Eric Reed/Illinois Baptist

Churches hoping to engage younger generations must move beyond comfort, familiarity and fear, says Illinois pastor Rayden Hollis.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Scott Foshie was elected to serve as the 12th executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association by the IBSA Board of Directors, meeting in Springfield Dec. 9. Foshie will succeed Nate Adams, who will retire April 1 after 20 years’ service. Foshie will serve as executive director elect until then, allowing for an extended period of training and onboarding by Adams.

CHICAGO – Metropolis, Ill., is a long way from Chicago. It’s 365 miles in distance – from the southern tip of Illinois to the north end, about six hours, not counting pit stops. But it’s also a long way in terms of population and culture – from small town to big city, from middle class midwestern to multi-ethnic communities at every socioeconomic level.

CHICAGO (BP) – It started as a weekday worship service to their community, then it exploded as migrants arrived in Chicago.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (BP) – Two days of snow turned to rain and ice threatened, but the weather failed to stop those headed to the 2024 Midwest Leadership Summit in Springfield. With 1,000 people from nine Baptist conventions covering 12 states signed up for the three-day conference, registration was brisk at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Tuesday (Jan 23). The biennial event brings church leaders from the region together for leadership training and encouragement for ministry as Southern Baptists outside the South.

STREATOR, Ill. (BP) – An Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief volunteer working at Streator Baptist Camp was killed Tuesday, May 9, when a tree he was cutting down fell on him. Wayne Laechelt of Sugar Grove was working with a fellow IBDR volunteer to cut the tree when it fell across his path. Laechelt was treated on the scene by emergency medical personnel for almost an hour. Further examination will be conducted to determine the exact cause of death.

O'FALLON, Ill. (BP) -- Donn and Joni Schaefer have organized 10 mission trips to Russia 1since 2008. They taught English in Siberia as a way to open discussions about the Gospel. But when the invasion of Ukraine shut down trips into Russia for Americans, the Schaefers looked for other avenues to use their unique skills.

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (BP) – “When you ask if [someone was] a victim of the parade shooting, you get several different responses,” said Bev Laechelt, a volunteer with Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief (IBDR). “Some people are very angry and they say ‘I-am-not-a-victim; I’m a survivor.’ Or they start crying because it’s the first time they’ve talked about it, and I have to get them to a counselor right away.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (BP) – More than 1,000 leaders from SBC churches in the Midwest are registered for a leadership gathering in Illinois next week. The Midwest Leadership Summit convenes in Springfield Jan. 18-20, bringing together representatives from 12 states and nine Baptist state conventions.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (BP) – The stories we hear right now are anecdotal – churches here and there witnessing something of a revival after months of closure and privation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some pundits warned that it may take years for all the regulars to return to church services, if they ever do. But more recent polls show people are growing eager to return to the normal things in life, including church attendance.