STATESBORO, Ga. — Cambodian Southern Baptist leaders believe their recent purchase of a 7-acre former wedding venue, to be used as a conference center, is a miracle given to them by God. They call it the Blessing Field, an obvious reference to the Killing Fields Cambodians endured during the 1970s as depicted in a 1984 major motion picture of the same name.

More than 1,000 children and teens spent time this summer at Georgia Baptist camps that mix outdoor fun with Bible teaching.  Camp Pinnacle in the mountains of north Georgia hosted 546 students of whom 10 came to faith in Christ. Camp Kaleo had 346 overnight campers and nearly 450 day campers of whom 39 made salvation decisions.

The Book of Jeremiah is not written in chronological order. The events of Jeremiah 34 occurred during the reign of Zedekiah, the last king of Judah (596–586 B.C.). Jeremiah 35 and 36 occurred during the reign of Jehoiakim (609–597 B.C.). The southern kingdom of Judah was spiraling toward its death, yet a small group known as the Rechabites remained faithful.

There once was a college student taking an introduction to philosophy course. His assignment one weekend was to look attentively at a clear drinking glass half filled with water. He was to determine if the glass was half full or half empty. Wanting to get a good grade, he started his study on a Friday night in his grandmother’s kitchen.

“At exit 15, turn left.  Go eight miles and turn right.  In two miles, turn left and go six more miles.”  We had exact directions.  It sounded like a treasure map.  Indeed, it was.  After an hour and 40 minutes, we arrived at our destination: Bethel.

I love new school supplies. I loved them when I was a child and I loved getting them for my children every year when school started. There was just something about having new supplies when you start a new year, a fresh start. I always looked forward to purchasing their school supplies and honestly, I think they enjoyed it just as much as I did. 

CORNELIA, Ga. — A spiritual movement that began in Georgia in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic is still going strong, showing up most recently in Habersham County where 39 people made salvation decisions last week in an evangelistic outreach. Tony Gray, associational missions strategist in the Habersham and Liberty Baptist associations, said a new church also could be planted as a result of the outreach, which, he said, shows the impact congregations have when they work together.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The past several summers have been quiet at Tusculum Hills Baptist Church. This year has been different, as more than 60 kids and youth filled the brightly decorated sanctuary on a Friday morning, June 30, shouting at the top of their lungs to worship songs they learned that week in Vacation Bible School. 

Shane Pruitt, national next gen director for the North American Mission Board, announced his son Titus died early Tuesday. “We are heartbroken, but also joyful. Joyful about him being home in Heaven with Jesus,” Pruitt wrote. “Joyful that he will never again experience seizures, or a wheelchair, or medicines, or crying, or pain, or surgeries or suffering. Joyful that he is finally fully healed and fully alive. Joyful that he is getting to do so many things for the very first time like walk, run, sing and worship the King face to face.”

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. — This barrier island off Savannah’s coast is billed as the place where time stands still. It’s a place where families walk barefoot in the sand, where palm branches sway in ocean breezes,  where children delight in an abundance of seashells. David Laughner arrived here to serve as pastor of Chapel by the Sea Baptist Church more than 30 years ago and never left. He ministers in an ocean paradise.

A group of Americans stepped into a church building in Angola for a missions conference. Hardbacked wooden pews complemented the white walls. Fans whirred in the background, circulating hot air throughout the crowded sanctuary. The heat was intensified by the sheer number of people in the room.

BARRE, Vt. — Disaster relief volunteers from Georgia Baptist churches are continuing their work in in Vermont helping flood victims recover from what’s being described as that state’s worst natural disaster in nearly a century. “The jobs are massive, lots of debris and flood damage,” said Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief Director Dwain Carter.

RIDGECREST, N.C. — Since 1993, Black pastors and church leaders have gathered at Ridgecrest Conference Center for a week of recharging and refreshment. After 30 years, Mark Croston felt it was time for leaders to “reimagine” during the Black Church Leadership and Family Conference on July 17-21, 2023.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — In response to expressed concern from ministry leaders, Lifeway Christian Resources is postponing the implementation of the decision made earlier this week to discontinue lifewayworship.com.  "We are delaying the implementation of this decision until we have time to listen, allow for dialogue, and find out how we can best support churches’ digital worship music needs,” said Ben Mandrell, CEO of Lifeway.

