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TWO HEARTS REVIVED: HOW AN HVAC HERO SAVED A LIFE AND FOUND HOPE

November 5, 2024

By Laura Erlanson
Baptist Press

Cameron Lowe, left, saved David Killian’s life after David suffered a heart attack while Cameron was working on his air conditioner. — Submitted photo to BP

CHATTANOOGA — As far as David and Marilyn Killian are concerned, God sent Cameron Lowe to save David’s life so David could help save Cameron’s.

An HVAC repair worker, Cameron is trained to get compressors and blowers back up and running – not human hearts. But that’s exactly what he had to do one Thursday last month.

David had made an appointment with North Georgia Heating and Air weeks earlier to get some work done on his central air conditioning unit. The appointment had been rescheduled once. Then that day, Sept. 5, David was mowing his neighbor’s yard, while his wife Marilyn was volunteering at church. Cameron was supposed to be there in the afternoon, but he called and said he was running early and would it be OK to go ahead and come. [Read more…]

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NOV. 9 A SPECIAL DAY TO FOCUS ON WIDOWS, ORPHANS

October 28, 2024

By BP staff

IMB Kenya missionary Kristen Lowry works alongside national partners to run Naivasha Children’s Shelter. They work on the streets to rescue boys, restore their lives, and reunite them with their families.

Southern Baptists have set aside Sunday, Nov. 9, to focus on caring for widows and orphans.

Based on James 1:27, “Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (CSB), the day gives churches an opportunity to pray for widows and orphans and evaluate their ministry to them.

In a Lifeway Research piece, Mirian Neff encourages fellow church members to care for widows by asking, “Can we go for a walk together? May I run errands for you? Can I meet you for coffee? Don’t say, ‘Call me if you need anything.’ ”

[Read more…]

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ERLC FILES AMICUS BRIEF SUPPORTING TENNESSEE LAW BANNING GENDER TRANSITION PROCEDURES FOR MINORS

October 17, 2024

By Timothy Cockes
Baptist Press

NASHVILLE — The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) has filed an amicus brief in an upcoming Supreme Court case which will decide the constitutionality of a Tennessee law banning gender transition procedures or so-called “gender affirming care” for minors.

The ERLC filed the brief Oct. 15 in conjunction with the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

The case, United States v. Skrmetti, involves three transgender teenagers and the Biden administration suing Tennessee officials in order to bar the state from enforcing the ban. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is named as the defendant in the case.

Brent Leatherwood, president of the ERLC, said the amicus brief supporting the Tennessee law could play a key role in this “monumental” case.

“The Supreme Court’s decision will have a monumental impact on the safety and security of children vulnerable to a harmful gender ideology, not just in the state of Tennessee, but across the nation,” Leatherwood said in a press release. [Read more…]

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ANNIE ARMSTRONG, LOTTIE MOON OFFERINGS REACH RECORD HIGHS

October 17, 2024

By IMB and NAMB staff

North American Mission Board (NAMB) missionaries Noelson and Edna Chery spend lots of time walking the streets of their West Philadelphia neighborhood talking to people about the gospel and the new church they’ve started, First Haitian Metanoia Baptist Church. — NAMB photo by Ben Rollins

Generosity among Southern Baptists remains strong as evidenced by the most recent Annie Armstrong Easter Offering and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering totals. When the books closed on the SBC’s 2023-24 fiscal year Sept. 30, the Annie offering totaled $74.7 million, and the Lottie offering totaled $206.8 million — record highs for both.

The openhanded giving through both the Annie and Lottie offerings demonstrates Southern Baptists’ enduring commitment to North American and international missions, SBC missions leaders said.

“This extraordinary milestone reminds us of just how much Southern Baptists love their missionaries and how committed they are to seeing people in North America and around the world reached for Christ,” said Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board. “It also displays a willingness to look beyond their own needs and give generously and sacrificially to ministry that will reap an eternal harvest.”

International Mission Board president Paul Chitwood emphasized that the generosity of givers to the annual offerings shows an enduring commitment to the Great Commission. [Read more…]

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SOUTHERN BAPTIST PASTOR PAY REBOUNDS

October 15, 2024

By Aaron Earls
Lifeway Christian Resources news office

BRENTWOOD — After a difficult economic stretch for many churches and pastors, Southern Baptist pastors may feel more comfortable compared to two years ago. 

Compensation for full-time Southern Baptist senior pastors, full-time staff ministers and full-time office personnel outpaced inflation over the past two years, according to a study conducted by Lifeway Research along with GuideStone and Baptist state conventions, including the Tennessee Baptist Convention. 

This year’s response rate is from 4,242 churches across the United States, 9 percent of all cooperating Southern Baptist churches, said Sing Oldham, pastor engagement specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. 

Tennessee led all state conventions with 390 responding churches reporting 1,004 positions and outpaced all the larger state conventions (those with 1,750 or more churches) with 13 percent of cooperating churches reporting, Oldham reported.  [Read more…]

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IMB REPORTS LMCO TOTALS MORE THAN $204 MILLION; TRUSTEES APPROVE BUDGET

October 8, 2024

By Leslie Peacock Caldwell
International Mission Board

IMB trustees Kalaishi Johnson, from Mississippi, and Nate Bishop, first vice chair from Kentucky, chat in the hallway during a break from meetings. — IMB photo

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — International Mission Board trustees approved the appointment of 69 full-time, fully funded missionaries during their Sept. 25-26 meeting near Richmond, Virginia. Fifty-seven of the missionaries participated in a Sending Celebration hosted by First Baptist Church Park Street, Charlottesville — the historic church where the famous Southern Baptist missionary Lottie Moon was baptized.

