Faye (not her real name) sat slouched in the stuffed rocker in her mother’s living room. She was angry. Her mother had been on her again about the mess her life was in. “Go to church. Get off drugs. Straighten up your act.”
Faye had heard it all before. Her mother had been telling her the same things for years. Now Faye sat by herself in the nearly dark room thinking of all the things she wished she had said to her mother. But your mind does not work quickly when it feels the dulling effects of alcohol.
“Get off drugs.” How? Recovery programs were old hat. She had tried them before, but they did not work. And church? She had been reared in the church, but now she seldom thought about it. What did church have for a person like her, she thought.
The longer Faye sat there, the more depressed she became. It wasn’t only rehab programs that didn’t work. Nothing much seemed to work for her. She remembered the broken relationships, the lost jobs, the disappointment following fresh starts.
It was about then she started thinking about ending it all. Suicide wasn’t a new thought, but tonight it had a stronger appeal. Faye knew her life was a mess. And tonight she did not see any way out. Who would help a person like her?
It was about then that her eyes saw the words “City of Hope.” A lamp on an end table across the room illuminated the words. Something caused Faye to crawl out of her chair, cross the room and pick up the paper on which the words were printed in large black letters.
Standing by the lamp, she began to read. City of Hope was a rescue mission. It had a drug rehabilitation program. It helped people like her. Maybe there was hope after all, she thought.
The next morning Faye called the City of Hope. The telephone number was in the story. They had one opening in their rehab program but she had to come then. She did. Life was worth one more try.
A few years have passed since that night. Faye has been clean of drugs and alcohol since completing the City of Hope rehab program. She has held the same job for some time. She and her mother are friends, and Faye is back in church. Faye now knows what the church has for her — forgiveness, hope, love and purpose.
The paper Faye picked up that night was The Alabama Baptist. The paper had been coming to her mother’s home for decades provided by the church where both were members. The family, as well as Faye’s friends, thank God for the story on the front page of their state Baptist paper that week. Without it, no one knows what Faye might have done.
Most testimonies about the impact of The Alabama Baptist are not as dramatic as Faye’s, but all are important. Every week we hear of the difference the state Baptist paper makes in the ministry of churches and the lives of individuals.
One church considered itself too small to do missions trips. But after reading a feature story in The Alabama Baptist about a nearby church of similar size participating in FamilyFest, that church decided it too could send people on missions projects outside its immediate community.
Another church read in The Alabama Baptist about the need for volunteers in an evangelistic effort in Venezuela. The church decided to send its pastor and a layman. It was the first time either of them had participated in an overseas missions project. The experience was life-changing for them and for the church.
Material from The Alabama Baptist has guided church committees, answered questions about how to do church projects, provided direction for new ministries, furnished information for decision-making and more.
Countless Sunday School teachers use the Sunday School commentaries each week as they prepare to teach God’s Word. Others share the mission stories as ways to communicate what God is doing through Baptists around the world. Still others use The Alabama Baptist as a prayer guide as they pray for all the needs and victories lifted up each week.
Pastors frequently report how members ask them questions about articles printed in The Alabama Baptist and rejoice that at Wednesday night suppers people ask each other if they have read a particular story in that issue of their state Baptist paper.
The Alabama Baptist is making a difference in the lives of individual readers. It is making a difference in the lives of churches that provide the state Baptist paper for active resident families. It has done so since its beginning 160 years ago.
Every Alabama Baptist benefits as he or she learns from reading in the state Baptist paper what God is doing through Baptists at home and around the world. They grow by the emphasis on how Baptists do church together and the resources available for church life. They gain insight as moral and ethical issues are examined from a Christian viewpoint. They are better equipped to face life’s problems by information from a biblical viewpoint about real life issues.
The vast majority of Alabama Baptist churches provide the state Baptist paper for members. Some provide the paper only for families who request it. Ideally, the paper should go to every active resident family who does not object to receiving it. One never knows how God will use the stories and information printed on the pages of The Alabama Baptist.
In a recent letter to all Alabama Baptist churches, state convention president Joe Godfrey and executive director Rick Lance wrote, “The Alabama Baptist is an inexpensive investment. It costs only 19 cents an issue, which is less than a postcard. The regular reading of The Alabama Baptist by your people will strengthen your church family. It will provide for them much needed information and inspiration, which will make them not only better Baptists but better church members as well.”
Amen. The annual subscription cost through the church budget of $9.50 is a small investment to make in an active church family. It will return dividends in many ways.
The Alabama Baptist should be part of every church’s budget. It should be available for every active resident family.
At The Alabama Baptist, we would like to hear how you use the state Baptist paper and what difference it has made in your life or at your church. Let us hear from you. Tell us your story by contacting us at 1-800-803-5201 or by e-mail at news@thealabamabaptist.org.
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