark., are learning business and leadership skills while earning an income to help their…
Absorbing the violence
By Bill Leonard “We absorb so much violence and insecurity everyday that we are like time bombs ready to explode. We need to find a cure for our illness.” That quotation, taken from the book Living Buddha, Living Christ and…
Baptists, Easter Seals join to make first 5 years ‘count’ for at-risk kids
By Bob Allen The National Baptist Convention, USA, and Easter Seals are teaming up in April to raise awareness about children under 5 at risk of autism, developmental delays and disabilities. National Baptists, the nation’s oldest and largest historically African-American…
Messy narratives
By Alan Bean The Trayvon Martin case is following a predictable trajectory. Calls for the arrest of George Zimmerman centered on the self-appointed neighborhood watch captain’s unprovoked vigilante pursuit of an unarmed citizen. Now comes the inevitable backlash as the…
White churches on sidelines of Trayvon Martin outrage
By Jeff Brumley The killing of Trayvon Martin has sparked rallies in black communities nationwide and is now leading to questions about why white Christians aren’t more visibly involved. Pastors of both races offer a number of theories about the…
Class status influences views on poverty, say organizers
By Robert Dilday Attitudes toward poverty are strongly influenced by class distinctions and experience, and frequently lead to misrepresentations of the poor, say two couples who operate a Christian community building organization in a low-income neighborhood of Charlotte, N.C. “There…
Trayvon and Troy
By Zachary Bailes In the past week people gathered to hold vigils, protests and to speak out for the one who can no longer speak: Trayvon Martin. We find ourselves caught in a whirlwind of understandable fury and anger over…
His Nets hires executive director
Associated Baptist Press Andi Thomas Sullivan has been named executive director of His Nets, Inc., a non-profit organization that fights malaria, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. Andi Sullivan Sullivan co-founded the ministry that purchases and distributes long-lasting insecticidal bed nets with…
Ricks Institute principal elected president of Liberian Baptists
By Bob Allen A former war refugee who returned to his native Liberia in 2005 to run a K-12 boarding school has been elected president of the Liberia Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention. Olu Menjay Olu Menjay, principal of Ricks…
VA offers training to help rural clergy minister to vets
Associated Baptist Press The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is offering free, one-day workshops for clergy in rural areas on how to minister to needs of veterans in their communities. Six training events are scheduled between April 10 and June…