Arkansas
Over the summer due to COVID-19, Woodland Heights Baptist Church in Conway hosted backyard Vacation Bible School events, reported Arkansas Baptist News. The church decided to host backyard VBS all summer after seeing “so much fruit, especially with kids who might not normally come to the building,” said Steve Lasiter, children’s and outreach pastor. Click here to read more of this story.
Georgia
Having a debt of $2 million just four years ago, members at Peavine Baptist Church in Rock Spring, Georgia, gave generously throughout the pandemic and the church retired its debt.
To celebrate, Pastor Joel Southerland and the church decided to give a recent week’s offering of $100,000 to two church planters who were struggling financially because of COVID-19 and two church plants, The Christian Index reported. Click here to read the full story.
Mississippi
With humanitarian crises in both Haiti and Afghanistan, the executive committee of the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board unanimously approved $50,000 for Southern Baptists’ Send Relief ministry. Half of the $50,000 is earmarked for Haiti, ravaged by an earthquake and a hurricane, and the other half will assist refugees from Afghanistan, The Baptist Record reported. A proposed 2022 Cooperative Program budget of $30,231,786 also was unanimously approved by the executive committee and by the full convention board and will be considered by messengers at the MBCB annual meeting. Click here to read more of this story.
North Carolina
The Baptist State Convention of North Carolina is restructuring to prioritize local churches and associations, reported The Baptist Paper. The convention will be divided into five groups, with each group having a director who will report to Todd Unzicker, the convention executive director. With these changes, the future of the Biblical Recorder, North Carolina’s 188-year-old Baptist paper, is unclear, but plans will be released after the board meeting on Sept. 13. Biblical Recorder Editor Seth Brown has been named director of convention relations for the BSCNC. Click here to read more of this story.
South Carolina
A group of seven young men and women served as South Carolina Baptist Convention Summer Catalysts during the 2021 summer. The group partnered with churches throughout the state to build relationships and share the gospel in the community. Activities included building digital resources, planning block parties and youth concerts, conducting apartment complex and homeless ministries, delving into rural community outreach projects and more.
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