Lament has been a part of worship since the early centuries of the church. However, only rarely do Christians today practice lament as worship. During difficult days, the spirit of lament may be the key to the renewal of faith.

HONOLULU — The Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention’s Executive Board has elected Craig Webb executive director-treasurer. Webb has served as the assistant executive director for the past six years and brings vast church and convention experience and a history of humble servant leadership. He and his wife, Barbara, are excited for this next chapter in their service to Hawaii Pacific Baptists.

COLUMBUS, GA — Knowing that prayer is the engine that moves a church forward, Pastor Tim Jones led his church to begin gathering for prayer each day at noon three years ago. The prayer vigil at Britt David Baptist Church is still going strong.

NEW ORLEANS — The Fred Luter Jr. Student Center at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary is often the site of student enlistment events. But recently, a different kind of recruitment took place. New Orleans Police Department personnel were on-site to greet community members interested in joining the force.  President Jamie Dew said opening the center to the police department for the job recruitment and application event reflects the seminary’s commitment to caring for the community by supporting local law enforcement personnel. 

NASHVILLE — Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee interim president Willie McLaurin has resigned effective immediately after members of a search team found that he had included false information on his resume. He had been interim leader since February 2022 and was a candidate for the permanent position.

KANSAS CITY, Mo—Family and friends gathered in Midwestern Seminary’s chapel late last month to celebrate the faithful overseas service of 18 missionary teams in the Spurgeon College Fusion Commitment Ceremony. This year’s class of Fusion students represented the largest number of teams sent to the nations in Fusion history.

I was searching for a container, a vessel. A tiny fern needed a place to grow. Every spring, my beloved showers me with flowers and plants to be potted on the front and back porches of the parsonage. They are a friendly welcome to family and friends.  Some of my favorites are red geraniums, white New Guinea impatiens, ivy, and ferns. I pile red and white pillows and blankets on the glider and swing.

I would not admit this to just anyone, but I am a fair weather driver. In other words, I can drive perfectly when it is sunny but anything other than that proves a challenge for me. It seems like the last few weeks we have had some “bad” driving weather. It made me think about how I can compare the driving weather and the roads.

The news was so exciting that it was hard to keep it a secret. The chief officer of the Zambian women’s prison, a local believer, pulled the visiting International Mission Board missionaries into his office. He looked around conspiratorially, burst into a huge smile and said four women who attend their weekly Bible study would soon be released. They’d received a presidential pardon. 

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — “Fear not” is a frequent command in the Bible, but most pastors feel churchgoers aren’t getting the message. A Lifeway Research study finds almost 7 in 10 U.S. Protestant pastors believe there is a growing sense of fear within their congregations about the future of the nation and world. Additionally, more than 3 in 5 say their churches have a similar increasing dread specifically about the future of Christianity in the U.S. and around the world.

WAKE FOREST, N.C. — Southeastern Seminary hosted last week its fifth annual Associational Mission Strategist Conference to encourage and equip associational leaders for ongoing Great Commission ministry. This year’s conference focused on the priority of church renewal not only for addressing church decline in North America but also for developing partnerships to reach communities with the gospel.

Stephen Rummage, president of the 2024 Southern Baptist Convention Pastors’ Conference, announced the theme and officers for next year’s event, June 9-10 in Indianapolis. The theme for the conference will be “Faithful: Pursuing Your Mission.” The key verse for the theme is Rev. 17:14, “For He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with Him are called and chosen and faithful.”

Hawaii Baptist churches and disaster relief volunteers continue to serve those impacted by the deadly wildfires that devastated a town on the island of Maui. More than 93 people have been confirmed dead. Craig Webb, assistant executive director  of the Hawaii Baptist Pacific Convention, continues to urge prayer for all involved in relief efforts. He shared a report on Saturday highlighting how churches in the area continue to step up to help those who lost homes and loved ones in the horrific fire.

