Baptist Press Archive

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Download All Stories

  • State convention, association, church, and pastor named in sexual abuse lawsuit

    by Tess Schoonhoven , posted Tuesday, December 31, 2019 (4 years ago)

    Photo submitted
    HOT SPRINGS, Ark., (BP) -- A lawsuit filed Dec. 16, 2019 alleges former Millcreek Baptist Church pastor Teddy Leon Hill engaged in sexual assault, battery, felonious conduct and the tort of outrage/intentional infliction emotional distress of a minor -- referred to as John Doe in the suit. Hill retired in 2018.

    The lawsuit also alleges Arkansas Baptist State Convention executive director James "Sonny" Tucker failed to report the suspected sexual abuse in the manner required by Arkansas law following a February 2018 meeting with Hill's ex-wife, Carolyn Latham. The suit claims Latham personally contacted Tucker on multiple occasions to report her suspicions regarding Hill and ... Read More

  • New Orleans' Baptist Friendship House marks 75 years
    by Trennis Henderson, WMU National Correspondent, posted Tuesday, December 31, 2019 (4 years ago)

    Photo by Pam Henderson/WMU
    NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- Baptist Friendship House has stood as a beacon of hope in the heart of New Orleans for 75 years. For the past 20-plus years, Kay Bennett has played a key role in sharing that hope with area residents in need.

    "What keeps me motivated is the fulfillment of watching God work miracles in people's lives," explained Bennett, who has served as Friendship House's executive director since 1997. Read More

  • Rural ministry more rewarding than expected, pastor says
    by Erin Roach/TEXAN Correspondent , posted Tuesday, December 31, 2019 (4 years ago)

    TEXAN photo
    MAYHILL, N.M. (BP) -- Rural ministry was not what pastor Matt Henslee envisioned for himself when he was growing up in the DFW Metroplex, but it's where God led him, and now he loves it. He's urging other pastors to consider that God does some of his best work in rural settings.

    As pastor of Mayhill Baptist Church in Mayhill, N.M., Henslee wrote "Replanting Rural Churches: God's Plan and Call for the Middle of Nowhere" with another rural southern New Mexico pastor, Kyle Bueermann of First Baptist Church in Alamogordo. Read More