Trustee chairman Keith Evans from the Northwest Baptist Convention presided over the meeting. Nate Bishop, first vice chair from Kentucky, called the meeting to order and opened the meeting in prayer. Bishop also introduced guests including Michael Cabell from the Kentucky Baptist Convention and Southern Baptist Convention President Clint Pressley.

Cabell, who was joined by pastors from Kentucky, addressed trustees on behalf of the Cooperative Program, as Southern Baptists prepare to celebrate the giving plan’s 100th anniversary in 2025. “On behalf of Southern Baptists, we’re proud to partner with you toward this missionary task,” he said. [Read more…]

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IMB REPORTS LMCO TOTALS MORE THAN $204 MILLION; TRUSTEES APPROVE $312 MILLION BUDGET

September 30, 2024

By Leslie Peacock Caldwell,
International Mission Board

IMB trustees Kalaishi Johnson, from Mississippi, and Nate Bishop, first vice chair from Kentucky, chat in the hallway during a break from meetings. — IMB photo

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — International Mission Board trustees approved the appointment of 69 full-time, fully funded missionaries during their Sept. 25-26 meeting near Richmond, Virginia. Fifty-seven of the missionaries participated in a Sending Celebration hosted by First Baptist Church Park Street, Charlottesville — the historic church where the famous Southern Baptist missionary Lottie Moon was baptized.

Trustee chairman Keith Evans from the Northwest Baptist Convention presided over the meeting. Nate Bishop, first vice chair from Kentucky, called the meeting to order and opened the meeting in prayer. Bishop also introduced guests including Michael Cabell from the Kentucky Baptist Convention and Southern Baptist Convention President Clint Pressley.

Cabell, who was joined by pastors from Kentucky, addressed trustees on behalf of the Cooperative Program, as Southern Baptists prepare to celebrate the giving plan’s 100th anniversary in 2025. “On behalf of Southern Baptists, we’re proud to partner with you toward this missionary task,” he said. [Read more…]

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SBC EC LEGAL EXPENSES SURPASS $12M IN THREE YEARS

September 18, 2024

By Brandon Porter and Laura Erlanson
Baptist Press

SBC Executive Committee president Jeff Iorg speaks during a finance presentation to the EC Sept. 17 in Nashville. EC finance committee chair Adam Wyatt, EC Chairman Philip Robertson and EC CFO Mike Bianchi joined Iorg for the presentation. — Photo by Brandon Porter

NASHVILLE — The SBC Executive Committee says it has spent more than $12.1 million on the 2021-2022 Guidepost Solutions investigation and subsequent legal expenses dating back to the 2021 fiscal year.

The release of the detailed financial information was the result of a motion adopted by messengers at this summer’s SBC Annual Meeting.

“The EC is glad to respond to the motion referred to us from the 2024 Annual Meeting asking us to itemize the legal expenses resulting from past Convention decisions related to investigating sexual abuse and the ensuing costs,” EC President and CEO Jeff Iorg told Baptist Press. [Read more…]

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WRAP-UP: SBC EC TAKES UP DOZENS OF REFERRALS, INCLUDING ABUSE PREVENTION, FINANCIAL CHALLENGES

September 18, 2024

By Baptist Press staff

Carolyn Fountain, chair of the Executive Committee’s Committee on Events and Strategic Planning, presents her report to the EC Sept. 17, 2024 in Nashville. — Photo by Brandon Porter

NASHVILLE — Dozens of agenda items awaited discussion and action by SBC Executive Committee members at their fall meeting this week. The committee made short work of its many referrals and recommendations, including consequential ones like finding a new home for sexual abuse prevention in the SBC and releasing a total dollar amount for legal expenditures incurred by the EC since 2021.

The EC dealt with all of its business without its usual Monday night plenary session, as that time (Sept. 16) was reserved for the formal installation of its new president and CEO Jeff Iorg, during which Iorg stressed the SBC’s continuing “force for good” in the world.

In three plenary sessions on Sept. 17, EC members heard from new SBC President Clint Pressley, heard a brief update from Iorg and passed 32 recommendations from EC officers and various standing committees with little discussion and almost no opposition. [Read more…]

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SBC EXEC COMM TO SELL DOWNTOWN BUILDING, CREATE NEW DEPARTMENT ON ABUSE RESPONSE

September 18, 2024

By The Baptist Paper

Phil Robertson, EC chairman, addresses trustees during their meeting in Nashville, Sept. 16–17. — Photo by Van Payne / The Baptist Paper

NASHVILLE — In an effort to help the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee rebound from ongoing financial struggles and growing legal expenses, the EC announced on Sept. 17 it was planning to sell its downtown Nashville building. The EC also reported this week during its meeting it had spent more than $12.1 million on sexual abuse investigation-related expenses since 2020.

During the meeting, newly installed EC President and CEO Jeff Iorg also announced on Tuesday it was time for the SBC to “stop talking” about sexual abuse prevention and response and “take an initial step” toward creating a new department dedicated to helping churches confront the issue. The move was in response to messengers this past June in Indianapolis calling for the EC to find a more permanent home for abuse response in the SBC. [Read more…]

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