June 30, 2022
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Impact of Roe v. Wade's reversal appears weeks away, maybe longer, in Georgia

DULUTH, Ga. – Abortions continue in Georgia nearly a week after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized the procedure 50 years ago. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr filed a brief in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday, asking that the state’s law banning abortions after a heartbeat is detected be allowed to take effect immediately. Instead, the 11th Circuit gave lawyers three weeks to file written briefs addressing how the Supreme Court decision impacts the “heartbeat law.”
Trending stories
 ‘Cooperation is not only biblical, it's necessary if we're going to reach Georgia’
Here in Georgia, we are unchanging in our resolve to keep the gospel as our main focus. Resourcing and equipping churches to reach the 8 million lost people in our state is the mission we act upon every single day. That's what's on your heart, and that's what's on our heart, because that's what's on God's heart. This mission is why Georgia Baptists acted quickly to address critical issues over the past few years.
Georgia church leaders celebrate Supreme Court ruling in favor of praying football coach
DULUTH, Ga. – Church leaders in Georgia celebrated Monday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision siding with a high school football coach who kneeled and prayed on the field after games as a great win for all believers. Justices ruled 6-3 in favor of the Coach Joseph Kennedy of Washington state, saying his prayer was protected by the First Amendment.
Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade after 50 years of legalized abortion
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court released a long-anticipated ruling on Friday that will ultimately put an end to abortions in in roughly half the states, including Georgia. "God has heard and answered our prayers on behalf of the most helpless of human beings," said W. Thomas Hammond, executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. "With this ruling, the Supreme Court has corrected a heart-wrenching injustice. Regrettably, it has taken nearly 50 years for this day to arrive, and at a cost of more than 63 million innocent lives.
Former Southern Baptist missionaries to Uruguay reunite in Georgia for long weekend
ATHENS, Ga. – They’re older now with graying hair and laugh lines, but a group of retired missionaries who spent much of their lives delivering the gospel to Uruguay haven’t lost their passion for serving the Lord. Some 25 of them gathered with hugs and handshakes at Sabor Latino restaurant in Athens on Thursday to enjoy some Uruguayan cuisine while reminiscing about the good old days of preaching and teaching in cities and towns in the South American country of 3.5 million people.
JJ Washington joining North American Mission Board's evangelism team
DULUTH, Ga. – The fiery preacher who has led the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s state-level evangelism efforts for the past year is moving to the national stage next month. JJ Washington will start a new job as the North American Mission Board’s national director of personal evangelism on July 18.
Baptist Life

SBC President Bart Barber to appoint task force in July to implement sex abuse safeguards

Southern Baptist Convention President Bart Barber said Wednesday he intends to appoint members to a task force to implement sexual abuse reforms by the end of July. Barber said a video posted to Twitter that making the appointments will be one of the most important thing he will do this year.

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CRAIG, Alaska (BP) – Liberty Church has made great strides in the past year. At one point down to 10 members, it currently averages 50-60 in attendance each Sunday. A partnership with Alabama Baptists has the congregation poised to move into new worship and education space.
Pastor Steve James of Trinity Baptist Church in Louisiana said his goal each year is for at least 100 people to decide to follow Christ and get baptized. Since Jan. 2, Trinity Baptist has baptized 99 and is on pace to have its most baptisms (197) since 2012.
NEW ORLEANS (BP) – Louisana pastor Fred Luter sees great opportunity in the Unify Project, a new national grassroots racial unity initiative he’s leading with former Southern Baptist Convention President Ed Litton and Dallas-area pastor Tony Evans. Luter, Litton and Evans announced the Unify Project at the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim with plans to launch the pastor-driven program in the fall, backed by a diverse core steering committee.
LITHONIA, Ga.  – Today, Luther Rice College and Seminary launched its newest degree program, a Doctor of Philosophy in Organizational Leadership. Luther Rice is now accepting applications …
Georgia

Whale entanglements drop, but remain major threat, feds say

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The federal government says the number of whales entangled in fishing gear has declined recently, but the entanglements remain a critical threat to rare species. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Tuesday there were 53 confirmed cases of large whales entangled in gear in the U.S. in 2020.

