Wednesday, December 02, 2015

• WEEK OF PRAYER: N.C. church seeing progress in Southeast Asia

  by Paige Turner, posted Wednesday, December 02, 2015 (8 years ago)

  

  SOUTHEAST ASIA (BP) -- Mark Harrison's focus appeared to be solely on the family he had come to visit.

  It wasn't the North Carolina pastor's first visit to this home in a remote Southeast Asian village tucked among lush, green mountains. He had visited the family during other trips to the villages of the "T" people. Although the youngest sister and her husband had become Christians, her parents and three sisters never seemed interested in the Gospel. Read More

• Lutheran group severs relationship with Scouts

  by David Roach, posted Wednesday, December 02, 2015 (8 years ago)

  

  ST. LOUIS (BP) -- The second largest Lutheran denomination in America has severed its official relationship with the Boy Scouts of America based on concerns over the BSA's decision this summer to allow openly homosexual Scout leaders.

  The Lutheran Church -- Missouri Synod (LCMS), a theologically conservative denomination with 2.1 million members, said in a news release it "no longer seems tenable" to abide by a 2013 Memorandum of Understanding with the BSA, in which the two organizations pledged to "work cooperatively" to "establish and nurture Scout units as an expression of the nurture and outreach ministry of The Lutheran Church -- Missouri Synod." The release was issued by LCMS President Matthew Harrison and Bart Day, executive director of the LCMS Office of National Mission. Read More

• Missions, cooperation drive small Tenn. church

  by Karen L. Willoughby, posted Wednesday, December 02, 2015 (8 years ago)

  

  GREENFIELD, Tenn. (BP) -- The men at Bethel Baptist Church reach out to the unchurched men in their community each autumn by showing off their culinary skills at a wild game supper, preparing turkey, deer, raccoon, crappie, catfish, rabbit, duck and other critters.

  Meanwhile, the congregation's Women on Mission excel each year at promoting missions, noted David Worley, pastor of Bethel Baptist in Greenfield, Tenn. In 2014, for example, with a goal of $19,630 for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions, the church gave $26,896. Read More

• Sumners to retire, SBHLA begins director search

  by James A. Smith Sr., posted Wednesday, December 02, 2015 (8 years ago)

  

  NASHVILLE (BP) -- Bill Sumners, director of Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives since 1988, will retire from his post next July, he recently announced in a letter to the Council of Seminary Presidents, which governs the organization.

  "It has been my pleasure and joy to serve in this position, in this place, for most of my career," Sumners told the CSP. Read More

• CP 2.35% over budget projection through first 2 months

  by Staff, posted Wednesday, December 02, 2015 (8 years ago)

  NASHVILLE (BP) -- Contributions to Southern Baptist national and international missions and ministries received by the SBC Executive Committee through the first two months of the fiscal year were 2.35 percent above the projected budget goal and 0.46 percent below last year's year-to-date gifts, according to a news release from SBC Executive Committee President and Chief Executive Officer Frank S. Page. Read More

• SBC leaders express concern, hope on abortion survey

  by Tom Strode, posted Wednesday, December 02, 2015 (8 years ago)

  "My prayer is for God's healing and forgiveness, and yes also for acceptance by God's people."

  -- Frank S. Page

  NASHVILLE (BP) -- Southern Baptists responded with concern and hope for greater grace in churches to a new LifeWay Research study that shows post-abortive women think congregations are more judgmental than caring.

  The LifeWay survey, sponsored by the Care Net pregnancy center network, found 43 percent of women who have had an abortion were attending church at least once a month when they underwent the procedure that took their babies' lives. Only 7 percent discussed their decision with someone in the church, according to the study released Nov. 23. See related report. Read More

• Okla. Baptists focus on individual evangelism

  by Staff/Oklahoma Baptist Messenger , posted Wednesday, December 02, 2015 (8 years ago)

  

  Photo by Bob Nigh

  OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (BP) -- An emphasis of sharing the Gospel was made throughout the reports, presentations and addresses at the 109th annual meeting of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (BGCO) at Southern Hills Baptist Church in Oklahoma City.

  With 621 registered messengers from state Baptist churches, and numerous guests, attendees were charged by the annual meeting's theme "Connect>1" that focused on spreading the Gospel through individual evangelism. Read More

• Pro-life women speak in new ERLC book

  by Tom Strode, posted Wednesday, December 02, 2015 (8 years ago)

  

  NASHVILLE (BP) -- The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is preparing to publish a book by women on being pro-life in all of life.

  The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission will release the book – "Women on Life: A Call to Love the Unborn, Unloved and Neglected" -- in January, the same month when many Southern Baptist and other churches observe Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. The book's release also will be near the dates of the inaugural Evangelicals for Life, an ERLC-cosponsored conference to be held in conjunction with the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. Read More

• FIRST-PERSON: Still coercive -- China's two-child policy

  by Penna Dexter, posted Wednesday, December 02, 2015 (8 years ago)

  China's new two-child policy exerts the same coercion of families as the former one-child policy, columnist Penna Dexter writes, underscoring the need for the dawning of freedom and sanctity of life in the communist giant. Read More