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Pastors share how local churches are blessed by supporting Lottie Moon Christmas Offering

A volunteer from Alabama prays before heading out for Olympic pin distribution and witnessing in the streets of Paris during the Paris Olympics 2024. (Photo/IMB)
NATIONWIDE (BP) – How does giving to missions bless a local church? Pastors say their churches benefit from giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering in many ways.
Navy veteran Bob Fernandez holds a photograph of the USS Curtiss, in which he served during the Pearl Harbor attack, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Lodi, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
100-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor recalls confusion and chaos during Japanese bombing 83 years ago
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (AP) — Bob Fernandez thought he'd go dancing and see the world when he joined the U.S. Navy as a 17-year-old high school student in August 1941.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and his wife Marty pose with Mike Griffin, second from right in front row, public affairs representative for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, during a tour of the Capitol, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Photo/courtesy Mike Griffin)
Georgia Baptists on tour of state Capitol treated to a visit with Gov. Kemp
ATLANTA — Each year, groups of Georgia Baptists are invited to join Mike Griffin, the public affairs representative for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, for tours of the state Capitol building to pray for government leaders and enjoy the festive holiday decorations. Those who went on the Christmas Prayer tour Wednesday, Dec. 4, got a special treat as Gov. Brian Kemp and his wife Marty met with them.
Danilo Miranda, right, IMB missionary, speaks with a seminary student in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo/IMB)
Georgia churches, large and small, join to support Lottie Moon Christmas Offering
Lottie Moon served Southern Baptists as a missionary in P’ingtu and Tengchow, China. She established a new church, saw thousands come to faith in Christ, and persevered through much deprivation and suffering to advance the cause of Christ.
(Photo/Henry Durand)
Attending church during Christmas? Study shows who is going, who isn’t
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. —  As Americans make their Christmas plans, slightly less than half say they usually attend a church service during the holiday season. A Lifeway Research study finds U.S. adults are split on whether they’ll be at church sometime this Christmas—47% say they typically attend church at Christmastime, while 48% say they do not, and 5% aren’t sure.
W. Thomas Hammond, Jr., executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, speaks at the Georgia Baptist Convention annual meeting in November. (Index/Henry Durand, File)
Georgia Baptists adding, revitalizing, and planting churches to reach the state with the gospel
SUWANEE, Ga. — W. Thomas Hammond, Jr., executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, told messengers at the annual meeting of the Georgia Baptist Convention last month that the population of Georgia grew last year by 230,000 people and said, “We have the privilege of introducing Jesus to all of them.”
Baptist Life

Hillcrest Ministry Resource Center in Columbus is making at eternal impact

David Lix shares the gospel with Elizabeth who visited the HMRC for help with her food needs.
COLUMBUS, Ga. — Hillcrest Ministry Resource Center is an integral part of the Columbus Baptist Association and exemplifies knowing how to put faith into action. God wants us to be lifelong learners, but once we learn a new truth, we also become responsible for what we have learned. We must not only be hearers but doers of the Word.
Greg Gibson had already planted one church in Washington, D.C., so he chuckled when his friend Clint Clifton called him three years ago and asked, “Do you think you have another church plant in you?” But the more Greg thought about Clint’s passing comment, the more he couldn’t get it off his mind.
In Armenia, life for children with special needs is often a difficult one. A lack of accessible education and rehabilitation services—in addition to prevalent cultural stigmas around people with disabilities—commonly results in isolation, limiting their opportunities to attend school and interact socially.
NEW ORLEANS — Because of recent fundraising success, NOBTS has established several new scholarship opportunities for various students in the last several years. For many of these students, scholarships are an answer to prayer and evidence of God’s call on their lives.  
The financial depression of 1893 inspired the story of the Wizard of Oz, and its severe impact on mission giving drove the Southern Baptist Convention to introduce major changes in the understanding and promotion of Biblical stewardship.
Georgia

Georgia economy to grow in 2025 but more slowly

ATLANTA — Georgia’s economy will continue growing next year but at a slower rate than in 2024, the dean of the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business said Friday. The state’s economy is projected to grow by 2.4% in 2025, down from 3.1% this year, Ben Ayers told a packed ballroom of business leaders at the Georgia Aquarium in downtown Atlanta.

Trump taps former Georgia Sen. David Perdue to be ambassador to China

ATLANTA – Another Georgian is poised to join the second Trump administration. President-elect Donald Trump nominated former U.S. Sen. David Perdue Thursday to serve as U.S. ambassador to China.

Venezuelan man convicted in Laken Riley's killing asks for a new trial

ATLANTA (AP) — The Venezuelan man who entered the U.S. illegally and was convicted of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley and sentenced to serve life in prison without parole has requested a new trial.

Six Georgia communities receive site development grants

ATLANTA — Six local development authorities have been awarded $9.3 million in grants through a new state program aimed at fostering economic development in rural communities, Gov. Brian Kemp announced Wednesday.
Nation
Daniel Penny walks towards the courtroom, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

Veteran Daniel Penny is acquitted over Jordan Neely's death in NYC subway

NEW YORK (AP) — A Marine veteran who used a chokehold on an agitated subway rider was acquitted on Monday in a death that became a prism for differing views about public safety, valor, and vigilantism. A Manhattan jury delivered the verdict, clearing Daniel Penny of criminally negligent homicide in Jordan Neely’s death last year.

What is 'lake-effect snow'? Warm air from large bodies of water is the key ingredient

When towns along the Great Lakes get buried in drifts of blowing snow, like several have over the past few days, weather experts start talking about the “lake effect."