More broadband connectivity coming to rural Georgia

ATLANTA – Ocmulgee Electric Membership Corp. announced plans Tuesday to launch a fiber-optic network that will provide high-speed internet service to customers in five Middle Georgia …

New law set to bring delivery robots to Georgia

ATLANTA – Georgia is about to embark on a new form of transportation technology that fits the needs of the era of e-commerce. Legislation the General Assembly passed this year that takes effect on Friday will authorize “personal delivery devices” better known as delivery robots to ply the state’s highways and sidewalks.

University system economic impact grows to $19.3 billion

ATLANTA – The University System of Georgia generated an economic impact of $19.3 billion across the state during the last fiscal year, up $700 million – or 3.8% – over fiscal 2020. That economic impact translated into 152,629 full- and part-time jobs, about a third of which were on campus and two-thirds off campus.

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Nation

Northern California wildfire threatens 500 buildings

BRIDGEPORT, Calif. (AP) — A wildfire in Northern California has forced evacuations as it threatens about 500 homes and other buildings. Authorities say the blaze erupted Tuesday afternoon near the Yuba River in Nevada County and has spread to more than 500 acres. Fire officials saypower lines also are threatened in the Sierra Nevada area and there are unconfirmed reports that some buildings may have burned.

San Antonio migrant deaths lead to slow effort to ID victims

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Bodies without identification documents, remote villages without phone service, the need to share fingerprint data across borders and even stolen IDs are complicating efforts to identify the 51 migrants who died after being abandoned in a stifling trailer in San Antonio. The efforts come as families from Mexico to Honduras worry their loved ones could be among them.

Air Guard troops doing space missions face identity crisis

WASHINGTON (AP) — About 1,000 Air National Guard troops who are assigned to space missions are mired in an identity crisis. According to commanders, the troops' units are torn between the Air Force, where they’ve historically been assigned, and the military’s shiny new Space Force, where they now work. Commanders say the units have become orphans as state and federal leaders wrangle over whether to create a Space National Guard.

Hinckley says he's sorry for shooting, wounding Reagan

WASHINGTON (AP) — The man who shot and wounded President Ronald Reagan in 1981 has apologized for his actions in a televised interview. John Hinckley Jr. said he doesn’t remember what he was feeling when he attacked the president and wounded three others. Hinckley Jr. told CBS Mornings in his first TV interview since his release from court supervision that he feels remorse for all the lives he affected.

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World

Ukrainians search for 20 missing after Russia strikes mall

KREMENCHUK, Ukraine (AP) — Search teams and relatives are racing to find people missing after a Russian airstrike on a shopping mall killed at least 18 people in the center of Ukraine. Several families stood by what was left of the Amstor shopping center in the city of Kremenchuk on Wednesday as crews looked through the rubble.

Gas lines and scuffles: Sri Lanka faces humanitarian crisis

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s economy, which a few years ago enjoyed strong growth that provided jobs and financial security, is now in a state of collapse, dependent on aid from India and other countries as its leaders desperately try to negotiate a bailout with the International Monetary Fund.

NATO calls Russia its 'most significant and direct threat'

MADRID (AP) — NATO has declared Russia the “most significant and direct threat” to its members’ peace and security. That came as the military alliance met Wednesday to confront what NATO’s chief called the biggest security crisis since World War II. It also promised to “step up political and practical support” to Ukraine as it fights off Russia’s invasion.

World Bank agrees $500m to help Egypt fund wheat purchases

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt will receive $500 million loan from the World Bank to help the Arab world's most populous country finance its purchases of wheat. The World Bank says the funds will help Egypt’s government finance procurement of imported wheat. Egypt is the world’s largest wheat importer and the country’s supply is subject to price changes on the international market.

