I heard a song on the way to work this morning, and it really spoke to my heart. Years ago, our church had a benefit concert to raise money for our family. Our daughter with special needs, Missie, had been granted a spot in a residential facility, but the funding from the State of Georgia would not be in place for two months. Needless to say, we did not have the money to pay for the two months, as residential mental health care is very expensive.

BIG TIMBER, Mont. — Few, if any, of those who organized the Georgia Baptist Student Union (later renamed the Baptist Collegiate Ministry) one hundred years ago had likely ever heard of Big Timber, Montana. Nor could they imagine that it would become a part of the living legacy of BCM a century later.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has been named a recipient of a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative. The $871,074 grant will be used over the next five years.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Boyce College announced that Claire Aguda will join the faculty in the spring semester as Assistant Professor of Politics and Humanities. Aguda brings a strong background in the conservative intellectual movement, higher education, and cultural renewal initiatives to Boyce College.

NEW ORLEANS — Nelson Hsieh has been appointed as assistant professor of New Testament and Greek and associate director of the H. Milton Haggard Center for New Testament Textual Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.  

LUBBOCK, Texas — Bacon Heights Baptist Church member Victor Reta, who lives with “very severe” aphasia, a language disability that affects one’s ability to speak and understand what others say, serves in several capacities on Sunday mornings despite his disability.

OCALA, Fla. — With plans for its own ham radio room and new radio tower, Marion Baptist Association in Ocala will soon be taking part in emergency communications to help local churches and their membership during statewide disaster relief efforts.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Most pastors are confident their churches are helping people grow as Christians. Just don’t ask them how they know that.

Truett McConnell's annual School of Business Networking Event, held on Sept. 30, boasted the highest student attendance in the event’s history. More than 130 students attended alongside 25 business partners and advisors, and were joined by 10 members of TMU’s faculty and staff.

DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. — On Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, the First Baptist Church of Douglasville gathered for its 150th anniversary. The sermons for the month of September were themed around "Building a Legacy That Lasts."

NASHVILLE (BP) – Jeff Dalrymple, director of Abuse Prevention & Response at the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, envisions churches where agape love is so prevalent that abuse of any kind would be unthinkable.

LIVERPOOL, N.Y. — During the Annual Gathering of the Baptist Convention of New York on Sept. 26-27, executive director-treasurer Frank Williams shared news of Send Network New York, a new agreement between the North American Mission Board’s church planting arm and the BCNY.

It is a foregone conclusion these days that if a movie is successful, the producers will find a way to make a sequel. The idea is to cash in quickly on the popularity and attempt to strike while the iron is hot. There is no better example of this than action hero movies.

Israel has been traveling toward the promised land and is now camped on the plains of Moab, east of the Jordan River near Jericho. Their victories over Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, have made surrounding nations fearful (Num. 21). Moab, led by King Balak, sees Israel as a serious threat and seeks supernatural help.

ORLANDO (BP) – Nearly 4,000 rooms across more than two dozen hotels will be available at noon Eastern today, Oct. 6, for booking through the Southern Baptist Convention’s housing office for next year’s SBC Annual Meeting in Orlando.

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — "‘Jesus changed my life. Ask me how." That's what members of Sugarloaf Korean Baptist Church of Suwanee said to the hundreds of people they approached at the Gwinnett Public Safety Fall Festival in Lawrenceville on Sept. 27. They received a very positive response and were greeted by lots of smiling faces. 

Many years ago, a believer gave Barkhat’s father a Bible. “I have wanted to understand the Bible since I was a child,” Barkhat told two believers who came to his home to share the gospel. Over the next few days, they read the Bible together two or three times a day, and Barkhat soaked in the Word.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Holman Bible Publishers has partnered with In His Grip Golf to create the “CSB In His Grip Golfer’s Bible,” releasing Nov. 1, to help golfers deepen their relationship with God.

Somalia tops the list of countries where access to the Bible is blocked by law, actions of religious extremists, or acts by other nonstate actors, the Bible Access Initiative announced last week. “Bible access in Somalia is not just limited; it is outlawed,” a profile of the nation produced by the Bible Access Initiative stated. “Under a strict interpretation of Sharia law, it is illegal to print, import, store, or distribute Bibles.”

NASHVILLE (BP) – Minutes, facts, and figures are what you’ll find in the SBC Annual, and the 604-page 2025 edition is available now at SBC.net.

Maria swore like a sailor and used cocaine. Her boisterous behavior made her a familiar face, and voice, in her 8,000-person community.  “You couldn’t miss Maria, even from a distance, because you could hear her from a distance. She was loud and rambunctious,” Eric Reese said. 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On September 29–30, hundreds of pastors and ministry leaders gathered on the campus of Midwestern Seminary for the 2025 For the Church National Conference. This year’s theme, “Kingdom Come,” called attendees to minister by faith, drawing strength from God’s promises and persevering for the joy set before them.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and the Southern Baptist of Texas Convention hosted a Family Ministry Luncheon on campus on Sept. 23, promoting a new opportunity for families and churches to disciple the younger generations and prepare them for a lifetime of serving the Lord.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — The SPARK 2025 church-strengthening conferences drew record numbers this fall, helping to equip more than 4,100 Georgia Baptist leaders across six locations for gospel-centered ministry.

KEATON BEACH, Fla. — One year after Hurricane Helene flooded their church and destroyed everything inside, members of Blue Creek Baptist Church in Keaton Beach are now holding services beneath a pole barn on their new property, attracting visitors almost every week and looking ahead to the future and the construction of a new building.