LAFAYETTE, Ga. — Life gets messy, even in small towns like LaFayette, population 7,500. Fires, medical emergencies, domestic disputes, vehicle crashes, illegal substances and more are attended to by radio-toting first responders who too often see gut-wrenching things most people are shielded from.

The closing chapters of Jeremiah focus on the nations surrounding God’s people. Jeremiah predicted the judgment of God upon the nations for their sins. Unlike other prophets, Jeremiah did not preach to the nations from within the boundaries of the nations; rather, Jeremiah preached God’s Word from the safety of the boundaries of the Southern Kingdom of Judah.

After a long flight or even an extended drive, there is no better feeling than pulling into your driveway at home. The crackling sound of rocks under my tires coming up the path to my home is melodic and even therapeutic. The familiar comforts of your residence should never be taken for granted. Our homes should be warm and inviting places of great grace and joy. Even still, the place where you may enjoy and live life is only temporary.

MOULTRIE, Ga. — Scott Sullivan challenged church leaders Saturday to develop strategies to grow strong disciples who can unleash the power of the gospel in their communities and around the world. “My opinion is that the greatest gospel force on the planet is not in the pulpits; it’s in the pews,” said Sullivan, the discipleship catalyst for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board who preached in the first of a series of SPARK conferences scheduled across the state over the next month.

VILLA RICA, Ga. — Georgia pastor Kevin Williams sees what he describes as a spiritual shift that is bringing the Bible back to the Bible Belt. “People are searching for truth,” he said Friday, a day after 220 students in Carroll County, Ga., surrendered their lives to Christ. “We’re living in a time that the Bible warns about, when people will be calling wrong right and right wrong. We’ve reached a point where people are saying enough is enough. It’s like a switch has flipped and things are going back the other direction.”

CHICAGO – More than seventeen percent of Chicagoans live beneath the poverty line, according to the latest U.S. Census, and last week Send Relief hosted a Serve Tour event with local Southern Baptist partners to meet material needs and see lives changed by the gospel. Living in a city plagued by gang violence, drug addiction and crime, Chicagoland residents could use a heavy dose of hope.

HARRISBURG, Ark. – A South African ministry has started at Drover Cowboy Church in Harrisburg, Ark. While staying at a duck lodge after being displaced by a house fire in February 2022, Drover Cowboy Church Pastor Chance Watson and his family were able to meet and interact with South Africans also staying there. The South Africans were working on a farm in the area through the H-2A program. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, H-2A permits “nonimmigrant workers to perform agricultural labor or services of a temporary or seasonal nature.”  

Jerry Clinton Little, 71, of Ringgold, passed away on Tuesday, August 8, 2023. A native of Tallapoosa, Georgia, he was the son of the late Charles Hoyt Little and Marie Pollard Little. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Dennis Charles Little, of Rome, Georgia.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Increases in total enrollment and unrestricted giving for the recently concluded academic year and a new theme passage for the new academic year were announced Wednesday by President David S. Dockery during an annual meeting of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary personnel as the 2023-2024 academic year begins

WAYCROSS, Ga. - Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Waycross recently honored Sam Stack for 20 years of service as associate pastor and minister of music. Brother Sam, as he is affectionately called, began his music ministry at the church in July of 2003.

MILLEDGEVILLE, GA – Jeff Morgan became the interim pastor of Milledgeville’s First Baptist Church in July of last year. After 12 months of loving the people and faithfully preaching the Word the church’s pastor search committee recommended Morgan as the new senior pastor and the church voted to call him to that role on August 6, 2023.

Steven Aaron Jackson passed away at the age of 34 on Tuesday, August 2, 2023. Born December 13, 1988, in New Orleans, Louisiana, Aaron was a man committed to living life to the fullest. He leaves behind his parents Allen and Judi Alexander Jackson, his sister Sarah Jackson Brinson and her husband Adam Brinson, and Mallory Harville with whom he shares a son Reid Aaron Jackson.