November 9, 2026
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NextGen ministries take center stage as Georgia Baptists gather in Warner Robins

GBMB Executive Director Thomas Hammond speaks about NextGen ministries during the opening night of the 204th Georgia Baptist Convention Annual Meeting at Second Baptist Church in Warner Robins. (Index/Henry Durand)
WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — About 150 middle and high school students filled the platform at Second Baptist Church Sunday night, helping open the 204th Georgia Baptist Convention Annual Meeting with an emphasis on reaching the next generation with the gospel.
Trending stories
Vance Pitman, founder and president of Vance Pitman Ministries and a national mobilizer with the North American Mission Board, delivers the opening-night message of the 204th Georgia Baptist Convention Annual Meeting at Second Baptist Church in Warner Robins. (Index/Henry Durand)
Pitman urges Georgia Baptists to seek movement of God through prayer, gospel advance
WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Vance Pitman challenged Georgia Baptists Sunday night to seek a movement of God through prayer, obedience to Scripture, and a focus on advancing God’s Kingdom rather than simply growing individual churches.
Neal Dose with his wife Jessica, and three children: Mary Logan, Ellie, and Charlie. (Photo/courtesy Neal Dose)
Neal Dose to be nominated for Georgia Baptist Convention vice president
WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Neal Dose, lead pastor of Mansfield Baptist Church in Mansfield, will be nominated to serve as vice president of the Georgia Baptist Convention during the 204th annual meeting at Second Baptist Church in Warner Robins.
Lee Brewer with his wife, Emily, and two sons, LJ, 15, and Cayden, 13. (Photo/courtesy Lee Brewer)
Lee Brewer to be nominated for Georgia Baptist Convention vice president
WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Lee Brewer, senior pastor of Palmetto Baptist Church in Palmetto, will be nominated to serve as vice president of the Georgia Baptist Convention during the 204th annual meeting at Second Baptist Church in Warner Robins.
Greg Israel preaches at Zenith Road Baptist Church. (Photo/Kelly Israel)
Air Force veteran finds new mission as pastor of Zenith Road Baptist
FORT VALLEY, Ga. — Chief Master Sgt. Greg Israel is a multiple-career guy. He’s been a military man and a businessman, and now he is pastor of Zenith Road Baptist Church in Fort Valley.
Flood damage inside McCaysville Baptist Church. (Photo/GBDR)
First Baptist McCaysville faces major damage after record flood
MCCAYSVILLE, Ga. (BP) – Wednesday night’s services at First Baptist Church went well, with good attendance, especially considering the torrent of rain that had hammered down all day.
Baptist Life

Georgia Baptists prepare to gather in Warner Robins for 204th annual meeting

Thomas Hammond, executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, encourages listeners to share the gospel at the annual meeting of the Georgia Baptist Convention at First Baptist Atlanta on Nov. 10, 2025. (Index/Henry Durand, File)
WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Georgia Baptists will gather at Second Baptist Church in Warner Robins next week Nov. 8-10 for the 204th annual meeting of the Georgia Baptist Convention, with organizers expecting about 1,200 people to register.

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Jerry Lorimer votes at the Kanwaka township hall Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, near Lawrence, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
BOISE, Idaho (BP) – Voters in only 1 of 4 states chose to protect unborn life Nov. 3, while measures protecting gender-specific competitive sports seemed poised to pass in all four states with the issue on the ballot, as vote tallies continued.
A Senegalese Christian shares the gospel with event volunteers during the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar. (Photo/IMB)
As athletes and spectators from around the world fill the streets of Senegal for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, missionaries and local believers are praying the event will leave behind more than medals and memories.
The Stone family. Sarah is second from right. (Photo/Stone family via Facebook)
BLACKSHEAR, Ga. — Sarah Ellington Stone, the 19-year-old daughter of Emmanuel Baptist Church pastor Mike Stone and his wife, Andrea, died Tuesday, Nov. 3, following a lengthy illness and 12 weeks in hospice care.
The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)
WASHINGTON (BP) — The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday, Nov. 3, in a case regarding a Colorado law that critics claim constitutes religious discrimination. A group of Catholic preschools is fighting the law because it does not allow an exemption for them to participate in the state’s preschool funding program.
Georgia
Flood waters cover parts of McCaysville, Ga., Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, after heavy rain moves the area overnight. (Tracey Trumbull/Local 3 News via AP)

Heavy rains flood towns, dozens rescued on Georgia-Tennessee border

McCAYSVILLE, Ga. (AP) — Thunderstorms caused record flooding overnight in twin towns straddling the Georgia-Tennessee border, submerging some buildings to their rooflines on Thursday as emergency responders rescued dozens of people.

