KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two hundred and sixty graduates from Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College received their degrees on Friday, May 3, during the 75th commencement exercises. President Jason Allen led the ceremony, presenting diplomas to graduates and awarding recognitions to two faculty members.

FRISCO, Texas — There is no secret sauce to reaching the next generation — whether they’re people we want to minister to in the church or lead as employees in our organization, said Shane Pruitt, next-gen director with the North American Mission Board.

ONTARIO, Calif. — During Gateway Seminary's  2024 spring commencement ceremony on Friday, May 3, President Jeff Iorg charged graduates to be flexible in their obedience to God’s calling in their lives. “You graduated from seminary … and God has given you a great opportunity in that,” Iorg said. “And now God expects you to be flexible as you follow him forward.”

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia – Before starting Port City Church in 2023, church planting missionary Jeremy Dager and his core team worked hard to engage their community leading up to their launch. Most people they met — if they had any church background at all — understood church from more “high church” denominations like Anglicanism or Catholicism, but at Port City Church, residents were encouraged by the fact that they could better understand the message.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Police cleared a pro-Palestinian tent encampment at George Washington University early Wednesday and arrested demonstrators, hours after dozens marched to the home of the school’s president as city officials prepared to appear before Congress on the protest’s handling.

Robert Smith Jr. said his mother was protective of him when he was growing up. People would tell him that they thought he was going to be a preacher, and she didn’t want them telling him that. “She said, ‘If Little Robert is to preach, the Lord will call him,’” Smith said.

JONESBORO, Ga. — Georgia Baptist Women held their annual Women’s Spring Event at First Baptist Jonesboro on Friday and Saturday, April 26 and 27. More than 650 women were encouraged by inspirational messages, met with missionaries, participated in mission projects, and gathered and interacted with like-minded sisters in Christ to grow in their faith and relationships with each other.

PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil (AP) — The mayor of a major city in southern Brazil on Tuesday pleaded with residents to comply with his water rationing decree, given that some four-fifths of the population is without running water, a week after major flooding that has left at least 90 people dead and more than 130 others missing.

LAOAG, Philippines (AP) — U.S. and Philippine forces, backed by an Australian air force surveillance aircraft, unleashed a barrage of high-precision rockets, artillery fire and airstrikes Wednesday and sank a mock enemy ship as part of largescale war drills in and near the disputed South China Sea that have antagonized Beijing.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces unleashed a nighttime barrage of more than 50 cruise missiles and explosive drones at Ukraine’s power grid Wednesday, targeting a wide area in what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called a “massive” attack on the day the country celebrates the defeat of Nazism in World War II.

DULUTH, Ga. – Six incoming college freshmen from across Georgia have received Student Achievement Award scholarships that go to the state’s top scholars.

DETROIT (AP) — Severe storms battered the Midwest on Tuesday, unleashing a curtain of heavy rain, gusty winds and tornadoes throughout the region a day after a deadly twister ripped through a small Oklahoma town and killed at least one person.

ATLANTA (AP) — Marcell Ozuna's run-scoring single in the eighth inning gave Atlanta the lead and the Braves beat the Boston Red Sox 4-2 on Tuesday night to snap a three-game losing streak. Boston's Kutter Crawford and Atlanta's Reynaldo López each allowed two runs in a matchup of right-handers with ERAs under 2.00.

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves lost another reliever to an injury on Tuesday when they placed left-hander Tyler Matzek on the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Baptisms, worship service attendance and small group participation all grew among congregations affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention in 2023, while the recent slide in total memberships slowed.

ATLANTA – Gov. Brian Kemp signed what he called an “historic” $36.1 billion state budget Tuesday containing healthy raises for state employees and public school teachers. The fiscal 2025 budget, which takes effect July 1, represents an increase of $3.7 billion over the fiscal 2024 budget the General Assembly adopted last spring, including record spending on education and mental health and significant increases for public safety.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A woman who fell from the stands to her death during a graduation ceremony at Ohio State University last weekend has been identified as a woman whose daughter was receiving her diploma.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (KT) — Derby weekend presented a prime opportunity for evangelizing thousands of people — and the combination of distributing gospel tracts, having gospel conversations, street preaching and displaying evangelistic signs resulted in many being made aware of the gospel.

Rwanda? Kenya? No trip sounded right. So, Katie kept searching for the perfect short-term mission trip on the International Mission Board’s Go Experience website. Her women-only team from First Baptist Church, Honea Path, South Carolina, wanted a place where they could use their gifts and maybe look into a partnership. 

FORT WORTH, Texas — Joshua Williams wants his teaching to be real. “Something that’s significant, that’s going to change the way people either read their Bible, approach Christian ministry, look at the world, right? That’s what I’m going for,” said Williams.

INDIANAPOLIS (BP) – The much-anticipated Southern Baptist annual family gathering is inching closer, and Hispanic Baptists are excited and ready to celebrate all God is doing through Hispanic churches at home and abroad. Already 30 Hispanic missionaries have signed up for Crossover, an evangelistic event that takes place each year in the host city of the SBC annual meeting.

AMSTERDAM (AP) — German police on Tuesday broke up a protest by several hundred pro-Palestinian activists who had occupied a courtyard at Berlin’s Free University earlier in the day, the latest such action by authorities as protests that have roiled campuses in the United States spread across Europe.

President Vladimir Putin began his fifth term at a glittering Kremlin inauguration Tuesday, embarking on another six years as leader of Russia after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A tornado destroyed homes, forced the evacuation of a nursing home and toppled trees and power lines when it roared through a small Oklahoma town, one of several twisters that erupted in the central United States amid a series of powerful storms that stretched into Tuesday. At least one death was reported.

One talent I will never be able to employ personally is the ability to sing or play a musical instrument. The irony is that I love many types of music and appreciate those who are gifted in songwriting and instrumentalism. It should be noted that just because I do not have a great singing voice does not mean I will not sing.