Hunt for the gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare's CEO reveals new clues about movements in New York

NEW YORK (AP) — As the hunt for a masked gunman who stalked and killed the head of the largest U.S. health insurer moved into its third day Friday, surveillance footage provided more clues about the suspect's travels and the places he visited before the shooting.

NASA's stuck astronauts hit 6 months in space, and have 2 more to go

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Known across the globe as the stuck astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams hit the six-month mark in space Thursday with two more to go. The pair rocketed into orbit on June 5, the first to ride Boeing’s new Starliner crew capsule on what was supposed to be a weeklong test flight.
World
A Syrian prays after the fall of the Syrian government, in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)

Syrian rebels free prisoners from Assad's notorious dungeons who celebrate in Damascus streets

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Bashar Barhoum woke in his dungeon prison cell in Damascus at dawn Sunday, thinking it would be the last day of his life. The 63-year-old writer was supposed to have been executed after being imprisoned for seven months.But he soon realized the men at the door weren't from former Syrian President Bashar Assad ’s notorious security forces, ready to take him to his death. Instead, they were rebels coming to set him free.

Syrian prime minister says government is still functioning but foreign and domestic challenges loom

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria's prime minister said Monday that most cabinet ministers are still working from offices in Damascus after rebels entered the capital over the weekend and overthrew President Bashar Assad. Streams of refugees crossed in from neighboring countries, hoping for a more peaceful future.

South Korea's Justice Ministry imposes a travel ban on President Yoon over martial law

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s Justice Ministry on Monday imposed an overseas travel ban on President Yoon Suk Yeol as authorities investigate allegations of rebellion and other charges in connection with his short-lived declaration of martial law last week.

Zelenskyy open to Western troops providing security for end to war in Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that he's open to the potential deployment of Western troops in Ukraine to guarantee the country’s security as part of a broad effort to end the almost three-year war with Russia.
Perspectives
What’s the worst thing to be in a Baptist church? The third verse of a hymn. Everyone just inherently knows not to sing that one.
Revelation is the most intriguing book in the Bible. The Apostle Paul wrote about a world that groans and travails for an understanding of where history is headed. Some read the book to try to satisfy their curiosity. Others avoid it because of its frightening judgments and ominous pronouncements.
Of all the things on our wish lists for Christmas each year, being home for the holidays with the people we love ranks at the top for most. So profound is the desire that we sing about it: I’ll be home for Christmas, you can count on me, Please have snow and mistletoe, And presents under the tree. . . . I'll be home for Christmas, If only in my dreams. 
People struggle from the end of November to the beginning of January. The holidays are difficult. Unrealistic expectations clash with cold hard realities. Everyone around us is pretending and projecting the same false narrative –“All is merry and bright.”
Because this year’s Lottie Moon Christmas Offering is the most important offering in the history of the International Mission Board, I am asking every church to give 10% more to the IMB this year than you gave last year. If every church raises their giving by just 10%, we can fully support our Southern Baptist missionaries already on the field and those who are in the application process.
Business
FILE - Ruby slippers once worn by Judy Garland in the

Stolen ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in 'The Wizard of Oz' are auctioned for $28 million

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A pair of iconic ruby slippers that were worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz” and stolen from a museum nearly two decades ago sold for a winning bid of $28 million at auction Saturday.

US added a strong 227,000 jobs in November in bounce-back from October slowdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s job market rebounded in November, adding 227,000 workers in a solid recovery from the previous month, when the effects of strikes and hurricanes had sharply diminished employers’ payrolls.

Federal appeals court upholds law requiring sale or ban of TikTok in the US

A federal appeals court panel on Friday unanimously upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok in a few short months, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the U.S.

'Amtrak Joe' Biden uses his visit to Angola to promote a major US-backed rail project in Africa

LUANDA, Angola (AP) — Even in the waning days of his presidency and thousands of miles from home, U.S. President Joe Biden is finding ways to celebrate trains. Biden used the third and final day of his visit to Angola on Wednesday to showcase the Lobito Corridor railway, where the U.S. and its allies are investing heavily to refurbish 800 miles of train lines in Zambia, Congo, and Angola.

China bans exports to US of gallium, germanium, antimony in response to chip sanctions

BANGKOK (AP) — China announced Tuesday it is banning exports to the United States of gallium, germanium, antimony, and other key high-tech materials with potential military applications, as a general principle, lashing back at U.S. limits on semiconductor-related exports.
Sports
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter (12) battle for a rebound in the first half Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Nikola Jokic scores 48 points as Nuggets rout Hawks 141-111

ATLANTA (AP) — Nikola Jokic scored 48 points and the Denver Nuggets never trailed in their 141-111 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night. The Nuggets snapped a two-game losing streak that included Saturday night's 122-113 loss at Washington, ending the Wizards' 16-game losing streak.

Juan Soto agrees to record $765 million, 15-year contract with Mets, AP source says

DALLAS (AP) — Star outfielder Juan Soto and the New York Mets have agreed to a record $765 million, 15-year contract, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press, believed to be the largest pact in team sports history.

Darnold delivers for Vikings with career-high 347 yards and 5 TDs to beat Falcons, Cousins 42-21

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Sam Darnold tossed aside his stoic demeanor for a moment after realizing he was on the videoboard, aggressively twirling a towel to further stoke the crowd's fire after the Minnesota Vikings had pulled away from Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons late in the game.

No. 5 Georgia pulls off another overtime stunner, beating No. 2 Texas 22-19 for SEC title

ATLANTA (AP) — Gunner Stockton, a little-known backup who had barely played for Georgia, came off the bench after an injury to Carson Beck and led the No. 5 Bulldogs to an improbable 22-19 overtime victory over No. 2 Texas in the Southeastern Conference championship game Saturday.