Sen. Josh McLaurin, D-Sandy Springs, speaks during a press conference at the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta, on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026. McLaurin won the election for lieutenant governor. (Capitol Beat/Caroline Newbern)

Georgia Democrats flip every statewide office, but appear to fall short in the Senate

ATLANTA — Georgia voters delivered major Democratic gains Tuesday, along with several historic firsts. Keisha Lance Bottoms is the first Black woman elected governor in U.S. history, but Georgia could also see a Black woman leading the state House.
Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms speaks at an election night event, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Georgia Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms makes history as the 1st Black woman ever elected governor

ATLANTA — Georgia voters made history Tuesday, electing for the first time in 238 years of statehood a woman — and a Black person — as governor. In January, when she is sworn in, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, will also become the first Black woman governor of any state in the 250-year history of the nation.
Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., walks out during an election night event, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff wins reelection, defeating Rep. Mike Collins to hold a key Democratic seat

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff was reelected Tuesday to a second term, holding a key seat for Democrats by defeating Republican Rep. Mike Collins in a race that raised the Senate’s youngest member’s national profile as his party prepares for President Donald Trump’s final two years in the White House.

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Nation
Michael Carman votes at a Checkers grocery store on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Lawrence, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Voters cite inflation, cost of living as key factors in midterm elections

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump faced voter dissatisfaction over inflation in the midterm elections, as rising prices contributed to significant Republican losses in House, Senate, and gubernatorial races.

An officer walks outside of a post office after a reported shooting in Des Moines, Iowa, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Postal employee shot 2 coworkers at an Iowa post office before being captured, police say

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A female postal worker shot two fellow employees at the main post office in Iowa’s capital city Thursday before being captured nearby, authorities said.
Russian Presidential Envoy Kirill Dmitriev, left, presents first lady Melania Trump with a gift during a meeting at the White House, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Putin special envoy speaks at White House event on Oleshky ceasefire brokered by Melania Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s envoy appeared with first lady Melania Trump at the White House on Thursday as she brought together Russian and Ukrainian officials to mark the localized ceasefire she brokered between their nations.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks with reporters alongside President Donald Trump after they arrived on Air Force One, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, at Dubuque Regional Airport in Dubuque, Iowa, en route to a campaign rally. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Speaker Johnson won't seek reelection as House Republican leader after party's midterm losses

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson will be stepping aside from Republican Party leadership after Republican losses in the midterm election, declining to seek support to stay on as House minority leader in the new Congress, according to two people familiar with his decision Wednesday.

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World
An Aer Lingus Airbus A320 aircraft at Evreux military air base after the flight from Dublin to Rome was diverted amid reports of bomb threats targeting multiple flights across Europe, in Evreux, France, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)

More than a dozen flights in Europe receive bomb threats that an official calls 'malicious' hoaxes

MILAN (AP) — Bomb threats targeted more than a dozen flights in Europe on Thursday, leading to a slew of emergency landings and military escorts in some cases, authorities said. No hazardous or suspicious materials have been found in what a British official called “malicious" hoaxes.

Executives of Ueno Bank, taken over by Paraguay's central bank amid a solvency crisis, arrive in custody at the anti-corruption prosecutor's office in Asuncion, Paraguay, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026 (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)

Paraguay President Santiago Peña resigns following bank collapse

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay (AP) — Paraguayan President Santiago Peña resigned Thursday, days after the nation's central bank seized Ueno Bank, a major digital lender with close ties to his government.
A woman crosses a street in front of a billboard depicting U.S. President Donald Trump behind bars and calling for his killing in central Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. (AP Photo)

US strikes Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz, official says

The United States launched strikes on Iranian targets, a U.S. official said, in what appeared to be a limited operation. Iranian state media reported explosions being heard on the islands of Qeshm and Hengam in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, and in the nearby mainland area of Bandar Abbas. Unlike earlier in the war, the strikes were not publicly announced.
Rescuers evacuate a wounded civilian from a residential building after a Russian attack in Dnipro, Ukraine, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

Death toll hits 31 after Russian strike on Ukrainian aid site, with dozens still missing

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The death toll from a Russian attack in southern Ukraine on a site where people had gathered to receive humanitarian aid rose to 31 on Tuesday, with dozens of people still missing, as a wave of overnight strikes targeted power plants across the country, damaged hospitals and wounded scores of people.

