Thank you for putting an emphasis on the problems our Christian friends in other countries are experiencing. (These stories appear in both The Alabama Baptist and The Baptist Paper publications.)
I am overwhelmed with what is happening in our world, and I am extremely disappointed in the participation of Alabama Baptist congregations and their seeming lack of concern for others as well as themselves. Or is it because they do not know?
I have had the opportunity to be a member of several Alabama congregations. Many churches used to freely send each family a copy of The Alabama Baptist.
I was in one church in which I suddenly did not receive my subscription. When questioning why, I was told that it was an expense that had to be cut.
Another church, which I understand could not afford to send freely, was too small in congregational membership to afford and they solicited their membership to each make their personal subscription.
Another church I attended also encouraged the congregation to order their own subscription to the paper.
My prayer is that leaders would understand that The Alabama Baptist newspaper (and other efforts by TAB Media Group) are the only way in which many of our church members know anything of the rest of the state, especially the rural churches.
Much is happening to our churches and members of which we need to know and have the opportunity to reach out and help in various ways.
Our state Baptist leaders also should understand they have a responsibility to our membership churches to emphasize that the war on Christianity is also moving to our local areas.
Alabama Baptists need to know they are not alone and that other Christians are praying for them. We also need to continue praying for our Christian brothers and sisters around the world. One way to stay informed and connected is through reading The Alabama Baptist.
Keep printing our state news and news of the world. We are praying for you and your work.
Iris L. Anderson
Mobile, Alabama
EDITOR’S NOTE — Thank you, Iris, for your many years of encouragement. Readers like you have allowed us to continue providing important information and resources these 182 years of existence. We appreciate all who renew subscriptions, share content with friends and neighbors and support our efforts in various ways. To the churches that provide subscriptions for their members, thank you. You truly are investing in the health of your congregation as individuals and as a whole.
Jennifer Rash is one of the most rational, resilient, relevant and redeeming leaders in Alabama. Her editorials always address pertinent issues in today’s culture of chaos and conflicts.
The openness she shares from her personal life experiences speaks of her own courageous candor and concern to highlight the challenges within the Christian life. Her writings indicate the needed flexibility and adaptability to face those challenges with persistent faith and without flinching and fears.
Indeed, her kindness is revealed in compassionate ministries toward the bereaved and bewildered. As Junior Hill once noted, “she is the Queen of Nice.”
May her worthiness and value as one of the key leaders in this state always lead to many intercessory prayers of gratitude in her behalf.
May all her efforts in the various TAB Media Group avenues be undergirded with prayerful partnerships for her and those she leads.
Morris Murray Jr.
Jasper, Alabama
‘Stories that still speak’: Parables in Luke
By David Eldridge, pastor
Dawson Memorial Baptist Church, Homewood
Our Heavenly Father welcomes us upon our return home. I want you to see that His arms are opened wide for any of us that are here who need to turn from sin and need to come home to Him. We have a Heavenly Father that celebrates our return home.
This is not what we expect. It is the 21st century. We need a little bit of tough love; we need a little bit of a speech here. We need the father in this moment to say, “I am glad you are here, but if you are going to live under my roof, some things will have to change. I am glad you came home, but I have a tally right here. You will start working for me, and this is going to be the interest to payback.”
Celebrating the son
We don’t get any of that here. You know what we get? We get a party. This one who had lived in this foreign land, this one who squandered his inheritance, this one who comes when there was nothing left for him to turn to except for the familiarity of his home. He comes home and he gets the best robe, the robe that was reserved for honored guests. He gets the ring of his father that bestows authority upon the son. He gets the sandals reserved for the family.
The celebration is a reminder that our Heavenly Father gives complete forgiveness, no questions asked. No, “Where have you been these past few months?” No, “Mother and I have been worried sick about you.” No punishment — but instead a party.
For every person who has ever run from God’s will, when we return home to His grace, when we return home to His mercy, He has a simple message for each and every one of us: “I will treat you as if you never left.”
When a leader adopts an ownership mentality rather than a stewardship approach, the organization or ministry typically dies with him. I have seen it many times!
Chris Crain
Birmingham Metro Baptist Association
“Gen Z is riddled with anxiety, and their belief system doesn’t help,” said Dustin Bruce, dean of Boyce College of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, who noted churches have a great evangelistic opportunity as they emphasize the “beauty and goodness” of the Christian faith. “They’re lonely, and we make the case for faith in the context of community.”
“When the Word is open, God’s mouth is open, and the light of Christ begins to shine on us!”
Neeko Williams
Planting pastor
Greenhouse Church
“Sometimes church members say their ‘sweet fellowship’ is what they love most, and this is good,” said Tim Dowdy, vice president of evangelism for the North American Mission Board. “But having a sweet fellowship is not our primary purpose.” Everyone is meant to be bringing more people into the family, he noted.
“The Devil has been attacking God’s good design for sexuality since the fall,” said John-Michael Bout, co-founder of The Light Ministries, an effort dedicated to equipping the church to fight the pervasive issue of pornography through gospel-centered resources. “But today, he weaponizes technology like we have never seen before. In 2025, an 8-year-old can pull out their phone and instantly access millions of videos of graphic sex. Every parent must become a counselor, addiction expert and technologist to protect their families.”
The pastoral qualifications extend to online behavior and speech.
Few know this.
Kirk E. Miller
@KirkMiller on X
“If it were not for Montgomery Baptist Association churches, we wouldn’t make it,” said Dewayne Rembert, pastor of Flatline Church at Chisholm. “There’s no way we could be in an impoverished community like we are, serving our neighbors and feeding the basketball team at the high school every week. The (area) pastors have got to buy in to what you’re doing.”
“When writing about a hero or heroine, I first had to decide on a person,” said Joanne Sloan, longtime writer of the “Heroes of the Faith” column for The Alabama Baptist. “Then I would research what I found online and also found in books about the person. Every male and female I wrote about was a remarkable person, although many of my readers had never heard of them. I found people I had never heard about, and after researching them, I discovered they had literally ‘changed the world.’”
“Back in the day, we had three services a week, choir practices, choir programs, weddings and funerals,” said Carole Eagerton, who recently celebrated being behind the keyboard at Capitol Heights Baptist Church in Montgomery for more than 60 years and 20,000 services. “It adds up quickly.”
“Our culture has only made it harder to wait on simple things,” said Mark Bethea, pastor of First Baptist Church Montgomery. “If we can’t wait on a hamburger from McDonald’s very well, then how are we going to wait on the Lord to fulfill His promises in our lives?”
“The older I get, the more joy I find in giving to the Lord,” said Rob Jackson, director of evangelism and church revitalization, Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. “I am profoundly grateful God allows us to make a meaningful financial difference through our local church. The privilege and discipline of giving are essential aspects of the Christian life and vital to a healthy church.”
“It’s not buildings that make churches. It’s people,” said Rick Earnest, teaching pastor of Eden Westside in Pell City. “You know when those folks who had been baptized stood up, there’s something that struck me. Even more so than the thankfulness I feel seeing the lives that have been changed by the love of Christ — those same people who stood up are serving in this church. They are not just people who God saved and are sitting. They’re serving. They are being the Church.”
Speaking to new students, Charles Smith, president of University of Mobile, urged students to take hold of the opportunities provided. “Your first missions field may be your own heart,” he said. “How might God be calling you to trust and follow Him? How might this season serve to strengthen your faith?”
“The heart of Christian education is a Christ-centered message presented by convicted presenters … that is filled with the Spirit and preached to the glory of God, so that those who hear it and believe it, live it out in their daily lives, day by day,” said longtime preaching professor Robert Smith Jr.
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