Bobbye Rankin — who spent 23 years along with her husband, Jerry, serving as a Southern Baptist missionary in Asia — died on Monday, Jan. 2, at 78. The Rankins shifted from the missions field in 1993 to International Mission Board staff housed in Richmond, Virginia, when Jerry was named president of the then Foreign Mission Board. The name changed to IMB shortly after Jerry became president. They retired in
NASHVILLE — The long-sought-for reversal of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion and the election of its new president highlighted 2022 for the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. The commission celebrated the overturning of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and continued to promote protections for preborn children and their mothers as a vital part of its work this year. The ERLC’s pro-life ministry included the
“Will you make the first and most expensive Christmas gift this year a gift to our Global Missions Offering?” Sitting in the sanctuary of Calvary Baptist Church in Winston Salem, N.C., on the first Sunday of December, I heard pastor Will Toburen ask that question of his congregation. Why does generous giving to support missionaries matter? Reality for every human being is this: No matter where they are, who they
Obstacles are real! Have you ever noticed that everywhere you go, you are always facing obstacles? Some of these obstacles are relatively small, but at other times we face obstacles that look insurmountable from our point of view. As we enter into 2023, the outlook seems to be filled with many obstacles. For some, the obstacle is a financial one either in your own life or at the church. Recession
Over the past few weeks, while I’ve been gorging on Christmas music, there have been a couple of songs that have sent me down a rabbit hole of deep thought. Neither of the songs is new — not by a long shot — but I think this is the first year that I’ve ever really stopped to think about their meaning. Both of the songs have essentially the same lyrical
JACKSON — Adrian Knipper loves the Lord, and he loves people. As a pastor for almost 30 years, Knipper has visited, counseled and prayed with many people. In 2017, Knipper retired as pastor of Porter’s Creek Baptist Church in Middleton after an extended illness left him homebound and confined to a wheelchair. At the time, he had no idea that his prayer ministry was about to multiply exponentially. “(The
WHITE PINE — A spike in fuel costs has created a response of biblical proportions. Danny Newman, Bill Etter and fellow servants involved in Jefferson County Baptist Association Disaster Relief are volunteering scores of hours weekly to provide firewood to those in need. Working from a White Pine staging area, the trained emergency responders collect, cut and split wood. The ministry has several purposes. According to the group’s landing page
FRANKLIN — For most people, the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas are firmly linked to merriment and joy. It’s a time of celebration, singing, gift-giving and time-honored family traditions. But what about those who are not experiencing comfort and joy? Research reveals that vast amounts of individuals deal with grief, loneliness, anxiety and/or depression during the holidays. The World Health Organization and National Alliance on Mental Illness report that individuals
A city pastor in a country church. After feeling called to preach and being in my early years of preparation, I was led to pastor a country church. I was a city boy and had never spent much time on a farm. That became evident as I got oriented to pastoring a country church. There were no signs to tell what time church started. On the first Sunday, toward evening
One of my favorite Christmas songs is “Go Tell It on the Mountain.” It’s an upbeat, simple song that proclaims a timeless truth: “Go, tell it on the mountain over the hills and everywhere. Go, tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born.” In today’s world, it is more imperative than ever before that we keep proclaiming the news of the birth of Jesus Christ and what that
Bobbye Rankin — who spent 23 years along with her husband, Jerry, serving as a Southern Baptist missionary in Asia — died on Monday, Jan.
NASHVILLE — The long-sought-for reversal of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion and the election of its new president highlighted 2022 for the
“Will you make the first and most expensive Christmas gift this year a gift to our Global Missions Offering?” Sitting in the sanctuary of Calvary
Obstacles are real! Have you ever noticed that everywhere you go, you are always facing obstacles? Some of these obstacles are relatively small, but at
Over the past few weeks, while I’ve been gorging on Christmas music, there have been a couple of songs that have sent me down a
JACKSON — Adrian Knipper loves the Lord, and he loves people. As a pastor for almost 30 years, Knipper has visited, counseled and prayed with
WHITE PINE — A spike in fuel costs has created a response of biblical proportions. Danny Newman, Bill Etter and fellow servants involved in Jefferson
FRANKLIN — For most people, the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas are firmly linked to merriment and joy. It’s a time of celebration, singing, gift-giving
A city pastor in a country church. After feeling called to preach and being in my early years of preparation, I was led to pastor
One of my favorite Christmas songs is “Go Tell It on the Mountain.” It’s an upbeat, simple song that proclaims a timeless truth: “Go, tell