October 17, 2024
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Ephesus Baptist in Villa Rica celebrates 150 years of ministry

Hundreds gathered under the Ephesus Church pavilion for the sesquicentennial anniversary celebration.
VILLA RICA, Ga. — Ephesus Baptist Church celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding on Sunday, Sept.29. However, the people were so responsive to the way in which the celebration had been planned and the way Pastor Billy Godwin used the worship services to recall the rich history of the church, it has become almost a month-long celebration.
Trending stories
Pastor John Thompson prays with his son, Bryant, who made his public profession of faith during the church’s revival.
Church revival leads to salvation for son of Georgia pastor
BLAIRSVILLE, Ga. — John Thompson, pastor of Choestoe Baptist Church in the high hills of North Georgia, recently had a revival meeting in his church with evangelist Keith Fordham. The church was ready for revival and the meeting resulted in five people responding to the gospel, three additional individuals added to the church, and many believers resolving to have a closer walk with God.
Town East Baptist Church Youth Ministry Reunion on Sept. 27, 2024.
Georgia pastor travels to Texas to reunite with teenagers he mentored 45 years ago, now grown
McCAYSVILLE, Ga. — Dr. David Drake, pastor of First Baptist Church McCaysville/Copperhill, and his wife, Marilyn had a unique way of celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. Rather than taking a trip to some exotic place and enjoying life on an extended vacation, they decided to do something special each month during the year of their golden anniversary.
From left, Sarepta Mission Strategist Dr. Lex Bowen and outgoing Moderator Chad Rising, pastor of the Black Creek Baptist Church introduce incoming Moderator Rudy Camp, Pastor of Comer Baptist Church and new Vice-Moderator Matt Bartlett, pastor of Lexington Baptist Church. (Index/Charles Jones)
Sarepta Baptist Association celebrates 225 years of God’s provision, protection, and deliverance
MAYSVILLE, Ga. — The 225th annual meeting of the Sarepta Baptist Association focused on reflection, celebration, and thanksgiving. In many ways the voices heard at the meeting, held Sunday, Oct. 6, at Maysville Baptist Church, must have reflected those who gathered at the Shoal Creek Meeting House in 1799.
Pastor Andrew Mineev as he begins his climb up North America’s highest mountain. (Photo/Courtesy Andrew Mineev)
For one Georgia pastor, climbing Denali turned into a life-threatening ordeal
Denali, also referred to as Mount McKinley, is the tallest mountain in North America. Its majestic peak reaches 20,310 feet above sea level. It is in south-central Alaska about 130 miles north-northwest of Anchorage. Many climbers have stated that reaching the peak of Denali is much more technical and difficult than climbing Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world.
Valdosta State University BCM student Alessio Williams, right, helps a Disaster Relief volunteer from Kentucky carry a container of hot food at Northside Baptist Church in Valdosta, Ga., Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. (Index/Henry Durand)
Georgia BCM students join Helene relief efforts
VALDOSTA, Ga. — In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers, supported by teams from other states, spread through the affected area. In some cases, they were joined by local college students from Georgia Baptist Collegiate Ministries.
Baptist Life

Hurricane Helene made for a stormy transition for new Ogeechee River Baptist Association AMS Jeff Parmer

Jeff and Sandra Parmer. (Photo/First Baptist Church, Reynolds)
“Well, I didn’t have that on my bingo card,” has been Jeff Parmer’s reply when asked about his first week as associational missionary for Ogeechee River Baptist Association. After a lifetime of serving in pastoral positions in churches across Georgia, Parmer’s first day in his new role was Monday, Sept. 23. Three days later, Hurricane Helene roared across the South, leaving a trail of death and destruction that encompassed the counties comprising the ORBA – Bulloch, Bryan, and Candler.

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I was the worst piano student EVER. I was lazy, never wanting to practice, and to make it worse…I lied. Every week I told my piano teacher it had sounded better at home. It hadn’t.
Have you ever heard the phrase "timing is everything"?  I have heard and actually used that phrase myself on occasions.  I took two of my granddaughters to the movie last week.  It had a sad part towards the end.  I looked over at the girls and I knew and saw that my tender-hearted grandchildren were feeling the sadness. 
Photo courtesy of Judson College
On Tuesday, October 15, Southeastern Seminary’s board of trustees unanimously voted to approve that The College at Southeastern be renamed as Judson College. Named after Adoniram Judson, pioneer Baptist missionary in the early 1800s to Burma (modern-day Myanmar), Judson College exists to equip students to give their lives for the cause of Christ in the church, among the nations, and in every aspect of society.
Working high over the parking lot of Sarasota’s Colonial Oaks Baptist Church, volunteer David Allen, from Concord Baptist Church, Chiefland, repairs the church’s hurricane-damaged roof. Colonial Oaks has opened its doors to serve as the Florida Baptist Disaster Relief command center to coordinate Hurricane Milton recovery efforts. Florida Baptist Witness photo.
SARASOTA, Fla. (BP) — Less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene struck Florida’s Big Bend, Category 3 Hurricane Milton made landfall Oct. 9 near Siesta Key, a barrier island located off the coast of Sarasota.
Georgia

