ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) — Send Relief, the compassion ministry arm of Southern Baptists, is encouraging churches to engage their communities by meeting needs and building bridges for sharing the gospel on August 7. On the SBC calendar, the month of August represents an opportunity for churches to focus on Christian service, and Send Relief has resources for churches designed to help them plan a backpack day for their communities.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (BP) – For a guy in the 1980s, Will Frazer appeared to be living his best life now. A degree from the University of Florida led to a job on Wall Street as a bond trader. That led to an obscene amount of money in a place Frazer came to describe as “a moral sewer.” Eventually, he had enough of both and at 27 years old bought a Ferrari and semi-retired to his native Florida, spending the next ten years playing a lot of golf and doing pretty much whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BP)–At the Executive Committee meeting of the Woman's Missionary Union Foundation Board on Thursday, David George announced his plans to retire effective June 30, 2023.  After 21 years as president, George wants to devote more time to his family, his church, and to volunteer ministry efforts. He believes the WMU Foundation is in a strong position and ready for a transition. 

FORT BENNING, Ga. (BP) — As he held the remote for the Claymore mine, Pat Hash started to grow concerned. The target had not arrived on schedule, and the ambush could be impacted by the delay. Thankfully, however, this was a training exercise for students in the U.S. Army’s Ranger School and not live combat. Hash had an experience with God as he waited there for nearly an hour that would, almost 50 years later, lead to his becoming the third Southern Baptist chaplain to be inducted into the Army Rangers Hall of Fame on July 13, 2022, during a ceremony at Fort Benning.

DULUTH, Ga. – Bart Millard, lead singer of MercyMe, will welcome thousands of participants to the digital premiere of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s SPARK conference. The popular contemporary Christian band will also perform three songs during the conference, which is billed as “a total church conference,” meaning it provides training on all aspects of ministry.

YREKA, Calif. (AP) — California officials say two bodies were found inside a charred vehicle in a driveway in the wildfire zone of a raging blaze that is among several menacing thousands of homes in the western U.S. Hot gusty weather and the possibility of thunderstorms threatened to boost the danger that the fires will keep growing.

ATLANTA – The last fiscal year was another record-setter for the film industry in Georgia. Film and television productions spent $4.4 billion in the Peach State in fiscal 2022, which ended June 30, Gov. Brian Kemp announced Monday. That’s up from the previous record of $4 billion set in fiscal 2021.

BEIRUT (AP) — A section of Beirut’s massive port grain silos, shredded in the 2020 explosion, has collapsed after a weekslong fire. The silos' northern block toppled in a huge cloud of dust on Sunday after what sounded like an explosion. The recent fire was triggered by grains that had fermented and ignited in the summer heat.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing new regulations that would force food processors to reduce the number of salmonella bacteria found in some raw chicken products or risk shutdowns. The proposed USDA rules announced Monday would declare salmonella an adulterant — a contaminant that can cause foodborne illness — in breaded and stuffed raw chicken products.

LONDON (AP) — One of the two contenders to replace British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is defending his decision to quit the government, a move that helped end Johnson’s scandal-tarnished leadership. Allies of Johnson accuse Rishi Sunak of treachery for stepping down as U.K. Treasury chief last month. More than 50 government ministers went on to quit, leaving Johnson no choice but to resign as Conservative Party leader.

WHITESBURG, Ky. (AP) — A cultural center known for chronicling Appalachian life is cleaning up and assessing its losses. Like much of its stricken region, Appalshop has been swamped by historic flooding. The water inundated downtown Whitesburg in southeastern Kentucky, causing extensive damage to the renowned repository of Appalachian history and culture. Some losses are likely permanent after raging waters soaked or swept away some of Appalshop’s treasure trove of historic material.

Even as the Russian war machine crawls across Ukraine’s east, trying to achieve the Kremlin’s goal of securing full control over the country’s industrial heartland of the Donbas, Ukrainian forces are scaling up attacks to reclaim territory in the south. The Ukrainian troops have made inroads into the Russian defenses and used U.S.-supplied rocket launchers to strike bridges and military infrastructure in the south, forcing Moscow to divert its forces from the Donbas to counter the new threat.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The first ship carrying Ukrainian grain has set out from the port of Odesa. The departure of the ship laden with corn follows an internationally brokered deal that is expected to finally allow large stores of Ukrainian crops to reach foreign markets and ease a growing hunger crisis.

ATLANTA (AP) — Austin Riley hit a run-scoring double off Mark Melancon in the ninth inning, giving the Atlanta Braves a 1-0 victory over Arizona and a three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks. Max Fried, Dylan Lee, and Kenley Jansen combined on a four-hitter for the Braves, who at 62-41 moved 21 games over .500 for the first time since ending 2019 at 97-65.

CARROLTON, Ga. (AP) — A college instructor in Georgia has been charged with murder in the Saturday shooting death of an 18-year-old student. The Carrollton Police Department said in a news release that Richard Sigman is charged with murder and aggravated assault for his involvement in the shooting death of 18-year-old Anna Jones. Police said they believe Jones was killed when Sigman shot into a parked car following an argument with a man at a pizza restaurant.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 for the second straight day, in what appears to be a rare case of “rebound” following treatment with an anti-viral drug. White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor says in a letter Sunday that the president “continues to feel well” and will keep on working from the executive residence.

HINDMAN, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says damage to critical infrastructure is hampering efforts to help residents hit by massive flooding. Beshear said Sunday that dozens of bridges were destroyed in last week's floods. That makes it difficult to assist many areas, including those whose water systems were damaged. The governor says communications issues also exist.

YREKA, Calif. (AP) — Crews battling the largest wildfire so far this year in California braced for thunderstorms and hot, windy conditions that created the potential for more fire growth as they sought to protect remote communities. The McKinney Fire was burning out of control in Northern California’s Klamath National Forest, with thunderstorms a major concern on Sunday.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Authorities say a small explosive device carried by a makeshift drone blew up Sunday at the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet on the Crimean Peninsula, wounding six people. The attack prompted the cancellation of ceremonies honoring Russia’s navy there. There has been no immediate claim of responsibility.

Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief crews have been assigned to an area of eastern Kentucky hit hard by last week’s flash flooding that killed at least 30 people and left hundreds unaccounted for.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana state senators narrowly passed a near-total abortion ban Saturday during a rare weekend session, sending the bill to the House after a contentious week of arguments over whether to allow exceptions for rape and incest.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 again Saturday, slightly more than three days after he was cleared to exit coronavirus isolation, the White House said. White House physician Dr. Kevin O'Connor said Biden “has experienced no reemergence of symptoms, and continues to feel quite well.” O'Connor said “there is no reason to reinitiate treatment at this time.”

PRESTONBURG, Ky. (AP) — Some residents of Appalachia returned to flood-ravaged homes and communities on Saturday to shovel mud and debris and to salvage what they could. Meanwhile, Kentucky's governor said search and rescue operations were ongoing in the region swamped by torrential rains days earlier that led to flash flooding that killed at least 25 people, including four children.

Being wheelchair-bound could not stop 68-year-old Jack Butler from publicly declaring his faith in Jesus through baptism. Six men, three on each side, carried Butler on a wooden plank and then placed him in the water while Pastor Neil Treme baptized him at Glenmora Baptist Church, Glenmora, La. Moments later, Brandy Butler, 45, followed.

ATLANTA – Georgia teachers stocking up on supplies for the new school year will get some help from the state.  Gov. Brian Kemp announced Friday that every full-time public school teacher in Georgia will receive a $125 supplement to help them get their students back to in-person learning coming out of the pandemic.