John Bisagno, pastor & church innovator, dies at 84
NASHVILLE (BP)—John Bisagno, an evangelistic innovator and longtime pastor of Houston, Texas, First, died Aug. 5 in Nashville following a battle with cancer. He was 84. During Bisagno’s 30-year tenure at Houston’s First beginning in 1970, the congregation grew from fewer than 400 to 22,000 members, Baptist Press (BP) reported in 1999. During that period, the church also baptized 15,000 people, gave $250 million to missions,...
SCOTUS abortion order celebrated by Ark. Baptists
WASHINGTON (BP) — The U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal today (May 29) to hear Planned Parenthood’s challenge of an Arkansas abortion law could allow the Natural State to become the first state to effectively outlaw medication-induced abortions. “I am thankful for the discernment used by the U.S. Supreme Court to not address this issue,” Sonny Tucker, executive director of the Arkansas Baptist State...
Cabrera to be 2nd VP nominee
DALLAS (BP)—Oklahoma pastor Felix Cabrera will be nominated for second vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Alabama pastor Ed Litton announced. A Puerto Rico native, Cabrera planted Spanish-speaking Oklahoma City, Iglesia Bautista Central (IBC) in 2015 and has seen the congregation grow from about 12 in worship attendance to more than 200, according to information released by the church. Cabrera also is co-founder of the...
Southwest’s heroic pilot known for sharing her faith
BOERNE, Texas (BP) — When members of First Baptist Church in Boerne, Texas, heard recordings of radio transmissions from a Southwest Airlines pilot who made a harrowing emergency landing this week in Philadelphia, they recognized the voice as one of their own. Tammie Jo Shults — the pilot who guided Flight 1380 to the ground April 17 after a midflight engine failure shot debris through a window, killing one passenger...
Billy Graham funeral capped by Gospel invitation
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BP) — Set in a revival tent at the foot of a 40-foot glass cross, Billy Graham’s funeral was punctuated by the same theme that characterized his 80-year ministry: a call to trust Christ as Lord and Savior. “If this were your funeral,” said the late evangelist’s son Franklin Graham, “would you be in Heaven? Are you sure?” Delivering the funeral sermon to a crowd of some 2,300...
