STATESBORO, Ga. — Georgia Baptists gathered on Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 11 and 12, for the 202nd annual meeting of the Georgia Baptist Convention at First Baptist Statesboro.
Summer may be over, but the impact of Vacation Bible Schools held at Georgia Baptist churches will carry far into the future. Krista Staton, the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s kids ministry consultant, reports that this year more than 1,400 children made commitments to Christ at churches large and small across the state.
ROME, Ga. — Close to 50 football players on the team at Shorter University made decisions for Christ this year before the season started, and 17 followed through with believer’s baptism. Zach Morrison, in his seventh year as head coach, described what happened after players arrived at the school in early August for preseason training and conditioning camp.
MAYSVILLE, Ga. — Maysville Baptist Church is a thriving fellowship of believers with two morning worship services that are characterized by many contagiously joyful Christians who believe in going into the highways and hedges with the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.
LAKE PARK, Ga. — Eldridge Lyons, 86, is in his 46th year as pastor of Francis Lake Baptist Church in Lake Park. Throughout his ministry at Francis Lake, Lyons has been able to utilize the gifts and expertise of his membership to make the church a strong, united fellowship. Several months ago, Colby Davis, one of the children, prayed such a meaningful prayer that Lyons started calling him “the pastor’s assistant.”
CLAYTON, Ga. — More than 500 campers and their moms attended sessions at Camp Pinnacle, owned and operated by Baptist Woman’s Missionary Union of Georgia this summer. Camp director Tabitha Ferrell said 10 campers made salvation decisions.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — Students at at North Fayette Elementary School were treated to free backpacks filled with school supplies and a "Back to School Bash" on Saturday, courtesy of New Hope Baptist Church.
ROME, Ga. - Earlier this month, the Georgia Baptist Mission Board's Worship and Music Ministry held its annual SURGE Music Camp for students. Over the course of the week-long camp, seven students professed faith in Christ and 39 accepted the call to ministry.
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. — The Deaf Ministry at First Baptist Church Peachtree City hosted a special event on Sunday, June 2, to share the love of Jesus with Deaf and hard of hearing people. Visitors came from Dorsett Shoals Baptist Church in Douglasville and from East Thomaston Baptist Church in Thomaston.
DECATUR, Ga. — Standing 6 feet 5 inches tall, Mark Riggins stands out in a crowd and the choir loft of Briarlake Church, in Decatur. So, it may not be out of the ordinary when someone walks up and says, “We’ve met before.”
Daniel Holland, a rising senior at Georgia Southern University, has been selected as state president of Baptist Collegiate Ministries for 2024-2025. Holland, a marketing major, says he plans to attend seminary after graduation, and his ultimate desire is to serve as a pastor.
FORSYTH, Ga. — Last Saturday, April 20, some 250 Georgia college student leaders gathered at Maynard Baptist Church in Forsyth for Equip, a day of equipping leaders to be on mission on their campus, in their community and around the world.
FORSYTH, Ga. — Last Saturday, April 20, some 250 Georgia college student leaders gathered at Maynard Baptist Church in Forsyth for Equip, a day of equipping leaders to be on mission on their campus, in their community and around the world.
HIAWASSEE, Ga. — Macedonia Baptist Church in Hiawassee wrapped up a fruitful week-long Spring revival last week, seeing seven people profess faith in Christ and 14 come forward to be baptized since Easter Sunday.
SYLVANIA, Ga. — Despite his planned retirement, pastor Charlie Cooper knew in his heart that he wanted to still have opportunities to preach. The night before his last Sunday preaching at First Baptist Sylvania in February 2021, Cooper prayed that the Lord would still be able to use him.
DALLAS, Ga. — Paulding Pregnancy Services hosted its third annual "Miles for Moms" 5K race on Saturday, with the event starting and ending in the parking lot of Fortified Hills Baptist Church. Nearly 150 participants ran, walked, or strolled to complete the course.
BUFORD, Ga. — Stephen Fountain, lead pastor of First Baptist Church in Buford, is a winsome and caring pastor who has led his church to become a loving and compassionate fellowship. He has successfully connected his church with the community because he is intricately bonded with the community himself.
SNELLVILLE Ga. — The Church on Main will not soon forget Hannah’s baptism. A 15-year-old with cerebral palsy, Hannah was nonverbal and communicated through a device that tracked her eye movements and generated speech for her. Through that device, she told her mother she had committed her life to Christ and wanted to be baptized.
BRUNSWICK, Ga. – At Marshes of Glynn Baptist Church in Brunswick, pastor Darrell Joiner is seeing the results of focusing on discipleship, evangelism, and service to the community. When Joiner was called to the church in November 2020, he says the average Sunday attendance was about 35. Today, Sunday School and Sunday services attract more than 100, and the church continues to grow.
SUWANEE, Ga. — After a couple of stress-filled years, the majority of America’s pastors are feeling better about their ministries. That’s according to research from the Barna Group, an organization that monitors cultural and religious trends in the U.S. In an article last week, the Barna Group said 90 percent of pastors surveyed said they felt more confident in their calls to ministry than they did when they first started, a sure sign that the nation’s preachers are no long feeling “discouraged, depleted and defeated by their day-to-day work.”
PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. — It was an easy decision for First Baptist Church of Peachtree City to financially support Mission Georgia, the statewide outreach to orphaned children, human trafficking victims, and others in need. “We believe the causes that Mission Georgia engages are critically important to God,” said Pastor Joey Rodgers. “They are also causes our church has traditionally prioritized.” First Baptist of Peachtree City led the state in giving to the Mission Georgia offering over the past year, contributing $23,623.50 to help the Georgia Baptist Mission Board bring hope and healing to the hurting while compassionately sharing the gospel.
CONYERS, Ga. — More than 400 pastors and other Christian leaders gathered at First Baptist Church in Conyers for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s Called to Witness evangelism conference Sunday and Monday.
DALLAS, Ga. — In a classy blue suit, striped tie, and starched white shirt, Donald Voyles has the look of a man who has just stepped out of the board room of a Fortune 500 company. He’s every whit the professional, from his freshly trimmed white hair to his newly polished back shoes. At 89, Voyles may not fit the stereotypical mold of the modern church planter, but the Adrian Rogers-look is paying dividends for a congregation birthed from a back-porch Bible study at his home in suburban Atlanta four years ago.
CHARLESTON, S.C. — An aspiring young preacher and baseball player who baptized most of his teammates at a Georgia junior college last fall has committed to play for The Citadel beginning next season. Robbie Lane, the starting shortstop at East Georgia State College in Swainsboro, Ga., described being recruited to play for the Division I school in Charleston as a dream come true.
JEFFERSONVILLE, Ga. — As a former high school football coach, Dan Wright loves the challenge of building a winning team. So, when Wright transitioned from the playing field to the pulpit in a career change four years ago, he welcomed the chance to serve as pastor at Jeffersonville Baptist Church, a 175-year-old congregation that had fallen into decline a half century ago. Over the past decade, Sunday morning attendance has hovered around 30, according to the Annual Church Profile, a yearly census of Southern Baptist churches. Even so, Wright sees championship potential in the congregation that will be celebrating its milestone anniversary on Sept. 22.