Georgia students again top national average on ACT

ATLANTA – The Georgia Class of 2024 scored slightly lower on the ACT compared to last year but still beat the national average for the eighth year in a row.

FILE - Colin Gray, 54, the father of Apalachee High School shooter Colt Gray, 14, sits in the Barrow County courthouse for his first appearance, Sept. 6, 2024, in Winder, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)

A father and son are both indicted on murder charges in a mass school shooting in Georgia

ATLANTA (AP) — A grand jury indicted both a father and son on murder charges Thursday in a mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia.
A man looks out the front door of his home after a Cessna crashed in the front yard in Savannah, Ga., Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News via AP)

Pilot killed and passenger injured as small plane crashes in Georgia neighborhood

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — One person died as a result of a small plane crash Sunday night in a Savannah, Georgia, residential neighborhood, local police said.

Teacher of the Year joining Georgia Department of Education

ATLANTA – Georgia’s 2024 Teacher of the Year is joining the state Department of Education to boost the agency’s teacher recruitment and retention efforts.

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Nation
FILE - Part of an 1787 copy of the U.S. Constitution that will be put up for auction is shown at Brunk Auctions in Asheville, North Carolina, on Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins, file)

Rare copy of the US Constitution up for auction is expected to sell for millions

A rare copy of the U.S. Constitution that was signed and sent to states to ratify is up for auction in North Carolina. The document was found inside a filing cabinet at a property once owned by a …

This image taken from video from WLBT shows construction workers at the scene after a bridge over the Strong River on State Route 149 in Simpson County, Miss., collapsed on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. (WLBT via AP)

3 dead and 4 injured in collapse of Mississippi bridge being prepped for demolition

MENDENHALL, Miss. (AP) — Three people were killed and four were critically injured Wednesday when a bridge in Mississippi that was closed nearly a month ago collapsed while a work crew was prepping it for demolition, authorities said.
Elizabeth Ramirez, center, Casandra Rivera, center right, and Anna Vasquez, second from right, of the

A Texas board rejects clemency plea from a man facing execution in shaken baby syndrome case

HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas state board on Wednesday declined to stop what could be the first execution in the U.S. in a case tied to the diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome, rejecting clemency pleas from a man whose claims of innocence have drawn wide support, including from Republican lawmakers and a detective who say the conviction was based on faulty science.
Anne Frank's diary, a red checkered notebook, the cornerstone of the Amsterdam museum's collection, is displayed in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

A full-scale replica of Anne Frank's hidden annex is heading to New York for an exhibition

AMSTERDAM (AP) — The annex where the young Jewish diarist Anne Frank hid from Nazi occupiers during World War II is heading to New York.

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World
FILE- Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina speaks during a press conference in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Jan. 6, 2014. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh, File)

Bangladesh court issues arrest warrant for ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina over deaths of protesters

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A special court in Bangladesh issued arrest warrants on Thursday for former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and 45 others, including her close aides, on charges of crimes against humanity during a student-led uprising in July and August that forced her to flee the country, a prosecutor said.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, and European Council President Charles Michel arrive to an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Ukrainian president Zelenskyy heads to EU and NATO to seek backing for his 'victory plan'

BRUSSELS (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday his country has intelligence information that 10,000 troops from North Korea are being prepared to join Russian forces fighting against his country, warning that a third nation wading into the hostilities would turn the conflict into a “world war.”
People use a boat on a flooded street to reach safer place during heavy rains in Chennai, India, Wednesday, Oct.16, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

Monsoon flooding closes schools and offices in India's southern IT hubs

CHENNAI, India (AP) — Schools, colleges and government offices were shut Wednesday in parts of southern India as heavy monsoon rains triggered severe flooding.
People prepare bodies for funeral following a tanker explosion in Majiya town, Nigeria, Wednesday, Oct.16, 2024. ( AP Photo/ Sani Maikatanga)

More than 140 people are killed and dozens injured when a gas tanker explodes in Nigeria

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — More than 140 people, including children, were killed in Nigeria when an overturned gasoline tanker truck exploded in flames while they tried to scoop up fuel, emergency services said Wednesday. Dozens more were injured.

