MARIETTA, Ga. — The Good Samaritan Health Center of Cobb has a mission: "to spread the love of Christ by providing a quality healthcare home to the uninsured and underserved in our community.”

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — When churchgoers show up to their church’s worship service, they’re often hoping to have a guest with them. A Lifeway Research study of U.S. Protestant churchgoers finds 3 in 5 (60%) say they have extended at least one invitation in the past six months for someone to attend their church, including 19% who have made one invitation, 21% with two invitations and 20% with three or more invitations.

DALLAS — Recent key research findings into pastoral wellness reveal that many pastors struggle with financial, physical, and mental wellness.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (BP) – Southern Baptist pastor Kevin Smith announced Tuesday morning, July 23, that he has resigned as chairman and from the board of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. Smith’s resignation comes on the heels of a turbulent 24 hours for the Southern Baptist public policy entity.

Brayson Dean was licensed into the gospel ministry Sunday, July 14, 2024 , at Blacks Creek Baptist Church in Commerce, Ga.  Brayson accepted the call to the ministry while attending Student Life Camp in 2021.

DALLAS (BP)—Two days after a four-alarm fire ripped through the historic sanctuary at First Baptist Dallas, the church gathered for worship in the nearby Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Sunday morning, June 21.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, ending his bid for reelection following a disastrous debate with Donald Trump that raised doubts about his fitness for office just four months before the election.

DALLAS (BP)—The historic sanctuary at First Baptist Church Dallas burned Friday evening, July 19. The cause of the blaze is not yet known. The Victorian-style, red brick sanctuary building was erected 1890 and is a recognized Texas Historic Landmark.

STATESBORO, Ga. — “What are you guys doing here?” It was a question the Baptist Collegiate Ministry Send Me Now team from Georgia heard repeatedly during their time in the city of Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic. It was a query which opened doors for sharing the gospel on their ten-day journey in June.

Teams of Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers headed west to Iowa last week to assist residents dealing with damage caused by record flooding. Severe storms in late June dropped torrential rains on Iowa, causing major flooding as dams failed and rivers overflowed their banks. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds estimates that more than 5,000 homes were damaged by the storms, including at least 2,000 that are likely irreparable.

“Camp is back!” declared Chris Trent, NextGen catalyst for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. “Superwow and Impact have an amazing legacy here in Georgia. It was amazing this summer to see those camps continue to point teenagers to Jesus in such a powerful way.”

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — The large majority of Southern Baptist pastors believe the Cooperative Program supports the ministries and missions their church values and allows their church to support more missions endeavors than they could on their own.

BUTLER, Pa. (BP) – It happened for Bob Hurd and others at a wedding reception on the evening of Saturday, July 13. Phones began chiming with alerts and texts. Donald Trump had been shot.

BUTLER, Pa. (AP) — On the heels of an attempt to kill him, former President Donald Trump called Sunday for unity and resilience as shocked leaders across the political divide recoiled from the shooting that left him wounded but “fine.” A former fire chief attending the rally with family was killed, as was the gunman. Two other people were also wounded.

BUTLER, Pa. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump was the target of an assassination attempt Saturday at a Pennsylvania rally, days before he was to accept the Republican nomination for a third time. A barrage of gunfire set off panic, and a bloodied Trump, who said he was shot in the ear, was surrounded by Secret Service and hurried to his SUV as he pumped his fist in a show of defiance.

Summer is here, and in many churches across Georgia, that means it is time for Vacation Bible School. VBS has been a mainstay of children’s ministry programs for decades, if not longer.

LINCOLNTON, Ga. — Former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia once said, “Some people are inherently likable. If you are not – work on it.” Paul Reviere is a man who is inherently likable and one of the most interesting individuals you could ever hope to meet.

MILWAUKEE (BP) – A release of the Republican National Convention’s platform reveals a potential shift in the party’s focus on a federal abortion ban. The announcement came hours after the RNC’s platform committee met on Monday morning.

MATAGORDA, Texas – Hurricane Beryl made landfall early Monday morning near Matagorda as a Category 1 hurricane with 80 mph winds after wreaking havoc in the Caribbean as a Category 5 storm where it claimed the lives of at least 11 people. Southern Baptist Disaster Relief and Send Relief are already helping survivors.

Hurricane Beryl made landfall as a Category 1 storm along the Texas coast on Monday morning. The first storm of the Atlantic hurricane season — which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 —  to make landfall in the U.S. has already left reportedly 1 million residents in the Houston area alone without power. The storm reportedly killed at least 10 people in Caribbean islands last week.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A long-running heat wave that has already shattered previous records across the U.S. persisted on Sunday, baking parts of the West with dangerous temperatures that caused the death of a motorcyclist in Death Valley and held the East in its hot and humid grip.

The burgers aren't the only things sizzling this Fourth of July: Millions of people are under heat warnings as large numbers of Americans traveled to toast their nation’s birth with parades, cookouts and fiery splashes of colors against the evening sky.

CHESNEE, S.C. (BP) — The Battle of Cowpens is considered a hinge moment in the American Revolution. A string of British victories at Savannah, Charleston and Camden had swung momentum. Continue the winning streak, the thinking went, and more Loyalists would join the cause. A Redcoat wave would proceed northward and ultimately snuff out the rebellion.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will award the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry on Wednesday to two Union soldiers who stole a locomotive deep in Confederate territory during the Civil War and drove it north for 87 miles. U.S. Army Pvts. Philip G. Shadrach and George D. Wilson were captured by Confederates and executed by hanging. Biden is recognizing their courage 162 years later with the country's highest military decoration.

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Thousands of people at a religious gathering in India rushed to leave a makeshift tent, setting off a stampede Tuesday that killed at least 116 people and injured scores, officials said.