FLORIDA
Once a thriving church, Moultrie Baptist Church in St. Augustine was in decline in 2018, the Florida Baptist Witness reported. At that time the church called Johnny Weldon to serve as interim pastor; he soon discovered church members thought the church’s best days were over.
Weldon accepted an offer to become pastor, knowing remaining members “would have to long for change within themselves and within the church [and] believe that was what God wanted.” When the pandemic began in 2020, the church realized it had an opportunity to make a difference in the community.
The church launched outdoor and online services and adopted a new tagline: “Together we make a difference.” “Moultrie is a God story,” said the pastor. “He is getting hold of members’ hearts, and they now want to see themselves as a missions center in their community.” Click here to read more of this story.
GEORGIA
Legacy Baptist Church in Dallas recently hosted an old-fashioned hoedown to reach its community with the gospel in a nonthreatening way, the Christian Index reported. The fall festival is designed to be an alternative family event with a non-Halloween theme. It’s a huge undertaking for the church, requiring more than 75 volunteers to staff the food booths, games, hayrides and more.
The church’s women’s ministry organizes the annual event, which has been held every year since 2011 with the exception of last year when it was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions. “It’s an opportunity to love on the community,” said Rhonda Yearwood, who leads Legacy’s women’s ministry.
“Families who might not come to the church for a sermon will come for the hoedown,” she said. Each hayride includes a fall-themed presentation of the gospel, using an illuminated pumpkin to illustrate how Christ fills Christians with an inner light after cleansing them of sin. Click here to read more of this story.
Kentucky
In a world where stress and anxiety have become prevalent in teens and adults, Southside Baptist Church in Princeton is staging a Judgement House drama titled “I’m Fine” that follows a young girl struggling with anxiety caused by the pandemic. The anxiety affects her academic, social and family life.
The walk-through drama will be held in the church’s new Life Action Center, allowing for an accessible experience for those with disabilities. “The drama presents the gospel as it shows people making — or failing to make — a decision that will determine their eternal destiny,” reported Kentucky Today. Pastor Kyle Noffsinger explained, “[The gospel] is the sole reason we do this — we are not actors. … We have volunteers who have found an effective way to share the gospel.” Click here to more of this story.
Mississippi
Back Bay Church in St. Martin recently became the first known Southern Baptist church to allow members to use cryptocurrency as a giving method, reported The Baptist Record. Pastor Adam Bennett was inspired after conversations with different church members.
“I did some research and found that the Salvation Army accepts it. I looked into their platform and ended up deciding to use a different one for us.”
Bennett believes as interest grows, cryptocurrency could be the future. He notes Back Bay is moving forward cautiously and encourages others to do research before diving in. The plan is to use cryptocurrency assets to provide financial assistance for missionaries in financially unstable countries.
“If someone wanted to donate to our church like [he] would with a parcel of land, [he] can. Then we can sell it and use that money for the mission of God,” said Bennett. Click here to read more of this story.
North Carolina
Allan Blume has been named interim editor of North Carolina’s Biblical Recorder. Blume previously served as executive editor and president of the Recorder for eight years, retiring on May 31, 2019. Prior to serving as editor, Blume was a pastor for more than 35 years in Texas, Oklahoma and North Carolina.
He also served a three-year term as president of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina’s board of directors and one term as president of the North Carolina Pastors’ Conference.
In a written statement, the Biblical Recorder’s board of directors said, “Blume’s ministry among North Carolina Baptists as a pastor and past editor of the [Recorder] makes him the ideal transitional leader for the organization.”
In his part-time interim role, Blume is filling a vacancy left by Seth Brown, who served first as content editor (2015–2019) and then as executive editor and president (2019–2021) of the Biblical Recorder.
In September, Brown joined the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina staff as director of the new convention relations group. Click here to read more of this story.
South Carolina
“The church is not a building … that can be destroyed,” Pastor Marty Middleton reminded members of Fort Johnson Baptist Church in a Facebook video on Sept. 9 after a fire in the steeple destroyed the sanctuary and damaged the Charleston church’s educational space, reported the Baptist Courier. Middleton recalls hearing a huge lightning strike Sept. 8, and he went looking for damage.
When he didn’t find anything, he and the students who were at the church went home. The next morning, the first person to raise alarm was the child of one of the church’s preschool teachers.
“He came to his mom and said, ‘Hey, it smells like there’s a cookout here,’” Middleton explained.
Everyone was able to evacuate the building before anyone was injured. The family life center wasn’t damaged, so Sunday services are in the gym.
“We worship a great God who can do some great things even through this disaster,” Middleton encouraged his congregation. Click here to read more of this story.
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