If you want to be a better Baptist, a better Christian, a better family member or a better citizen, then you should read The Alabama Baptist every week.
An old adage among Baptists says “An informed Baptist is the best Baptist.” That adage supports the benefit of reading The Alabama Baptist. News about every Alabama Baptist State Convention-related entity regularly appears on the pages of the state Baptist newspaper. Every program is promoted.
Issues that arise in Baptist life are examined in a balanced, responsible manner. Readers receive information enabling them to make decisions based on trustworthy and reliable information.
Southern Baptist life is also highlighted. The Alabama Baptist remains the primary source of missions information for Alabama laypersons. SBC emphases are regularly featured and issues examined.
Reading The Alabama Baptist helps Baptists know specific prayer needs, opportunities for personal participation and opportunities for financial support. Obviously, an informed Baptist — one who understands what is happening, one who knows the prayer needs, one who sees opportunities for participation, one who knows the need for financial support — is a better Baptist than one who walks through the church door unaware of all that is going on in the Baptist family beyond the local church.
Being a better Baptist is only the beginning of the benefits garnered by regular reading of The Alabama Baptist. One can also become a better Christian.
The state Baptist paper promotes Bible study through the two Bible lessons published weekly. The crossword puzzle is another Bible teaching tool offered weekly. The Alabama Baptist helps readers understand the importance of such Chris-tian disciplines as prayer, evangelism, Christian service and others. The paper regularly features stories about those involved in such activities and promotes ways for readers to participate as well.
Resources for church life are announced through the pages of the state Baptist newspaper. Personal ethical issues are examined. The situations of Christians around the world, especially the persecuted Christians, are shared.
Any one of these benefits would make the paper worthwhile, but all being available in one publication makes the paper invaluable. Yet, there are still more benefits to reading your state Baptist paper.
The Alabama Baptist provides practical helps for real life issues. One of the paper’s emphases is the family. Whether one’s concern is living with children or assisting aging parents or anything in between, The Alabama Baptist offers help. Not every issue will be addressed every week, but regular readers will find an array of material to help them with family issues. More is planned for the future.
Helping readers deal with public issues is another benefit of reading The Alabama Baptist. Moral and ethical issues are examined from a biblical viewpoint. Readers of The Alabama Baptist have more than a secular newspaper to help them determine their positions on issues.
Religious liberty, a hallmark of Baptists, is also championed through the state Baptist paper.
One can see that regular reading of The Alabama Baptist helps in a variety of ways. It has for 160 years. That is why the vast majority of Alabama Baptist churches provide the paper for active resident members through the church budget. The state Baptist paper is a partner supporting the work of these local churches.
Each one of these partnership churches benefits from members reading the state Baptist paper as well. Studies show that churches providing the state Baptist paper for all their active resident families give more to missions than those that do not. These same studies indicate that churches providing the paper also experience stronger financial support and greater participation in missions activities than churches that do not.
The benefits of regularly reading The Alabama Baptist are legion. Every Alabama Baptist family needs its state Baptist paper. At a cost of only 19 cents per week through the church budget, that is possible.
July 27 is Read The Alabama Baptist Sunday in Alabama Baptist churches. As your church observes this special day, say a good word about the benefit you have received from reading your state Baptist paper.
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