First person: Could 15 weeks make a difference? If so, what’s the first step?

Fifteen weeks from the date of our latest Sept. 17 issue The Alabama Baptist edition wraps up 2026. That’s 105 days, a little more than three months, and we’ll be ringing in the new year.

September, particularly Labor Day weekend, always helps me reset for the fourth quarter of the year. Summer activities have ended, and we quickly find ourselves focused on football season and a new school year.

Anticipation of fall

Fall brings its own special flavor, features and, this year at least, much-needed relief from a long-lasting intense heat index.

So, what do you have in mind for these next 15 weeks?

As I look over our current coverage assignments related to The Alabama Baptist and The Baptist Paper, I see that we’ll have a team covering the upcoming SBC Executive Committee meeting in Nashville.

Several news updates are anticipated from that coverage. We’ll keep you informed through thebaptistpaper.org website and print publication.

We also had a team in New York City a few days leading into the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and provided video interviews and social media coverage through Ground Level Reports with Marc Ira Hooks.

Back here in Alabama, we worked to share stories from those who recalled their experiences in the days following that tragic September day in 2001.

Check out our websites

You can find those articles online at thealabamabaptist.org and thebaptistpaper.org.

Our team tried something a little different Sept. 13 when an opportunity to partner with Alabama Black Deaf Advocates, American Sign Language-certified interpreters and Pickleball Kingdom Birmingham surfaced. We were able to help host a first-of-its-kind pickleball event for the Deaf community.

We were honored to help make this unique and creative opportunity possible for our friends in the Deaf community. Along with a fun social experience, it provided a friendly, informal environment to share about the various ministries available around the state as well.

We work hard to connect people from all walks of life because we truly are better together, and we’ve watched God work in some incredible ways through His people.

Sponsoring the pickleball event was an easy yes for our team, and we hope all who participated enjoyed the afternoon on the court and around the refreshment table.

September also shifts our focus to associational annual meeting season. We’ll join the other entities representing Alabama Baptist life, along with the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, to share about our ministry efforts.

If you see us at one of the meetings, then you’ll likely learn more about how The Kids Edition newspaper is really taking off and how you can sign up to make sure the kiddos in your life aren’t missing out.

You’ll also discover the new “Waiting in the Meantime” Bible study written by Denise George, which is published through our new book publishing arm.

Our team continues to hear of family after family facing the difficulty of estrangement, and we are hopeful the eight-week Bible study for mothers and grandmothers will provide a path forward.

Helpful resources

Several churches plan to offer the Bible study soon, and Denise prepared a detailed leader’s guide that will be super helpful.

Hunter Street Baptist Church in Hoover went a step further by recruiting Denise and TAB Media Group team member Susan Stevens to lead their study. They are offering the Bible study Thursday mornings from 9:30 to 11 a.m. beginning Sept. 24.

It’s not too late to start a Bible study in your area, however. The study can be done any time and will likely be one you will want to offer repeatedly. And if you would like to move ahead with it quickly, then launch it by Oct. 1 and you’ll be wrapped before Thanksgiving.

Available on Amazon

Either way, check out the book “Waiting in the Meantime: A Guided Journey Toward Hope and Healing for Mothers of Estranged Adult Children” on Amazon.

Oh, and speaking of October, be sure to share your fall festival, trunk or treat, and other Halloween-alternative event photos with us. We would love to sprinkle them across our digital platforms for a little extra boost showcasing your hard work.

Thank you for all you are doing and will do to reach your community for Christ. Let’s illuminate these next 15 weeks with the brightest of His Light, the kindest of His compassion and the happiest of His heart.