My Bible person obsession changes every December. Sometimes it has been Zechariah and/or Elizabeth, sometimes Joseph, or the shepherds. This season it has been Mary. Pardon me while I squeeze in one more story before I close this chapter. 

Intercessory prayer is an essential part of completing the Great Commission. God works through your prayers to impact lostness. We’ve seen it!  This year, we asked you to pray for some fun and sometimes difficult things happening around the world. Join us as we celebrate the goodness and greatness of God.

PRESTONSBURG, Ky. (KT) — A long-time desire to publish a book has become a reality for Dawn Reed, who writes a weekly article for The Christian Index. Her first published book is titled Weiner Stew and was released earlier this month. It is a compilation of short stories written about ordinary life in the mountains of eastern Kentucky.

SENOIA, GA — In the true spirit of the holiday season, New Hope Baptist Church is thrilled to announce its first Christmas Store Georgia, a heartwarming initiative dedicated to bringing joy and hope to local families in need. This event took place at the church's South Campus in Senoia on Dec. 13 and 14.

If you are a college football fan, you know the many changes the game has experienced in the last few years. Players are free to transfer from school to school with fewer regulations and now, players are even compensated in the millions of dollars for their decision to play for their desired university or college. I hate to sound like a killjoy, but the college game has immersed itself in the money side of sports.

I have read this passage many times in my Christian experience. I confess that when I read it, the image I have in my mind is Charlton Heston in the movie “The Ten Commandments.” Yet I believe that the mighty miracles of God leading His people out of bondage cannot be adequately portrayed in film. The actual Exodus account is more dramatic than the movie.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. – Major hurricanes, international compassion ministry projects, and the Serve Tour highlighted Send Relief’s year in 2024 as the joint compassion ministry of the International Mission Board and North American Mission Board met physical needs and shared the eternal hope of the gospel.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. – A banner year for church planting in Canada, a third straight increase in baptisms, and another record year for giving to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering featured prominently in the North American Mission Board’s ministry in 2024.

Nancy Joan Harding Burgess went to be with the Lord on Dec. 17, 2024, at the age of 76. Nancy, named after Frank Sinatra's song, "Nancy with the Laughing Face," had a face full of joy and a blithe spirit which laughed with Jesus, bringing laughter to the hearts of all whom she met.

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.