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Perspectives
Dikembe Mutombo was the National Basketball Association’s first Global Ambassador.
Much has been written and said about Dikembe Mutombo since his untimely death on Sept. 30, 2024. To me he always seemed larger than life, and although he valiantly fought a maleficent brain cancer, he succumbed to the disease at the all too early age of 58.
Hance Dilbeck
When I graduated from high school, I received a gift from a family in our church with the following note. “Hope you can use this throughout your whole life.” I have. Over 40 years later, I still use that gift almost weekly. The gift? The Random House College Dictionary. (I know, I’m a luddite, still using a real, hard-cover dictionary.)
Ralph Fudge
Often I feel led to do or to write something that proves most appropriate and even fruitful. Recently, I came to realize how often I do things unaware that it is the result of the Holy Spirit’s leadership. I have even come to depend on His guidance in many of the things I do.
Adam Dooley
Not long ago I officiated a wedding ceremony that followed the predictable theme of faithfulness. I, groom, take you bride, to be my wedded wife. I promise to love you, comfort you, honor and keep you, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, and forsaking all others, be faithful only to you so long as we both shall live. Soon, the bride pledged the same loyalty to her new husband.
Todd Gaddis
 Once upon a time, the renowned 18th Century English preacher George Whitfield was getting the people of Edinburgh, Scotland out of bed at 5:00 am to come hear him speak. On one occasion, a man on his way to a service was surprised when he met up with David Hume, the Scottish philosopher and skeptic.

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Business
Vietnamese real estate tycoon Truong My Lan, center, is escorted to a trial for her verdict on fraud, money laundering and illegal cross-border money transferring in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (Quynh Tran/VNExpress via AP)

Vietnamese real estate tycoon found guilty of billions in fraud in government graft crackdown

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — A Vietnamese real estate tycoon was convicted Thursday of fraudulently obtaining property worth billions of dollars in a case that has been a centerpiece of the government's crackdown on corruption.

Midwest chicken farmers struggle to feed flocks after sudden closure of processor

Dozens of farmers in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin are scrambling to feed their flocks after a struggling organic broiler chicken producer abruptly closed a year after getting a $39 million federal loan.
FILE - A jogger runs in front of the Phillips 66 refinery, July 16, 2014, in the Wilmington area of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

Oil company Phillips 66 says it will shut down Los Angeles-area refinery

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oil company Phillips 66 announced Wednesday that it plans to shut down a Los Angeles-area refinery by the end of 2025, citing market concerns.
FILE - Planes are parked at gates are at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

5 big airlines will share new long-haul flights to Reagan National Airport near Washington

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Transportation Department has tentatively awarded room for five new daily long-haul flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to five of the nation's biggest airlines while rejecting proposals from some low-fare carriers.
FILE - Boxes of Kellogg's Fruit Loops cereal are displayed in a Target store in Pittsburgh, Nov. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

Protesters demand Kellogg remove artificial colors from Froot Loops and other cereals

Dozens of people rallied outside the Michigan headquarters of WK Kellogg Co. Tuesday, demanding that the company remove artificial dyes from its breakfast cereals in the U.S.

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Sports
Georgia wide receiver Arian Smith (11) catches the ball during an NCAA college football game against Mississippi State, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)

Beck passes for 459 yards and 3 TDs as No. 5 Georgia holds off Van Buren, Mississippi State 41-31

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Carson Beck passed for a career-high 459 yards and three touchdowns and No. 5 Georgia withstood Mississippi State's second-half comeback bid for a 41-31 win Saturday.

Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker watches from the dugout in the third inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen, File)

Braves hitting coach Kevin Seitzer and 2 other coaches won't return to Brian Snitker's 2025 staff

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves are making changes to manager Brian Snitker's coaching staff following the team's quick exit from their NL Wild Card Series by informing hitting coach Kevin Seitzer and two other coaches they won't return.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart yells to his players on the field in the second half against Auburn Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Athens, Ga. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Coach Smart focused on ‘pride’ as No. 5 Georgia prepares for SEC test vs underdog Mississippi State

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Kirby Smart doesn't believe he needs to use last week's shocking wave of upset losses by four highly ranked AP Top 25 teams as motivation for No. 5 Georgia in Saturday's visit from underdog Mississippi State.

Georgia university leaders ask NCAA to ban transgender women from sports

ATLANTA (AP) — The regents who govern Georgia's 26 public universities and colleges voted on Tuesday to ask the NCAA and another college athletic federation to ban transgender women from participating in women's sports.

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