Jewish woman accepts Christ after watching livestreams during COVID-19, drives hour for baptism
GULFPORT, Miss. (BP)—”Don’t live in fear anymore,” Lisa Cohen Huff recalls hearing while half asleep in bed one morning at her Hattiesburg, Miss. home. “Here’s the door. All you’ve got to do is step through,” she heard the next morning. Huff grew up Jewish. But even before the COVID-19 pandemic largely shut down onsite worship, she had begun watching livestreamed worship and devotionals by...
IMB’s first virtual Sending Celebration scheduled for June 9
RICHMOND, Va. (BP)—Since 1845, nearly 25,000 Southern Baptist missionaries have shared the Gospel, made disciples, planted churches and settled their families in 185 countries around the world. Sending Celebrations are a time to commission new missionaries who are furthering the vision of reaching all peoples with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. With the cancellation of the 2020 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla.,...
3-member church closed during COVID-19 finds new life
LINWOOD, Kan. (BP)—When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Linwood Baptist Church closed down, and its three remaining members did not plan to reopen. They thought it would be best to move on. They called real estate agent Mary Knapp, a member of Basehor, Kan., First, to help sell the building. But when Mary and her husband Al heard of the plans to close the church, they felt God saying it was not quite time for that. “God just really...
TRUSTEES: IMB approves 59 missionaries, addresses budget concerns
RICHMOND, Va. (BP)—During a virtual meeting May 13-14, trustees of the International Mission Board (IMB) approved the appointment of 59 new missionaries and received an update on the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic, which has contributed directly to a shortfall of about $4 million in the IMB’s budget and necessitated spending cuts and a hiring freeze. Trustees also elected Christy Roberson as vice president of human...
Feeding the hungry: Churches provide relief to struggling communities
With weeks of shelter-in-place orders issued around the state due to the Coronavirus, many families have found themselves faced with another crisis, a shortage of food in their homes. To help people with food insecurities, Oklahoma Baptist churches across the state have been using hunger funds from the Edna McMillan State Missions Offering to provide much-needed relief. Churches have accessed the funds which were disbursed through the...
Del City, First Southern draws faithful for stadium service
DEL CITY—Many recall the Starlite Crusades at Del City Stadium that Del City, First Southern hosted in the summers for nearly 40 years, beginning in 1965. On Sunday, May 10, the church met in Christian Heritage Academy’s football stadium for its first in-person service since the COVID-19 pandemic struck. The Sunday morning service did not have well-known Christian artists, like the Imperials, perform or national evangelists speak....
