Arkansas
If you think Jess and Cassie Lothes’ hands are full as the parents of nine children, you should see their hearts, Outlook Magazine reported. The Springdale, Arkansas, couple, with two biological children, adopted seven siblings in the summer of 2020. The Lothes first welcomed the siblings, who had been living at the Arkansas Baptist Ranch, into their home as foster children. A few months later, the adoption process began.
Florida
How can one pastor serve two congregations simultaneously? Just ask Eugene Gregory; he has been doing so for eight years, the Florida Baptist Witness reported. River of Life Church of Volusia in Deltona, Florida, is a non-traditional ministry where the congregation meets in an open-air pavilion originally a pole barn. First Baptist Church of Lake Monroe in Sanford, Florida, is a 104-year-old traditional congregation with about 20 in weekly worship. “The two churches partner together very well,” Gregory said.
Georgia
Ghana native Emmanuel Ofori-Atta grew up the son of a king with 44 children among six wives. Today, as pastor of the traditional, aging and predominately white First Baptist Church in Stockbridge, Georgia, Ofori-Atta has come a long way. Church members are grateful for the thousands-of-miles journey that brought them their new pastor, who was ordained in January. “Our neighborhood, city and county are becoming more diverse,” said deacon chairman Winford Smith. Ofori-Atta is “good for our church.”
South Carolina
For the first time in history, African Americans are serving as the top two officers of the South Carolina Baptist Convention. Alex Sands, pastor of Kingdom Life Church in Simpsonville, South Carolina, is serving as president, joined by vice president, Ron Henderson, senior pastor of Mt. Nebo Baptist Church in Spartanburg, South Carolina. “We are serious and intentional about taking steps toward racial reconciliation,” Gary Hollingsworth, SCBC executive director-treasurer, said.
Tennessee
Amid the many hardships of 2020, Hilldale Baptist Church in Clarksville, Tennessee, experienced a financial miracle, the Baptist and Reflector reported. The church exceeded its $3.1 million budget by $73,000, paid off the approximate $500,000 debt on its family life center and reached its goals for the Cooperative Program and Tennessee Baptist state missions offering. “It’s easy to see that God did a miracle in our midst,” said Pastor Larry Robertson.
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