May 6, 2024
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Connect Ministries helping churches across southeast with camps, coaching

(Photo/Connect Ministries via The Baptist Paper)
WATKINSVILLE, Ga. — “We were just laymen helping to start a church in Franklin, Tenn., when Gabe Norris and I realized just how hard it is for the church in America to meet new people,” said Ken “KT” Thomas, president and co-founder of Connect Ministries. After having this realization, Thomas and Norris soon quit their jobs at Lifeway Christian Resources and started Connect Ministries, a nonprofit organization based in Watkinsville that helps church members meet new people in their surrounding communities and share the gospel with them.  
Trending stories
Thomas Hammond Jr., executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, and his wife Kerri pray on a livestream on the National Day of Prayer. (Photo/GBMB livestream)
Georgia Baptists called to repentance, unity on National Day of Prayer
W. Thomas Hammond Jr., executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, and his wife Kerri led Georgia Baptists in a time of corporate prayer via livestream Wednesday morning on the National Day of Prayer.
A man holds a cross inside a church in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)
Most pastors struggle with loneliness new study finds
In a troubling sign for many congregations, half of pastors say they are often or frequently lonely, according to a report of clergy health. Pastors may be healthy in many other areas, but most say they struggle with feeling lonely, according to a report from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.
An attendee of a National Day of Prayer gathering at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, holds a program Thursday, May 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
National and state Southern Baptist leaders call for believers to pray on National Day of Prayer
This Thursday, May 2, is the National Day of Prayer. It was established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1952, and the date was set to the first Thursday in May by President Ronald Reagan in 1988.
Beverly Skinner, the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s college ministry catalyst, speaks to outgoing state BCM president Brooke Childs and incoming president Daniel Holland, at Equip on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Maynard Baptist Church in Forsyth. Ga. (Index/Henry Durand)
New state BCM president Daniel Holland has a passion to serve and encourage
Daniel Holland, a rising senior at Georgia Southern University, has been selected as state president of Baptist Collegiate Ministries for 2024-2025. Holland, a marketing major, says he plans to attend seminary after graduation, and his ultimate desire is to serve as a pastor.
Georgia State Patrol officers detain a demonstrator on the campus of Emory University during a pro-Palestinian demonstration Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Survey reveals one-third of U.S. voters age 18 to 24 believe Israel does not have a right to exist
Protests on U.S. college campuses opposing Israel’s continuing military campaign against Gaza reflect the views of a significant minority of Gen Z voters, a recent online survey revealed.
Baptist Life

Georgia college students commissioned for summer service

Paul Gotthardt, pastor of Sherwood Baptist Church, addresses students at Equip on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Maynard Baptist Church in Forsyth. Ga. (Index/Henry Durand)
FORSYTH, Ga. — Last Saturday, April 20, some 250 Georgia college student leaders gathered at Maynard Baptist Church in Forsyth for Equip, a day of equipping leaders to be on mission on their campus, in their community and around the world.

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The sun rises behind a cover of clouds at Northside Baptist Church in Tifton, Ga. (Index/Henry Durand, File)
Looking to keep the doctor away? A weekly church visit may do more than an apple a day. A Harvard Public Health article highlights numerous studies demonstrating the overall health benefits of regular church attendance.
Since accepting Christ over four decades ago, Shu and Lilly Huang have seen about 500 Chinese students and scholars at UAB accept Jesus as a direct result of their ministry. (The Alabama Baptist/Grace Thornton)
Shu Huang said when he moved to Alabama in 1978, he heard the gospel — and immediately rejected it. “Christians would talk to me, and I would say, ‘I don’t want this,’” he said. He and his wife, Lilly, were from Taiwan, and he hadn’t grown up thinking of himself as a sinner. He couldn’t get his head around the concept of being bound for hell because of his actions.
Robert Langston Thompson
The Rev. Robert Langston Thompson, 92, of Tifton passed away Wednesday, May 1, 2024, at Maple Court in Tifton. His funeral service will be held at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, May 11, 2024, in the Memorial Chapel of Tifton’s First Baptist Church with the Dr. Harris Malcom officiating.
Jared Wellman. (Photo/Baptist Press, File)
ARLINGTON, Texas (BP) – To be on a Zoom call with Jared Wellman is to observe his love for professional basketball. In addition to family pictures, his workspaces are filled with photos, jerseys, basketballs and other collectibles connected to NBA legends.
Georgia

1 dead in Atlanta area apartment fire that forced residents to jump from balconies

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. (AP) — An apartment fire Sunday in metro Atlanta's DeKalb County that forced people to jump from their balconies left at least one person dead and several others injured, news outlets reported.

