WINDER, Ga. — As the residents of Barrow County, and especially the students at Apalachee High School, deal with the aftermath of last week’s school shooting, Georgia Baptist churches are working together to provide support. Mark Marshall, senior lead strategist of Church Strengthening for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, told a meeting of the state executive committee in Warner Robins on Tuesday that Georgia Baptists “were on the front lines” of the response effort.
CLAXTON, Ga. — Worship, praise and prayer rang out as usual on a recent Sunday at Eastside Baptist Church in Claxton, but with a big difference. The nearly 40 people in attendance in the church sanctuary lifted their voices in their native language – Creole.
BUFORD, Ga. — A very special ceremony took place on Friday, Aug. 16, at Phillips State Prison in Buford. Faculty from Truett McConnell University gathered with prison staff, family, and friends to celebrate 24 offenders who received their bachelor’s degrees in Christian studies.
The Georgia Baptist Mission Board kicked off its series of SPARK church-strengthening conferences earlier this month with gatherings in Cornelia and Columbus. Initial attendance numbers are very encouraging, says Scott Sullivan, the board’s discipleship catalyst.
A team of Georgia Baptists from First Baptist Church of Jonesboro and the Georgia Baptist Mission Board recently returned from a fact-finding and ministry trip to Poland and Ukraine. Lanny Loe, missions pastor at FBC Jonesboro, in consultation with the International Mission Board, organized the visit to the war-torn nation with GBMB staff Chris Reynolds and Marty Youngblood.
SAVANNAH, Ga. — Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief will opening a second recovery site in the Savannah areas on Monday, Aug. 19. The site will be located at Chevis Oaks Baptist Church.
As summer comes to an end, late vacations wrap up and students prepare to go back to school, Georgia Baptist camps celebrate a fruitful season of ministry. Close to 1,000 students spent time this year at Camp Kaleo and Camp Pinnacle, with more than 30 placing their faith in Christ for salvation.
WAYNESBORO, Ga. — One of Georgia’s oldest churches, founded in 1773, was vandalized on Sunday morning, Aug. 4, several hours before the church’s regular Bible study hour and worship service. Broken beer bottles were found inside Botsford Baptist Church. Shards of glass were embedded in multiple cushioned chairs. Bullet holes were found in the windows, and .22 caliber cartridges were scattered around the church grounds.
SUWANEE, Ga. — The Georgia Baptist Mission Board will hold its annual SPARK church-strengthening in six locations across the state this year. At SPARK, attendees will gain insights into how churches can grow disciples and reach their communities for Christ.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — Six hundred backpacks, filled with school supplies. That was the goal that Pastor Al Mead set for the congregation at New Hope’s North Campus in Fayetteville and South Campus in Senoia.
ADEL, Ga. — Pastor Brian Gay and the congregation of Greggs Baptist Church in Adel take evangelism seriously. Gay believes that the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament is the best church growth manual available and that those who follow that model will generally find success.
GRAY, Ga. — When Pastor Adam Bray and his wife Megan came to Elam Baptist Church two years ago, they had a vision of a “church without walls.” They saw the various Mission Georgia initiatives as great ways to impact their community and be able to share the transforming truth of the gospel.
The Friendship Baptist Association in rural southwest Georgia, like many other rural associations, is confronting a crisis. It is experiencing a shortage of pastors, youth and children's workers, and musicians. The association, spread over nine counties, has 47 churches and missions. Currently, eight of those churches are without a pastor, in an association where 65 percent of the churches are served by bi-vocational pastors.
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.”
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.”
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.
ROME, Ga. — Seven students made salvation decisions and 39 answered the call to ministry at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s SURGE Music Camp held last month at Shorter University in Rome. Nearly 400 people, including students and teachers, gathered for the event. Rhon Carter, the Board’s worship and music catalyst, said 30% of the almost 300 students were attending for the first time.
On a winter Sunday morning in February 1779, the sound of gunfire broke the silence along the marshy bottom at the juncture of two small creeks in Wilkes County, Georgia, as men engaged in a life and death struggle. The Battle of Kettle Creek, a pivotal battle and one of the few patriot victories in Georgia, had begun.
CARTERSVILLE, Ga. — After 30 years of service, Don Startup, worship pastor at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cartersville, Ga., is retiring. On Sunday, June 16, one week before his final service as worship pastor, the church celebrated Pastor Startup and his ministry.
NASHVILLE. Ga. — Pastor Paul Keffer of First Baptist Church of Nashville says he believes revival is critical in the life of a church. “I realize that there are a lot of churches that no longer make revival part of their church schedule,” he explains, “but I believe there are times when we need renewal and refreshing.”
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.
W. Thomas Hammond Jr., executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, and his wife Kerri led Georgia Baptists in a time of corporate prayer via livestream Wednesday morning on the National Day of Prayer.