ATHENS, Ga. — Beech Haven Baptist Church, a beautiful white church with a towering steeple on Broad Street in Athens, has called a new pastor. The church affirmed the call of Dr. Rob Tims as senior pastor on June 25, 2023, and he will preach his first sermon as pastor on August 6. In a recent conversation with Dr. Tims, he gave every evidence of being an engaging, personable, and compassionate person with a great sense of God’s calling upon his life.

Hirohisa “Hiro” Hogaki, a two-time alumnus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, tragically drowned Monday, July 16, in his native Japan while rescuing two of his children from drowning. Hogaki earned his bachelor’s degree from what is now known as Texas Baptist College in 2010 and his Master of Arts in Theology from Southwestern Seminary in 2020.

ELLAVILLE, Ga. — A unique partnership each summer in Southwest Georgia shows that church unity isn’t limited by cultural boundaries. Twelve Hispanic churches gather each month for a time of fellowship and worship. The churches are scattered across central and Southwest Georgia, making it a truly unique cooperation. They call themselves “Churches Walking Together.”

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — Volunteers and Georgia Baptist Mission Board staff members gathered Monday at Lawrenceville First Baptist Church to fill backpacks with school supplies that will be distributed to local foster families. The initiative was organized through Mission Georgia, a Georgia Baptist outreach that provides gospel-centered care to the state's most vulnerable residents.

TAYLORS, S.C. — Their sanctuary is gone — now only a charred shell. A lightning bolt likely ignited the blaze that gutted the building on Sunday, July 2. But “the church is the people,” interim pastor Joe Hayes Jr. maintains, and the spirit of the members of Camp Creek Baptist Church remains undaunted. They will continue to worship on the northern Greenville County site where the congregation has met since 1885.

My mom used to say her “quiver was full,” (Psalm 127:4-5).  We would smile because we knew what she meant.  She was saying that her heart was full of joy.  Her family was together, and the moments were just right.  Treasured. I got that same “quiver full” feeling last night — the first night of Vacation Bible School.

I have to admit that I am a “people pleaser.” I don’t necessarily think that is a bad thing because it does say that you care about others and desire to make them happy. However, there is a huge pitfall in people-pleasing – you cannot please everyone!

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — Amid the fun and games of Vacation Bible School, serious spiritual business has taken place at churches across Georgia over the past two months. “Thousands of kids have made salvation decisions,” said Jenni Carter, kids ministry consultant for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. Churches of every size and in every region of the state reported not only the highest attendance in years at Vacation Bible School but also large numbers of children committing their lives to Christ.

BLAIRSVILLE, Ga. — In north Georgia, people eagerly make their way into Blairsville’s First Baptist Church each Sunday. An excitement has taken hold here that causes people not to want to miss worship services. Attendance has surpassed pre-COVID numbers. More than 80 people have joined the church in the past year. And nearly 40 have been baptized. Not all churches are so fortunate, according to a Lifeway Research survey that quizzed churchgoers about the top reasons they skip church services.

ATLANTA — Leading campus ministry at Georgia State University for the past 40 years has been a joy to Teresa Royall, an energetic lady described by her students as a living example of what it means to give your all for the Lord. Royall has led co-eds on mission trips around the globe, giving them their first glimpses of life in Third World countries. She has counseled countless students, led a never-ending number of Bible studies, cooked meals, wiped tears, and slept on floors with never a complaint.

WINSTON, Ga. — In 1933 Erskine Caldwell wrote a best-selling novel entitled God’s Little Acre. The book is about a destitute Georgia farmer named Ty Ty Walden who gives one acre of his farmland to God to support the church. The book sounds like an inspiring treatise on stewardship, but is actually all about greed, murder, betrayal, lust, and rage. Although the book sold more than ten million copies it was censured by the Georgia Literary Commission and banned in Boston.