Tuesday, September 05, 2017

• National CP 4.2% over YTD projection

  by Staff, posted Tuesday, September 05, 2017 (7 years ago)

  

  NASHVILLE (BP) -- Year-to-date contributions to Southern Baptist Convention national and international missions and ministries received by the SBC Executive Committee through 11 months of the current fiscal year are 4.20 percent above the year-to-date SBC Cooperative Program Allocation Budget projection, and are 0.77 percent above contributions received during the same time frame last year, according to a news release from SBC Executive Committee President and CEO Frank S. Page.

  The year-to-date total represents money received by the Executive Committee ... Read More

• 'Phenomenal' DR response; 'overwhelming' tasks loom

  by SBTC & BP Staff, posted Tuesday, September 05, 2017 (7 years ago)

  

  Photo by Jane Rodgers

  AUSTIN, Texas (BP) -- Hurricane Harvey evacuees in a mega-shelter southeast of Austin are being fed with meals prepared by Southern Baptists of Texas Disaster Relief volunteers at the Austin-area First Baptist Church in Pflugerville.

  The food, provided and distributed by the American Red Cross, is transported to the shelter from the church. The evacuees, originally housed in Austin's convention center and other shelters across the city, began moving to the mega-shelter in an industrial park on Friday, Sept. 1. Read More

• White House rescinds Dreamers program, gives Congress time

  by Tom Strode, posted Tuesday, September 05, 2017 (7 years ago)

  

  CBS Evening News screen capture

  WASHINGTON (BP) -- The Trump administration announced today (Sept. 5) the repeal of a program that has protected people brought illegally to the United States as children by their parents, but it also provided a window of time for Congress to act in response.

  In a morning briefing, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the revocation of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a 2012 order by President Obama that gave relief from deportation to undocumented immigrants who arrived in this country before their 16th birthday. Obama issued the executive order after ... Read More

• New charges against pastor in Turkey jail

  by Diana Chandler, posted Tuesday, September 05, 2017 (7 years ago)

  

  American Center for Law and Justice photo

  IZMIR, Turkey (BP) -- American pastor Andrew Brunson faces new charges punishable by four consecutive life imprisonments in an Izmir, Turkey, prison.

  The Presbyterian pastor formerly of North Carolina is now accused of espionage aimed at overthrowing the Turkish Parliament and government, and undermining the constitutional order of the state, the Wall Street Journal reported shortly after the charges were levied Aug. 24. Previously accused of working with the Fetullah Gulen movement to overthrow Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Brunson has been imprisoned since early October 2016. Read More

• Amid Harvey devastation, BGCT seeks to 'bring healing'

  by Kalie Lowrie/Texas Baptists Communications, posted Tuesday, September 05, 2017 (7 years ago)

  

  BGCT photo.

  HOUSTON (BP) -- The devastation Houston-area pastor Ryan Rush has witnessed in recent days is heartbreaking.

  "We've seen hundreds of our neighbors lose everything they owned, and the idea of the work ahead is overwhelming. The thing that sustains us, however, is the incredible way this disaster has brought together the Body of Christ as we seek to share the love of Jesus with our community," said Rush, pastor of Kingsland Baptist Church in Katy, Texas. Read More

• 'Portraits of a Pastor' shares insight for Bapt. leaders

  by T. Patrick Hudson, posted Tuesday, September 05, 2017 (7 years ago)

  

  Amazon.com photo

  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP) -- In "Portraits of a Pastor," based on the theme for Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's 2016 For the Church Conference, Southern Baptist leaders from around the convention offer insight into nine essential roles of a church leader.

  Midwestern Seminary announced today (Sept. 5) that the book project Portraits of a Pastor, edited by Midwestern president Jason Allen, has been released by Moody Publishers. Read More

• Community love, CP expand W. Va. church's reach

  by Karen L. Willoughby, posted Tuesday, September 05, 2017 (7 years ago)

  

  Submitted photo.

  CEREDO, W.Va. (BP) -- Members of First Baptist Church of Ceredo, W.Va., use a hands-on approach in ministry to their local community. For a global presence, they rely on the Cooperative Program.

  The 130-year-old church draws about 190 people to Sunday morning worship and allocates 15.5 percent of undesignated income to missions through the CP.

  "This is a community-oriented place," said Rodney Hale, now in his 18th year as pastor of First Baptist Ceredo. "When the Lord blesses, we're supposed to give ... Read More

• FIRST-PERSON: The blind spots of slavery

  by Terry M. Turner, posted Tuesday, September 05, 2017 (7 years ago)

  Terry Turner reflects on learning that two of his favorite preachers from church history, George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards, were slaveholders. Read More