Small plane crashed into residential Georgia neighborhood, killing pilot

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — A pilot has died after a small plane crashed into a residential neighborhood in a Georgia city. The plane crashed on Thursday a little more than a half mile from Daniel Field, a general aviation airport in Augusta.
The entrance to the Earth Lodge, where Native Americans held council meetings, is seen, Aug. 22, 2022, in Macon, Ga. (AP Photo/Sharon Johnson, File)

Ancestral lands of the Muscogee in Georgia would become a national park under bills in Congress

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia's congressional delegation introduced legislation Wednesday to protect some of the ancestral lands of the Muscogee tribe as a national park and preserve.
The Nathan Deal Judicial Center, home of Georgia's Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)

Court case over fatal car crash raises issues of mental health and criminal liability

ATLANTA (AP) — No one disputes that Michelle Wierson crashed her SUV into a car stopped at a traffic light, causing the death of a young boy. But while prosecutors say she needs to be held accountable for her actions, her lawyers say her mental state at the time absolves her of liability.

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Nation
Police gather on the campus at the University of Southern California prior to clearing out an encampment set up by pro-Palestinian demonstrators Sunday, May 5, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Pro-Palestinian protesters leave USC after police arrive, while Northeastern ceremony proceeds calmly

Pro-Palestinian student demonstrators abandoned their camp at the University of Southern California early Sunday after being surrounded by police and threatened with arrest, while Northeastern University's commencement ended peacefully at Boston's Fenway Park.

Snow falls in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Peter Morning/Mammoth Mountain Ski Area via AP)

Sierra Nevada records snowiest day of the season from brief but potent California storm

TRUCKEE, Calif. (AP) — A weekend spring storm that drenched the San Francisco Bay area and closed Northern California mountain highways also set a single-day snowfall record for the season on Sunday in the Sierra Nevada.
Overflow from the swollen Trinity River fills James Smart's backyard as he makes preparations to his chicken coup to ensure the safety of his livestock, Sunday, May 5, 2024, near Liberty, Texas. (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via AP)

As storms move across Texas, 1 child dies after being swept away in floodwaters

HOUSTON (AP) — Storms in Texas brought additional rain Sunday to the already saturated Houston area where hundreds of people have been rescued from flooded homes and roads, while to the north in the Fort Worth area, a child died after being swept away when the car he was traveling in got stuck in floodwaters.
The White House is visible through the fence at the North Lawn in Washington, on June 16, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

A driver dies after crashing into a security barrier around the White House complex, authorities say

WASHINGTON (AP) — A driver died after a vehicle crashed into an outer perimeter gate of the White House complex, and the incident late Saturday was being investigated as a traffic crash, police said. President Joe Biden was spending the weekend in Delaware, and the Secret Service said there was no threat to the White House.

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World
A demonstrator holding a bodyboard with

3 bodies in Mexican well identified as Australian and American surfers killed for truck's tires

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Relatives have positively identified three bodies found in a well as those of two Australian surfers and one American who went missing last weekend, Mexican authorities said Sunday. Baja California state prosecutors said the relatives had viewed the corpses recovered from a remote well about 50 feet deep and recognized them as their loved ones.

José Raúl Mulino, the stand-in for former President Ricardo Martinelli in Panama's presidential election, celebrates after his three nearest rivals conceded in Panama City, Sunday, May 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Last-minute candidate José Raúl Mulino wins Panama's presidential election

PANAMA CITY (AP) — José Raúl Mulino, the stand-in for former President Ricardo Martinelli in Panama's presidential election, was set to become the new leader of the Central American nation as authorities unofficially called the race Sunday night after his three nearest rivals conceded.
An Ukrainian serviceman lights candles during an Orthodox Easter service in Donetsk region, Ukraine, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Ukraine marks its third Easter at war as it comes under fire from Russian drones and troops

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — As Ukraine marked its third Easter at war, Russia on Sunday launched a barrage of drones concentrated in Ukraine’s east, wounding more than a dozen people, and claimed its troops took control of a village they had been targeting.
FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses members of the Defense Ministry, the National Guard, the Interior Ministry, the Federal Security Service and the Federal Guard Service at the Kremlin, in Moscow on June 27, 2023. Putin will begins his fifth term as Russian president in an opulent Kremlin inauguration on Tuesday after destroying his political opposition, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and consolidating power. (Sergei Guneyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

As Putin begins another 6-year term, he is entering a new era of extraordinary power in Russia

Just a few months short of a quarter-century as Russia's leader, Vladimir Putin on Tuesday will put his hand on a copy of the constitution and begin another six-year term as president wielding extraordinary power.

