The holidays are a time to focus on faith, fellowship and family. For some international students it can be difficult to get together with family during this festive season. And for others, celebrating Thanksgiving or Christmas at all can be a new experience. To help international students feel more at home, Baptist Campus Ministries on campuses across Georgia welcomed international students to celebrations marking the national day of thanks and the birth of Christ.

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. – Georgia Baptist Convention First Vice President Rubén Torres told a group of the state’s top ministry leaders on Tuesday to keep their church members reminded that they are special instruments to be used by the Lord.

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. – A veteran pastor, evangelist and seminary professor has been elected chairman of the Georgia Baptist Executive Committee. In the role, David Mills, 57, will head the group of 110 ministry leaders charged with guiding the cooperative work of Georgia Baptists.

DULUTH, Ga. – Rhon Carter knows the benefit of music and worship leaders getting together to discuss their successes and failures. Carter, the worship and music catalyst for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, spent the past year leading a network of 18- to 28-year-old worship leaders from across the state who have gotten to know each other through monthly online get-togethers and one in-person gathering.

GAINESVILLE, GA – There is nothing quite as remarkable and wonderful as the birth of a child, but the pain a woman may have to endure in childbirth is often excruciating. In Galatians 4:19 the Apostle Paul speaks of the emotional and physical experience of suffering which typically precedes the celebration of the birth of a child.

WASHINGTON  — Democratic lawmakers gave final approval Thursday to legislation protecting same-sex marriages, a move that was adamantly opposed by evangelical Christians across the country.

GLEN ALLEN, Va. – Paul Chitwood felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude when he stepped into the baptismal waters with his 10-year-old daughter Lilly, the youngest and last of his four children to accept Jesus as Savior. “My prayer has always been that God would allow me to see each of my children come to Christ,” said Chitwood, president of the International Mission Board.

SMYRNA, GA – Churches across America and around the world decorate their facilities for Christmas. Some decorations are modest, and others are extravagant, but all are beautiful, because of the intent of those who decorate and the meaning of the decorations.

ROME, Ga. – Baseball-superstar-turned-evangelist Darryl Strawberry told student-athletes at Shorter University last week that Christ is all that matters. The eight-time MLB All-Star and four-time World Series Champion was the guest speaker at Shorter’s President’s Gala at the school last Thursday. Shorter President Dr. Don Dowless described Strawberry as “somebody who has gone through the darkest part of life only to find redemption in Christ.“

BUFORD, Ga. – Randy Kennedy, current interim/transitional pastor of Bethany Baptist Church in Snellville, is one of the most winsome individuals you will ever meet. He is also versatile – very versatile. The affable minister is not only an excellent preacher, but he has had an effective ministry to many professional athletes through the years. He is an exceptional golfer himself. He knows how to use a very big pencil to challenge and motivate people, and he is a percussionist.

COLUMBUS, Ga. – Tashonda Stephens had enrolled in an education program at the Columbus Baptist Association to earn her GED. In the process, she found G-O-D. Stephens, a single mom of three boys, surrendered her life to Christ through the Christian Women’s Job Corps of Greater Columbus, a Southern Baptist ministry that’s intended to lift women out of poverty.

DULUTH, Ga. – In a move that will provide “an opportunity for more Cooperative Program funds to go to ministry and missions,” the Georgia Baptist Mission Board is moving out of its five-story executive office building into a smaller and more efficient space. The Mission Board has secured a letter of intent from a corporation that wants to lease the building at 6405 Sugarloaf Parkway beginning in the next two months.

HINESVILLE, Ga. – Pastor Luis Trejo of Primera Iglesia Bautista Hispana of Hinesville, Ga., has reached a ministerial milestone – 50 years of service. Trejo’s half-century in the pulpit was celebrated last month at the church where he serves as full-time senior pastor. “The greatest thing in my career,” he says, “has been to know Christ. Everything else flows from there.”

ATLANTA - God can use  prayer for government leaders “to make a difference in our lives.” That’s what the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s Mike Griffin says is the driving force behind the annual Christmas Prayer tour he leads through the state Capitol. Beginning next week, Georgia Baptists will once again have an opportunity to see the Capitol in its Christmas finest while also praying for lawmakers and other political officials.

MOBILE, Ala. (BP) – A former Southern Baptist seminary professor and his wife have filed suit against the SBC and 10 other individuals and entities connected to the SBC, including Jennifer Lyell and Guidepost Solutions. In a filing made in the Mobile, Ala., Circuit Court, David and Mary Sills allege “defamation, conspiracy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, and wantonness concerning untrue claims of sexual abuse” initiated by Jennifer Lyell.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The closer it gets to Christmas, the more likely it is church pews will be filled.  Half of U.S. Protestant pastors (48%) say a Christmas Eve service is their churches’ largest event during the holiday season, according to a Lifeway Research study. The frequency of the highest attendance events builds up to Christmas Eve and then tapers off into January. 

DAWSON, Ga. – Christmas will be merrier for nearly 10,000 kids who will receive backpacks filled with toys and other goodies courtesy of Georgia Baptists. The Christmas backpack ministry – done through a partnership with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, the state’s Baptist associations, and local churches – ensures that every needy child receives gifts. “This is a ministry that our churches have gotten excited about in a big way,” said Ricky Thrasher, the state Mission Board’s liaison to the associations.

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) – Texas seminary student Mang Siing recently became a part of history when he served as the narrator for the Zo language translation of the world-famous Jesus film. The effort marked the film’s 2,000th available language.

GRAYSON, Ga. – Marie Still is thankful for all that the Lord has given her, but, this Thanksgiving, she’s even more thankful for what He has taken away. Excess weight. Still has lost 197 pounds over the past two years, an answer to prayer for a bubbly Christian lady who desperately wanted to improve her health so she could better serve Christ.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) – About five years ago, Lynnette Ezell and a friend walked into a north Georgia Department of Family Services office bearing diapers. “I made an appointment and said, ‘How can we help?’” Ezell told Baptist Press in a phone interview, recalling the moment she sat down across the desk from a social worker.

DALLAS, Ga. - “Turn around.” That’s what driver Jack Shultz said he felt God tell him after he drove past New Hope First Baptist Church’s drive-thru prayer ministry on Saturday. Shultz explained that he was in a hurry but asked God to put it on his heart if he should stop for prayer, and he believes God responded.

PINEVILLE, Ky. – The pounding of hammers. The ear-piercing screeching of circular saws. The thwacking of lumber tossed upon lumber. It’s all music to the ears of volunteers working with Carpenters for Christ, a Georgia group that spent last week in Kentucky helping renovate housing at Clear Creek Baptist Bible College outside Pineville.

ROME, Ga. – Outstanding contributions from Joe and Charlotte Ware have resulted in the extreme makeover of Shorter University’s sciences building. Shorter students are now enjoying four new state-of-the-art science laboratories.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – People are still watching sermons and presentations delivered at the Georgia Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in Augusta earlier this week by tuning into the ACTS2 television streaming service. “It was just that good,” said Scott Smith, communications director for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. “The preaching and the music were world class. Every presentation was riveting, and there was such a spirit of unity over the entire three days that we were together.  Plus, we celebrated our bicentennial. That’s a big draw, too.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Georgia Baptists chose Fayetteville Pastor Josh Saefkow as their president in an annual meeting in Augusta on Tuesday. Saefkow, a respected denominational leader who has served in numerous roles in the Georgia Baptist Convention, was elected without opposition.