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Perspectives
(Index/Henry Durand)
Some of my earliest memories of music involve sitting beside my Mimi at the piano. My grandmother was the church organist at Hoboken Baptist Church, and when I was about four years old, she would get me home from church on Sunday morning and, before we had lunch, sit me down at the piano.
David Chancey
​My brother tells the story of inviting our Mom to go with his family on a trip to Canada. At the time, Canada didn’t require a passport from US citizens but did require two forms of identification. Mom’s birth certificate and driver’s license would suffice.
Dawn Reed
A few years ago, my beloved was asked to preach the annual sermon at the Kentucky Baptist Convention’s annual meeting. (He’s from Big Creek of Pike County. Neither of us saw that coming.) He would have the privilege of sharing a sermon with his preacher friends and peers from all over the state.
Catherine Renfro
Before we can build a culture of evangelism in our lives and ministries, we must begin with an honest look inward. The first phase of this process is to examine: to ask ourselves, “How am I doing spiritually?” 
Lester Potts
Last weekend, my wife, Edie, and I attended the Georgia–Florida football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. As you might imagine, the atmosphere was electric.

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Business
Hiring signs are displayed in Wheeling, Ill., Oct. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

US job postings jumped sharply in September, potentially a good sign for anyone seeking employment

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers ramped up their job postings in September as stronger economic growth may be encouraging more hiring.  U.S. job openings jumped to 7.5 million from a revised 7.19 million in August, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. It is the largest number of openings since May and up from a recent low of 6.9 million in March.

A tugboat pushes a container ship to a port in Yantai, eastern China's Shandong province on Oct. 14, 2026. (Chinatopix via AP)

China's economy accelerated in the July-September quarter on robust exports

HONG KONG (AP) — China said Monday its economy grew 4.5% in the July-September quarter from a year ago, fueled by robust exports, moving closer to meeting its official annual growth target for the year as trading partners seek to balance their trade deficits with the country.
The Social Security Administration office is seen in Mount Prospect, Ill., Oct. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

Social Security recipients to get 3.6% cost of living boost, an average of $75 per month

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Social Security Administration projected Wednesday that the annual cost-of-living adjustment for older adults and people with disabilities will go up by 3.6% beginning in 2027, with some recipients complaining that is not enough to offset soaring prices.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture seal is seen on a podium during a news conference in Washington on July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

More than 160,000 pounds of meat bearing false USDA inspection labels recalled

NEW YORK (AP) — More than 83 tons of meat are being recalled across the U.S. because the products were not properly inspected by federal authorities and were shipped out with falsified inspection stickers, the Department of Agriculture said.
A hiring sign is displayed at a grocery store, in Schaumburg, Ill., Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Claims for unemployment benefits drop to 197,000, the lowest since mid-July as layoffs remain rare

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer people applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week, as U.S. jobless claims remain at historically low levels and most Americans enjoy job security.

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Sports
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo prepares to kick a penalty during a round-of-16 match against Slovenia at the Euro 2024 tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, July 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)

Cristiano Ronaldo announces his international retirement from Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo won’t play for Portugal anymore, ending on Thursday a career that spanned six World Cups and included a European title and the men’s all-time international scoring record.

FC Tenerife forward Jesus de Miguel is carried on a stretcher after colliding with Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono during a soccer match in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. (AP Photo)

Spanish police investigating after soccer player dies following on-field collision

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spanish police have opened an investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter after a soccer player died following an on-field collision with the opposing team's goalkeeper in a second-division match.
Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum drives against Indiana Pacers center Jay Huff during the first half in Indianapolis, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Down to 6 players, Jay Huff and Pacers put scare in Hawks before losing 108-104

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jay Huff scored 22 points for Indiana and the Pacers, down to six players because of injuries and rest, put a scare into the Atlanta Hawks before losing 108-104 on Monday night.
Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson warms up during the team's batting practice ahead of Game 4 of a National League Division Series game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, on Oct. 7, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

Christian Walker, Matt Olson win 4th Gold Gloves and Wilyer Abreu gets his 3rd

ST. LOUIS (AP) — First basemen Christian Walker of Houston and Matt Olson of Atlanta won their fourth Gold Gloves on Sunday, while Boston right fielder Wilyer Abreu won the fielding honor for the third year in a row.

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