LITHONIA, GA. — On Thursday, Dec. 19th, Luther Rice College & Seminary was officially approved by the State of Georgia to participate in Georgia State Aid programs starting Fall 2025.

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. — For more than 30 years, East Cooper Baptist Church in Mount Pleasant has remained committed to missions locally and internationally. Their commitment includes getting the gospel to unreached people groups by supporting International Mission Board missionaries.  

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Lifeway Christian Resources experienced another banner year in 2024, highlighted by the fourth consecutive year of revenue growth, the 100th year of ministry through Vacation Bible School, and the largest camps missions offering in recent years.

ARNOLD, Mo. — First Baptist Church of Arnold shared the love and hope of Jesus through the “Lights of Christmas,” now in its fifth year. This presentation combined a live nativity, Scripture, lights, and hot cocoa.

In a convention of generous churches, large congregations aren’t the only ones giving large gifts. In fact, small churches often give more per capita in support of international missions.

KIBERA, Kenya (BP) – Matt Beasley, lead pastor of Severns Valley Baptist Church in Elizabethtown, Ky., conducted global missions the two years he and his wife Valerie were International Mission Board church planters in Prague.

I can’t stop thinking about that first Christmas morning. Mary and Joseph must have been exhausted, mentally and physically. So much had happened: an unexpected pregnancy, the disbelief at first of Joseph, a long trip to Bethlehem to pay taxes, no room in the inn, unexpected guests.

I think the older I get the more I realize how important it is to cherish every moment - to make the memorable memories. Christmas is one of those times.

W. Thomas Hammond, Jr., executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, and the Executive Committee of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board are excited to announce a series of changes to the GBMB staff. In a regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, December 3, the committee affirmed these changes and announced them on Dec. 10 at a meeting of the full Executive Committee.

SUWANEE, Ga. — The Georgia Baptist Mission Board and Friends of Kaleo, Inc., announced last week the formal signing of an agreement that both groups hope will keep Camp Kaleo operating for the foreseeable future. Friends of Kaleo is a non-profit group of former staff, campers, churches, pastors, missionaries, and families created to generate financial support for Camp Kaleo and support its ministry.

MOUNT VERNON, Ga. — Brewton-Parker College is excited to announce that it has been awarded a $40,000 grant from the Meadows New Foundation to provide scholarships for nursing students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. This funding will directly support aspiring nurses from Toombs, Montgomery, and Wheeler counties, addressing a critical healthcare shortage in rural Georgia. 

CORRYTON, Tenn. (BP) – See the need. Meet the need. During the 40 years Rockey Ramsey has served as pastor of Corryton Church, it has become part of the congregation’s fabric to respond. It’s not a surprise that the church has a staff position for Pastor of Etc.

SHELBYVILLE, Ky. (KT) – In a creative blend of fun and faith, First Baptist Church of Shelbyville hosted a 9-hole mini-golf to share the story of Jesus’ birth. Designed as an outreach to engage the entire community, the event is both an opportunity for family fun and an introduction to the true meaning of Christmas.

NEW ORLEANS, LA (NOBTS) Jamie Dew, president of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) and Leavell College, reminded more than 200 graduates of the “why” behind ministry during the …

Akio, a college student in Osaka, Japan, was lonely when he moved away from his hometown to Osaka for school. He didn’t know many other students there, and Osaka’s population of almost 19 million people made it easy to feel anonymous and alone.  

PLATEAU, Nigeria (BP) – Christians in Nigeria plan to celebrate Christmas amid fear of a repeat of violence that claimed at least 160 lives in Nigeria’s Middle Belt at Christmastime in 2023 and dozens in northern Nigeria during the holidays in 2022, international religious liberty advocates reported.

MADISON, Wis. (BP) — A shooting at a Christian school that left three dead, including the shooter, has prompted calls for prayer by local churches.

NASHVILLE (BP) — Jeff Iorg, president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, says that in his first six months in the role he has witnessed the passion and commitment of Southern Baptists. That in turn, has reinforced his own commitment to the Convention’s Gospel mission.

LUSAKA, Zambia - God answered your prayers for someone to work alongside International Mission Board missionaries in a prison ministry in Lusaka, Zambia. He didn’t just send one Zambian believer. He sent three! 

BELLEVIEW, MO - Belleview Baptist Church here lost their building in a fire, Dec. 9.

SEOUL (BP) — If you give 7-year-old Shawn a little attention, he’ll tell you a lot about his life in Korea. He’ll also tell you about Jesus and the work his family is doing. He can describe it in English or in Korean.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (KT) — Jimmy Bledsoe has served as an International Mission Board missionary for 13 years, but his latest assignment has taken him to The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He explained to Kentucky Baptist Convention Mission Board members Tuesday how his work there is to develop a pipeline to reach the nations with the gospel.

Several Bible verses are taped to one of our kitchen cabinets. They are daily reminders of important truths in God’s Word. A favorite is John 12:24. Jesus spoke of His coming death, ‘I tell you the truth, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.’”

AUSTELL, Ga. — On Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, 2024, Reverend Cecil Dutton, age 87, of Austell received his eternal reward. The memorial service was conducted in the chapel of the Carmichael Funeral Home in Smyrna on Dec. 2 with Rev. Paul Williams officiating.

WEST POINT, Ky. (KT) – Vacation Bible School (VBS) remains a summer staple for many Baptist churches, but a small Kentucky church asked why the exciting week of reaching children with the gospel had to stay in the summer.