Arkansas
Five Arkansas Baptist women were involved in an English-teaching ministry through the Brooklyn, New York, Arab American Friendship Center, in mid-October. Prayer walking, visiting in homes for coffee and prayer, encouraging missions partners and carrying out ministry for women and girls in a local park were all a part of the week’s schedule, Arkansas Baptist News reported. This year marks the 10th year of involvement for Arkansas Baptist women with Arab women in New York. This year’s team experienced opportunities to share Jesus and pray with women who have become good friends during the past 10 years. Natalie Burk from First Baptist Church Russellville, said, “This was my favorite trip so far. I am praying for R’s salvation and for the Friendship Center to be a light in the darkness.” Burk and two other Arkansas Baptist women have been teaching English classes virtually for the Friendship Center over the past year as in-person classes were closed due to the pandemic. Click here to read more.
Florida
Danny Lundy recalls when men and women sat on separate sides of the sanctuary on Sunday mornings and when the only air conditioning was natural as windows were opened wide. For the past 50 years, Lundy has led Oakland Baptist Church in Perry, the Florida Baptist Witness reported. The church meets once each month, but its doors are always open to the public. Visitors can sit on church benches, play the piano, sing and pray. “A lot of people go down there to get some solace, just to have a little bit of peace between themselves and the hurries of the world and be able to sit there and talk to the Lord,” Lundy said. After 50 years, the pastor has no plans to retire from Oakland Baptist or for the church to close its doors. The church, he said, is “a lighthouse and the light is there. There may be no human activity around it but when folks drive in there, the light is there, and it is shining, and it sends a message.” Click here to read more.
Kentucky
As a group of six people stood on his front porch, praying with his wife for his salvation, Greg Knapper hid in the bedroom, peering through the blinds, Kentucky Today reported. Fast forward to today, and the man who hid in his bedroom is the bivocational pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Mount Eden, which is the same church that sent the outreach team with then-pastor Greg Taylor to pray for his salvation. “Right now, we’re in like a church plant or reinvention phase,” said Knapper, who also works full time in the IT department for Norton Healthcare. “We’re looking at what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. Anything we do, we want to do well.” The church averages about 40 people in worship, and three young people have been baptized since Oct. 3. “I look forward to everything God has for us,” Knapper said. Click here to read more.
Louisiana
David Sneed, 65, saw the disabilities that plagued his life as a pathway to ministry. Sneed’s life was described as a living sermon, reported New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, where he earned associate’s and bachelor’s degrees before entering the seminary’s doctorate program. Sneed died Sept. 3 in his downtown New Orleans apartment. Sneed prayed by name for about 2,000 people daily. Before getting a smartphone, Sneed carried a briefcase filled with pages and pages of people he lifted up in prayer. Feeling called to preach as a young man, Sneed had to overcome the obstacles his disability presented, constantly surpassing limitations others put on him. “He was the most humble man I’ve ever met,” said Jacob Crawford, director of City Life NOLA, a ministry to serve the homeless. “He was a man who had very few material possessions — very few — but he was the richest man I’ve ever met.” Click here to read more.
Mississippi
Derrick Martin is more than a campus dining employee at Mississippi College. He’s a daily friend, mentor and encourager to students, MC reported. Student Samuel Corson, a junior from Wedowee, Alabama, said Martin’s faith-based guidance and encouragement have helped him successfully navigate personal challenges. “He (Martin) is kind, considerate, energetic, intentional, humble, hardworking, friendly, patient and loving,” Corson said. Martin has worked in food service at MC for more than 25 years, moving from the “back-of-the-house” kitchen area into a new front-line role two years ago. He was recognized recently for his Christ-like spirit, receiving an MVP award from the school. “Derrick has ‘lived the gospel’ by taking interest in the lives of those he serves by offering a listening ear and always giving a last word of encouragement with his trademark phrase, ‘Have a blessed day,’” said Mike Prince, MC director of food service. Click here to read more.
Tennessee
What does riding a motorcycle have to do with raising money for missions? Just ask Frank Webb, F.A.I.T.H. Rider and pastor of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church. He recently logged more than 1,000 miles riding his motorcycle across Tennessee, the Baptist and Reflector reported. Several church members pledged an amount per mile to be given to the Tennessee Baptist missions offering. About $1,600 was pledged. F.A.I.T.H. Riders is a national ministry developed in 2002 at First Baptist Church at the Mall in Lakeland, Florida. According to the F.A.I.T.H. Riders website, what began “as a four-person step of faith has grown into a team of many dedicated believers committed to the cause of Christ and to share the gospel of Jesus Christ on and with their motorcycles to anyone who will listen.” The ministry has expanded to more than 350 churches in 29 states, including Tennessee. Click here to read more.
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