Arkansas
When Kim and Gary Gustin wandered into Colt Baptist Church in Colt, Arkansas, on New Year’s Day in 2017, they were “completely lost,” said Gary Gustin, who described decades of drug and alcohol abuse, alienation from loved ones and jail time. After making professions of faith on that day, the couple experienced a “miraculous” deliverance from their former lives. The two now rent a small home, have a car and are recovering from the physical side effects of drug abuse, reclaiming relationships, earning money doing home maintenance and actively involved in ministry.
Florida
The Psalm 139 Project, a pro-life ministry of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, has donated an ultrasound machine to Care Net of the Treasure Coast, a pregnancy resource center in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Sue Chess, executive director of the center, said, “We know that 86% of our clients will choose life if they see an ultrasound. The power of this window into the womb cannot be overestimated.”
Mississippi
Mississippi Baptist volunteers lassoed opportunities to share the gospel at the Dixie National Livestock Show and Rodeo at the State Fairgrounds in Jackson, Mississippi, held Feb. 3–14. This year’s event marked the sixth year that Mississippi Baptists have set up a booth at the show and rodeo, The Baptist Record reported. Each year, volunteers share the gospel more than 1,000 times, with many people coming to faith.
South Carolina
The question, “What would our city look like if we loved like Christ loved?” led Paul and Barbara Crosby on a journey to move into a socially and economically depressed community with a higher crime rate. There, they launched the Dream Center outreach in Rock Hill, South Carolina, which ultimately led to the planting of the Dream Center Church, the Baptist Courier reported.
Tennessee
The pandemic isn’t a “limitation,” said Tennessee Baptist church planting specialist William Burton, but rather an “invitation” to use more resources to reach more people. In September 2020, Iglesia Bautista Gallatin was launched virtually. On its first Sunday, the church reached two Spanish-speaking families in the Gallatin area, the Baptist and Reflector reported. Another 175 people from nearly 10 different countries and other locations in the United States tuned into the online Bible study. Since then, the Gallatin church has reached many more people, meeting for the first time in person last December.
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