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Perspectives
Todd Gray
Jesus was known for asking questions. According to Bob Tiede of Biblical Leadership, the four gospels record 339 questions that Jesus asked. Others say the number is a little lower, but all agree that Jesus asked lots of questions. Tiede mentions, “He sometimes answered questions with questions of his own.” Jesus was the master of well-placed questions.
David Chancey
The other day, I briefly misplaced my cell phone. I didn’t see the phone in my car door’s side pocket where I sometimes place it when driving, and I thought I left it at home. But where at home did I leave it? And what if it’s not there?
Jay Hardwick
I remember hearing the late Michael Catt, long-time pastor of Sherwood Baptist in Albany, Ga., say many times, “Whoever wants the next generation the most will get them.” That quote has resonated with me for years and especially now.
J. Gerald Harris
The theme for this year's National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 2, will be “Lift Up the Word –Light Up the World.” The National Day of Prayer was established in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. In 1988 the law was amended and signed by President Ronald Reagan, designating the National Day of Prayer as the first Thursday in May.
Meredith Flynn
Most people who walk into Freedom Church in Neosho, Missouri, start with a worship service. It’s an on-ramp to the church’s discipleship pathway, a natural starting point on the journey from being a first-time visitor to a growing, serving follower of Christ.

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Business
FILE - The logo for Boeing appears on a screen above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday, July 13, 2021. Boeing has locked out its private force of firefighters who protect its aircraft-manufacturing plants in the Seattle area, Saturday, May 4, 2024, and brought in replacements after the latest round of negotiations with the firefighters' union failed to deliver an agreement on wages. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, file)

Boeing locks out its private firefighters around Seattle over pay dispute

Boeing has locked out its private force of firefighters who protect its aircraft-manufacturing plants in the Seattle area and brought in replacements after the latest round of negotiations with the firefighters' union failed to deliver an agreement on wages.

A salesperson shows an unsold 2024 Cooper SE electric hardtop to a prospective buyer at a Mini dealership Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Highlands Ranch, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

US employers scaled back hiring in April but still added 175,000 jobs in the face of higher rates

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s employers pulled back on their hiring in April but still added a decent 175,000 jobs in a sign that persistently high interest rates may be starting to slow …
A Bally Sports sign hangs in a dugout before the start of a spring training game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Houston Astros, Thursday, March 2, 2023, in Jupiter, Fla. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

Comcast blackout of 15 regional sports networks includes Braves games

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Comcast has blacked out 15 regional sports networks offered by Bally Sports, escalating a contract dispute with their distributor. The cutoff affects games played by a dozen Major League Baseball teams based in nine states, including the Atlanta Braves.
Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference at the Federal Reserve in Washington, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Federal Reserve says interest rates will stay at two-decade high until inflation further cools

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday emphasized that inflation has remained stubbornly high in recent months and said it doesn’t plan to cut interest rates until it has “greater confidence” that price increases are slowing sustainably to its 2% target.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan announces final standards to reduce pollution from power plants during an event at Howard University on Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

EPA rule bans toxic chemical that's commonly used as paint stripper but known to cause liver cancer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday it has finalized a ban on consumer uses of methylene chloride, a chemical that is widely used as a paint stripper but is known to cause liver cancer and other health problems.

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Sports
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hits home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves in Los Angeles, Sunday, May 5, 2024. Mookie Betts also scored. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Shohei Ohtani homers twice as Dodgers sweep Braves with 5-1 win

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani went 4 for 4 with two home runs, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves, 5-1, on Sunday afternoon to sweep the three-game series.

Sierra Leone, with jockey Tyler Gaffalione, (2), Forever Young, with jockey Ryusei Sakai, and Mystik, with jockey Dan Brian Hernandez Jr., cross finish line at Churchill Downs before the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

Mystik Dan wins 150th Kentucky Derby by a nose in a 3-horse photo finish at Churchill Downs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a three-horse photo finish, edging out Sierra Leone by a nose with Forever Young third in the tightest finish since 1996 on Saturday.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart looks on during a spring game Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

Georgia's Kirby Smart becomes the nation's highest-paid college football coach at $13m annually

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia's Kirby Smart agreed to a contract extension Thursday that makes him the highest-paid coach in college football with an annual salary of $13 million. Smart got a bump in salary of $1.75 million annually as part of the deal, which ties him to the Bulldogs through 2033.
Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale throws to a Seattle Mariners' batter during the second inning Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

Chris Sale tosses 5 strong innings, Braves avoid sweep with 5-2 win over Mariners

SEATTLE (AP) — Chris Sale allowed one run over five innings and struck out nine, Austin Riley had the big blow at the plate with a two-run triple, and the Atlanta Braves salvaged the final game of a three-game series with a 5-2 win over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.

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