GHENT, Belgium — After a long night of concerts and parties, crowds trickled through the streets in the early morning hours. Along the main path back to hotels and homes stood volunteers armed with thermoses, serving hot drinks. The coffee and conversations have become part of the annual Ghent Festivities landscape, so much so, that these volunteers and missionaries are known as “the Jesus People.” 

One of the most celebrated events in our culture is the news of a pregnancy. When a young couple discovers a baby is on the way, an overabundance of emotions and thoughts rush through their minds. Everything from joy to fear will abound as plans for the new addition take place.

Genesis is not only the first book in the Bible, but the message of Genesis prepares a Bible reader to understand the rest of the biblical books. Genesis begins with a creation narrative and concludes with the descendants of Abraham in Egypt.

COCHRAN, Ga. — Longtime pastor and former Georgia state missionary Clifford Clyde Evans, Jr. passed away Saturday at Memorial Hospital in Savannah, surrounded by his family. He was 76. Funeral services were held Tuesday at 2 p.m. at Cochran First Baptist Church.

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — The search team charged with finding the next SBC Executive Committee president has “transitioned into the investigation phase” and plans to  recommend a candidate in February. That's according to search team chairman Neal Hughes, director of missions and executive director of the Montgomery Baptist Association. Hughes said the search team is “following the vetting process for EC personnel as outlined by our attorneys and approved by the trustees in the recent September meeting.”

PLAINS, Ga. — The chefs who prepared meals for hundreds of Secret Service agents, Georgia Highway Patrol troopers, National Guard troops, and others providing security during three days of memorials for former first lady Rosalynn Carter have vast experience feeding huge crowds, usually in disaster zones. In their trademark yellow shirts and caps, Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers will spend the next three days in the mobile kitchens where they will prepare tasty cuisine served at no charge.

FETE FORROU, Senegal (AP) — The Fulani people — also known as the Peuhl — are believed to be the largest seminomadic ethnic group in the world, with communities stretching from Senegal to the Central African Republic. While some men in this Muslim ethnic group have attended Quranic school, most prepare for their future by learning the ways of animal herding alongside their elders.

Renowned for its stunning biodiversity, the Amazon rainforest region is also home to a vast array of people and cultures. “People usually think that the environment doesn’t contain and include people, but it does,” said soil scientist Judson Ferreira Valentim, who lives in Brazil’s Acre state. “There are many different Amazonias and many different Amazonians.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission has provided more than 85 ultrasound machines to pregnancy resource centers since 2004 through what the organization calls the Psalm 139 project. That includes 12 machines, which cost, with training included, about $40,000, so far in 2023.

ROME, Ga. — Hall of Fame College Football Coach Mark Richt will be the featured speaker at Shorter University’s 2023 President’s Gala on December 7. Richt, a committed Christian, philanthropist and author, served as the head football coach for the University of Georgia and the University of Miami for 18 seasons.