Arkansas
Messengers to the Arkansas Baptist State Convention’s 168th annual meeting, held Oct. 26–27, at First Baptist Church Cabot approved a 2022 budget of $21 million, with 48.4% of the budget going to out-of-state missions, including 45.82% to Southern Baptists’ Cooperative Program, Arkansas Baptist News reported. Messengers also approved the formation of a Sexual Abuse Task Force “to ensure the policies and procedures of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention are above reproach in handling sexual abuse allegations.” ABSC Executive Director J.D. “Sonny” Tucker, said, “I fully affirm and welcome the establishment of a task force with the intention to ensure the ABSC operates by the highest standards possible in regards to sexual abuse and allegations related to this matter. We will continue to utilize resources to serve churches in order to prevent sexual abuse from ever occurring. Also, we will continue to seek ways to bring help, comfort and healing for those who have suffered sexual abuse.” The motion stipulates that the task force is to “report back best practices and steps taken within the ABSC to the messengers at the 2022 annual meeting.” To read more of this story, click here.
Florida
Pastor Cliff Smith of Community Baptist Church in Bunnell, believes the job of a church is to “mirror the book of Acts — be strong in doctrine and in the community.” Community Baptist was founded 32 years ago in an area south of St. Augustine that needed the presence of a church, reported the Florida Baptist Witness. Smith began as an interim pastor in 2016, becoming the lead pastor in 2018. When Smith arrived, he discovered the church needed revival. Starting with a trunk or treat event, Smith helped members rediscover a passion for their community. “As I’ve seen our people reach out in the community in ways they’ve never done, the blessing was seeing how God transformed their lives even as they were seeking to transform the lives of others,” Smith said. Click here to read more.
Georgia
Almost every day the average American pulls up to a local drive-thru — to order fast food, pick up laundry or even to deposit a check. Now a church in metro Atlanta is asking, “Why not a drive-thru for prayer? Last year when the pandemic restricted Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta from holding in-person community prayer services, church leaders decided to try something new — drive-thru prayer. “Drive-thru prayer is ‘stay in your car, come as you are.’ The process is very simple and unintimidating,” said Dolores Elliott, prayer ministry coordinator for the church. Drive-thru prayer is held in the church parking lot from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month. Even as pandemic restrictions have eased, drive-thru prayer continues. “Drive-thru prayer is an easy way to reach out to the community surrounding you, letting people know your church is a place where they will find people to listen, love and pray for them,” Elliott explained. Click here to read more.
Kentucky
The beginning of the pandemic offered churches with two options, panic or pray. Pastor Ed Amundson of High Street Baptist Church in Somerset, chose to pray and find ways to continue to minister to his community, reported Kentucky Today. Amundson and his staff came up with a food program to provide hot meals to people in need during the first four months of the pandemic, thinking they would feed 20 or 30 people, but God’s plans were bigger. Suddenly, the church found itself providing meals for more than 1,000 families every Wednesday. As the numbers grew, donations to help purchase food poured in, and local restaurants also helped. High Street began to share the gospel with people while they sat in their cars in the church parking lot, waiting for their meals. Over the past 18 months, the church has not stopped ministering to its community, planning event after event. By Sept. 30, the church, which typically would baptize about 12 people annually, celebrated 37 salvations and baptisms. “I’ve heard a lot of other churches experienced some really incredible things [during the pandemic],” Amundson said. “This was my loaves and fishes story.” Click here to read more.
Louisiana
Louisiana College, in existence since 1906, has officially earned university status by expanding its academic offerings and has updated its name to Louisiana Christian University. The announcement was made Nov. 16 during the Louisiana Baptist Convention annual meeting. “When I became president in 2015,” said the school’s president Rick Brewer, “I told the Board I came to lead a great Christian college to become an even greater Christian university.” Enrollment currently stands at about 1,250, and the Christian institution has graduated more than 15,000 students over the years, LCU reported. The school offers dozens of bachelor’s degrees and four graduate programs, with a fifth graduate program in business administration to be added in fall 2022. Additionally, the school’s Vision 2025 strategic plan calls for its first doctoral program in education. In celebrating the news, Steve Horn, executive director of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, said, “LCU is a Louisiana school, which is unapologetically Christian, whose expanded academic offerings raise it to a university level.” To read more, click here.
Mississippi
Jerry Rankin, president emeritus of the Southern Baptist Convention International Mission Board, has been named 2021 alumnus of the year by Mississippi College. Rankin served 17 years as IMB president, retiring in 2010. Prior to serving in that role, Rankin and his wife, Bobbye, were international missionaries for 23 years. Rankin first was appointed as missionary to Indonesia. He also served as an associate to the area director for South and Southeast Asia, administrator for Southern Baptist missions work in India and area director for Southern Asia and Pacific. He currently works as an adjunct professor of missions in MC’s department of Christian studies. He is designing and developing six new courses for a missions minor, MC reported. Click here to read more.
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