ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Isolated and without electricity or phone service since Hurricane Helene inflicted devastation across the Southeast nearly a week ago, residents in the mountains of western North Carolina are relying on old-fashioned ways of communicating and coping.

While hospitals and health care organizations in the Southeast largely stayed open and functioning during Hurricane Helene to provide essential care for their communities, they were not unscathed.

MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) — Heavy smoke was causing low visibility Wednesday along Interstate 20 east of Atlanta as chemicals continued spewing from a beleaguered chlorine facility, and emergency officials warn that smoke from the disaster scene is projected to move toward Georgia's capital city after sunset Wednesday.

PLYMOUTH, Mich. (BP) — The search team tasked with finding the next executive director-treasure of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan (BSCM) has announced it has selected Ed Emmerling to fill the role being vacated by Tim Patterson. Patterson, who came on board in 2015, announced his retirement late last year.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Several counties in western North Carolina remain cut off following the disastrous flooding from Hurricane Helene as Southern Baptists work to bring help to those who survived the historic flash flooding that inundated the region and claimed the lives of at least 160 people across the Southeast.

CLEVELAND, Ga. — In celebration of National Cyber-Security Month this October, Truett McConnell University's Hans Hut School of Business is proud to highlight its newly launched Cyber Security concentration, which began this Fall 2024. The program equips students with the technical experience and ethical foundation necessary to navigate the ever-evolving digital landscape.

I don't know about you, but I cannot get the storm from last week off my mind. It seems everywhere I look and turn I  see the devastation and heart-breaking situations that people all around us are dealing with. I can only imagine how overwhelmed people are feeling.

SWANNANOA, N.C. (AP) — Rescuers fanned out across the mountains of western North Carolina on Tuesday in search of anyone still unaccounted for since Hurricane Helene’s remnants caused catastrophic damage to the Southeast, with the death toll nearing 140 people.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Claudia Sheinbaum took the oath of office Tuesday as Mexico’s first female president in more than 200 years of independence, promising to protect an expanded social safety net and other popular policies put in place by her predecessor, but facing pressing problems.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Iran launched at least 180 missiles into Israel on Tuesday, the latest in a series of escalating attacks in a yearslong conflict between Israel and Iran and its Arab allies that threatens to push the Middle East closer toward a regionwide war.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Desperate residents of the storm-battered mountains of western North Carolina lined up for water and food, hunted for cell signals, and slogged buckets from creeks to flush toilets days after Hurricane Helene's remnants deluged the region.

More than 40 trillion gallons of rain drenched the Southeast United States in the last week from Hurricane Helene and a run-of-the-mill rainstorm that sloshed in ahead of it — an unheard of amount of water that has stunned experts.

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — As a hostage in Gaza, Aviva Siegel found herself begging for food and water. Since her release, she has found herself begging for her husband to be set free from his own ongoing captivity.

ATLANTA (AP) — Residents east of Atlanta were again warned Tuesday to take shelter where they are if shifting winds push the still-billowing chemical cloud from a chlorine factory fire over their neighborhood.

BANGKOK (AP) — A bus carrying young students and their teachers on a school trip caught fire in suburban Bangkok on Tuesday, leaving more than 20 feared dead, officials and rescuers said.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — From Maine to Texas, dockworkers at 36 ports across the eastern U.S. are now on strike for the first time in decades. And the work stoppage could snarl supply chains — leading to shortages and higher prices if it stretches on for more than a few weeks.

ATLANTA (AP) — Jimmy Carter reached his 100th birthday Tuesday, the first time an American president has lived a full century and the latest milestone in a life that took the son of a Depression-era farmer to the White House and across the world as a Nobel Peace Prize-winning humanitarian and advocate for democracy.

A benefit concert and the construction of 30 new homes are among the many events marking President Jimmy Carter 's 100th birthday on Oct. 1. Considering the former president's long legacy as a philanthropist, it's no surprise that he wants any gift-giving to go to other people.

LIVERPOOL, N.Y. – A tinge of nostalgia permeated the 2024 annual meeting of the Baptist Convention of New York, a Northeast Network of churches. It was Executive Director Terry Robertson’s last annual meeting. He plans to retire next April. He will be celebrating 54 years in ministry – 45 in New York State – and 20 years at the helm of the New York state convention, which spills over into five states.

VALDEZ, Alaska – Randy Covington announced at the recent annual meeting of the Alaska Baptist Resource Network that he plans to retire as executive director at the 2025 annual meeting. 

EUBANK, Ky. (KT) – Two years ago, when Clay Herd was pastor of Licking River Baptist Church in Salyersville, flooding practically paralyzed the community.  Then, an angel on wheels from a church in Hendersonville, N.C., rolled up to the church loaded with water and other desperately needed supplies. Herd did not even know the pastor at the time, he said. 

The International Mission Board and Woman’s Missionary Union invite all Southern Baptists to participate in the 2024 Week of Prayer and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering®. Resources are now available at lottiemoon.com.  

​Recently, we traveled to South Carolina’s Lowcountry to keep our grandsons while their parents attended an all-day workshop. We enjoyed our outing and were heading home after lunch. As I traveled north on US 17, I switched to the inside lane, anticipating our left turn up ahead.

Church leaders, congregants, and pastors verbally acknowledge the need to reach young adults with phrases like “Young people just don’t come to church anymore,” “Growing up, we never missed a Sunday,” or maybe even “We have a lost generation, Lord come quickly.” Why are young adults so hard to find in our communities?

There are many reasons Christians do not take advantage of opportunities to share the gospel. Perhaps one reason we fail to witness is because we do not have relationships with unbelievers; we live life in a Christian “cocoon.” Believers should pray that God will give us open doors to share the gospel.