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Perspectives
Editor's note: With tensions high following the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, here are recommendations from Brotherhood Mutual, a major insurer of churches, on how to handle demonstrations on church grounds.
Living Hope Supportive Maternal Residence, the first residence registered in accordance with “Betsy’s Law,” opened Tuesday. Pregnant women can stay at the home up to 18 months after their child is born, receiving support, care and a comfortable and safe place to live.
Anyone who lives in a human body with a human mind and relating to the world of humans is going to find that they will always have the ups and downs of living life.  No normal person is always on the "top" and conversely, no normal person is always on the bottom. 
This weekend is both Father’s Day and a special celebration called “Juneteenth.” Stores are selling associated celebratory products and, in some locations, fireworks. Radio and TV ads are becoming more prominent with a call to remember, and some government institutions are taking Monday off in observance of the holiday.
Studies show fathers have a tremendous impact on their children’s spiritual lives, or at least their church attendance. According to Lifeway Research Group, Father’s Day is the Sunday with the lowest average church attendance, lower than Labor Day, Memorial Day and even July 4th weekends.

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Business

US stocks slip, on track for 4th monthly loss this year

Stocks ended mostly lower on Wall Street Wednesday, keeping the market on track for its fourth monthly loss this year. The S&P 500 fell 0.1%. The benchmark index has been volatile all week, and is down 20% for the year as investors worry about inflation and rising interest rates. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3% and the Nasdaq fell less than 0.1%.

Fed chairman Powell: 'No guarantee' Fed can tame inflation, spare jobs

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said there’s “no guarantee″ the central bank can tame runaway inflation without hurting the job market. Speaking Wednesday at a European Central Bank forum, Powell repeated his hope that the Fed can achieve a so-called soft landing — raising interest rates just enough to slow the economy and rein in surging consumer prices without sending the U.S. economy into a recession.

China's Baidu races Waymo, GM to develop self-driving cars

BEIJING (AP) — Baidu Inc. is China's highest-profile competitor in a multibillion-dollar race with Alphabet Inc.'s Waymo and General Motors Co.'s Cruise to create self-driving cars. Baidu is test-driving more than 500 self-driving vehicles on the streets of Beijing and other Chinese cities. The company and a rival, Pony.ai, received China's first licenses in April to operate taxis with no one in the driver's seat but a safety supervisor on board.

US economy slipped 1.6% to start year

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy shrank at a 1.6% annual pace in the first three months of the year even though consumers and businesses kept spending at a healthy pace, the government reported Wednesday in a slight downgrade from its previous estimate for January-March quarter. It was the first drop in gross domestic product — the broadest measure of economic output — since the second quarter of 2020, in the depths of the COVID-19 recession, and followed a strong 6.9% expansion in the final three months of 2021.

Wall Street pivots higher ahead of US economic growth data

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street has pivoted from losses to gains about an hour before markets open, following declines in Europe and Asia ahead of the latest update on U.S. economic growth. Futures for the Dow industrials rose 0.4% while futures for the S&P 500 gained 0.3%.

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Sports

2-time Wimbledon champ Murray loses to Isner in 2nd round

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has lost in the second round to big-serving American John Isner. It is Murray's earliest loss in 14 appearances at the All England Club.

Duvall, Wright lead Braves over Phillies, now 21-5 in June

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Adam Duvall homered, Kyle Wright tossed seven sharp innings and the Atlanta Braves kept rolling this month, beating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1. The Braves improved to 21-5 in June, matching the team record for most wins in a calendar month since the club moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta in 1966.

New Attitude Elliott? Chase prefers a practical approach

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Chase Elliott's mood seemed lighter at Nashville Superspeedway even before he picked up his second Cup win of the season. NASCAR's most popular driver has never had the most positive attitude and is extremely hard on himself.

ACC will eliminate divisions, implement permanent rivalries for 2023 football schedule

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — The Atlantic Coast Conference is going forward with a plan to change its football scheduling model, with the biggest change being the elimination of divisions. Georgia Tech will face Clemson, Louisville, and Wake Forest each year.

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