Tuesday, May 03, 2016

• FROM THE STATES: Ala., Fla., Texas evangelism/missions news; 'We think too small, but we have an amazing God with a mighty plan'

  by Staff, posted Tuesday, May 03, 2016 (2 years ago)

  Today's From the States features items from: The Alabama Baptist; Florida Baptist Witness; Southern Baptist TEXAN Read More

• Pray, vote, engage, Franklin Graham urges

  by Diana Chandler, posted Tuesday, May 03, 2016 (2 years ago)
  

  Photo by Diana Chandler
  

  Photo by Diana Chandler
  NASHVILLE (BP) -- Christians cannot restore America by rallying behind political parties, but must pray, vote and engage in politics to uphold biblical principles, evangelist Franklin Graham told a crowd of about 8,600 gathered at noon today (May 3) in front of the Tennessee State Capitol building in Nashville.

  It was the largest crowd to date in his Decision American Tour 2016 with Franklin Graham -- a series of sermons and prayer rallies at each capitol in the nation that began Jan. 5 in Des Moines, Iowa -- and is scheduled to end Oct. 13 in Raleigh, N.C. Read More

• Missionary slain in Jamaica was Iowa So. Baptist

  by David Roach, posted Tuesday, May 03, 2016 (2 years ago)
  

  Photo courtesy of First Family Church
  

  Photo courtesy of First Family Church
  KINGSTON, Jamaica (BP) -- An Iowa Southern Baptist was among two American missionaries killed in Jamaica April 30 in what appeared to be a violent attack.

  Randy Hentzel, 48, a member of First Family Church in Ankeny, Iowa, was serving with the Pennsylvania-based Teams for Medical Missions when he was slain in a remote, rural area of Jamaica along with fellow missionary Harold Nichols, 53. The two men went for a motorcycle ride at approximately 8 a.m., and Hentzel's body was found hours later beside a motorcycle in some bushes, according to a news release from the Jamaica Constabulary Force. Nichols' body was found the next day in separate area. Read More

• USCIRF: Religious liberty continues to decline

  by Tom Strode, posted Tuesday, May 03, 2016 (2 years ago)
  "Soul freedom is everyone's issue, for religious and non-religious people alike."

  -- Russell Moore

  WASHINGTON (BP) -- Religious liberty continued to worsen globally in the last year, according to the annual report of a bipartisan, federal watchdog.

  The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) reported Monday (May 2) governments around the world and non-government forces in locations such as Nigeria, Iraq and Syria were guilty of a "serious and sustained assault" on freedom of belief. The commission cited the rampant imprisonment of prisoners of conscience, the startling increase in refugees and the ongoing bigotry toward Jews and Muslims in Europe as examples of attacks on religious adherents. Read More

• Alaska church combines 'special forces' with CP

  by Karen L. Willoughby, posted Tuesday, May 03, 2016 (2 years ago)
  

  Submitted photo
  

  Submitted photo
  JUNEAU, Alaska (BP) -- Elite special operations forces such as the Seals, Rangers and Delta Force keep America strong and safe with advanced military skills, knowledge of regional languages and understanding of the local cultures they infiltrate.

  Little did Gordon Mills know when he was pursuing his doctor of ministry degree at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary that his "special forces" ministry project would fit so well at Glacier Valley Baptist Church in Juneau, Alaska, where God led him to pastor in 2011. Read More

• CP 6.45% ahead of budget projection

  by Baptist Press Staff, posted Tuesday, May 03, 2016 (2 years ago)

  NASHVILLE (BP) -- Year-to-date contributions to Southern Baptist Convention national and international missions and ministries received by the SBC Executive Committee are 6.45 percent above the year-to-date budgeted projection, and 4.15 percent above contributions received during the same time frame last year, according to a news release from SBC Executive Committee President and Chief Executive Officer Frank S. Page. The total includes receipts from state conventions and fellowships, churches and individuals for distribution according to the 2015-16 SBC Cooperative Program Allocation Budget. Read More

• FIRST PERSON: Door-to-door evangelism actually works

  by Alex Sibley, posted Tuesday, May 03, 2016 (2 years ago)

  "It was pretty surreal.... People got saved,' Alex Sibley writes of the weekly door-to-door evangelism outreach by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. "Wow. Door-to-door evangelism actually worked" when Sibley joined a professor and two other students in the seminary's "Going the Second Mile" initiative on a recent Friday. Read More