“I was dating a girl from a cross-town school, and she got pregnant. Her parents were not going to be happy that she was pregnant at 17 years old. I demanded that she get an abortion.” Suffering from years of guilt, Tyler faced consequences from “one of those deep sins you lock in the basement and say I will knowingly die with this sin.”

AUGUSTA, Ga.  — Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief Volunteers have embarked on a 2-week deployment to the greater Augusta area, doing some remaining cleanup work of damage caused by Hurricane Helene.

NEW ORLEANS — The 16th annual Defend apologetics conference at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary drew nearly 400 attendees from more than 100 different churches and 21 different states Jan. 6-10.  

LOS ANGELES – When Steven Smith and the group of college students he was leading began their mission trip to Send Relief’s Ministry Center in Los Angeles, they had no idea they would soon be serving a city facing some of its most challenging days.

It’s pink and purple, it has a Bible verse on it, and it’s understandably a little rough around the edges. It is, after all, one of the only items Send Network church planter Ronnie Rentz managed to rescue from his girls’ bedroom.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Despite a major winter storm that impacted travel across the country and brought a blanket of snow to Birmingham, approximately 180 missions leaders gathered for national WMU’s board meeting, Jan. 11–13, 2025, in Alabama.

ONTARIO, Calif. — In fall 2025, Gateway Seminary’s regional campus in Fremont, California, will relocate to the Bridges Bay Area Association facility in San Leandro, California.

ST. LOUIS —  News outlets report on the violence and crime occurring in downtown St. Louis, but The Rock City Church is shining the light of Christ in the area. “We are in the Cochran neighborhood, which is one of the most impoverished and crime ridden in the nation,” Pastor Jesse Sneed of the City Church said. “It is in the 99th percentile.”

If you live anywhere in Georgia you probably were on "snow watch" last week. I wasn't quite sure it would happen, but I knew if it didn't, we would have some very disappointed girls at my house. Thankfully it did snow.

Our dog, Dixie, digs into our couch almost every day. She roots around pushing her nose into the crevices as far as she possibly can, persistently sniffing and scratching at the material. Dixie is positive there is a hidden treasure beneath the cushions.

CLEVELAND, Ga. — On Wednesday, January 15th, Truett McConnell University’s Hans Hut School of Business announced it has received accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs.

APEX, N.C. — Evangelist and author Daniel Ritchie will be nominated for first vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention during the 2025 SBC annual meeting this summer in Dallas, Texas.

VALDOSTA, Ga. — Almost 2,700 people, including staff and volunteers, attended the 2024 MOVE conference in Valdosta. The event, held Dec. 29-30, saw 23 salvation decisions, 43 calls to ministry, and 72 people decide to take the next step in their walks of faith, such as being baptized or recommitting themselves to Christ.

LACENTER, Ky. (KT) — “This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.” That verse from Ps. 118:24 is one that John Plumley embraces every day. When you know what is happening in his life, you understand why it dictates how he lives each day.

SUWANEE, Ga. — Wade Lott, former senior pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church in Hiawasee, Ga., has joined the Pastor Wellness ministry of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. Lott will serve as pastor wellness catalyst for the Northeast region. Andy Childs, who formerly held that role, was named assistant executive director of the GBMB last month.

ST. CLAIR, Mo. — The First Baptist Church of St. Clair was damaged significantly by an overnight fire, Jan. 11. At about 2 a.m., someone was walking down the street by the church, and they noticed flames and smoke coming from the church. They reported the fire.

WASHINGTON, DC (BP) — In his first week as an active-duty chaplain more than 25 years ago, Chaplain Major General Trent Davis discovered the unique impact of the conversations chaplains are privileged to have.

A person’s name can say a lot about them. Of course, none of us has any say in our names, but it seems that the name often fits the person’s nature or demeanor. For example, I have known people named Grace who were pleasant, and I can recall an older lady from when I was a child named Ima Jewel who was a genuinely sweet person.

If we are honest, each one of us has overlooked people with great needs, such as the homeless, individuals unable to take care of themselves, and people without anyone to help them.

LOS ANGELES (BP) – Even as Southern California wildfires continue to burn, Southern Baptists have begun early relief work. California Southern Baptist Disaster Relief chaplains are deployed and serving, and more will be deployed soon, according to information from Send Relief Crisis Response Director Coy Webb.

LOS ANGELES — Baptists are significantly involved in ministering to the victims of the wildfires that have devastated so much of the Los Angeles area. The latest report indicates that there have been 105 wildfires, 40,300 acres burned, 12,3000 structures destroyed, more than 150,000 people displaced, and 24 lives lost.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. – This year, March 16 falls on a Sunday, and the North American Mission Board’s evangelism team is urging Southern Baptist churches to plan a special outreach on that day with a campaign: “3:16 on 3/16.”

Celebrate African American and Black pioneers whose lives inspire the next generation to continue the work of solving the world’s greatest problem—lostness. The International Mission Board invites all Southern Baptists to recognize Feb. 2 as George Liele Church Planting, Evangelism and Missions Sunday. 

Georgia Baptist kids ministry leaders will get a chance to connect with hundreds of like-minded servants with a heart for shaping the next generation at the 2025 Kids Ministry Summit next month at Jekyll Island.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Theological truths remain unchanged regardless of the date on the calendar, as do many ministry realities. The context surrounding Christians and churches, however, is constantly changing.