News

DAVID CROWTHER TO BE NOMINATED FOR SBC FIRST VICE PRESIDENT

LENEXA, Kansas — Steve Dighton will nominate David Crowther to serve as Southern Baptist Convention first vice president at the 2024 SBC Annual Meeting. Crowther is the pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Wichita. “David Crowther is a young dynamic leader, and one who would thrive in this position of leadership,” Dighton told Baptist Press. “He is humble, a servant leader, a gifted preacher and a loving shepherd,” said Dighton.

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SBC LEADERS CALL FOR PRAYER, SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL IN LIGHT OF IRANIAN ATTACKS

NASHVILLE — Southern Baptist leaders are calling for prayer and peace in the wake of Iran’s direct attacks on Israel. The attacks occurred overnight on April 13 as hundreds of drones and rockets were launched in retaliation for a strike Israel made April 1 against an Iranian consulate. Israeli defense forces claim that 99 percent of the drones and rockets were destroyed by their Iron Dome defense system before impacting targets. U.S. president Joe

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CROSS ROADS BAPTIST CHURCH DEDICATES PLAYGROUND IN MEMORY OF PASTOR’S WIFE

BELLS — Cross Roads Baptist Church dedicated a new playground March 24. The playground was a long-time desire of pastor Josh Simmons’ late wife, Cynthia. She began dreaming of a playground long before the church had many children to play on the playground. The playground comes at a strategic time for the church. Cross Roads Baptist has seen tremendous growth in the last five to six years and continues to

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EVANGELISM ‘AFFECTS EVERY ASPECT’ OF MINISTRY

MURFREESBORO — When it comes to sharing the gospel, there is no time like the present. This simple, but crucial, message was the focal point of this year’s State Evangelism Conference, held April 7-8 at New Vision Baptist Church in Murfreesboro.  The event, organized by the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board’s evangelism team, included five keynote speakers, along with breakout sessions, informational videos and other activities — all based around the

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STATE EVANGELISM CONFERENCE UNDERWAY

The 2024 State Evangelism Conference opened on Sunday night at New Vision Baptist Church in Murfreesboro. The two-day event opened with a Sunday night session that featured keynote speakers Jordan Easley, senior pastor at First Baptist Church, Cleveland, and Sam Landrith, senior pastor at Thompson Station Church.

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TENN. COUPLE TEACHES ‘GOD’S WAY’ FOR TEENS

GATLINBURG — “If you have a boyfriend that wants to have sex (but are) scared to say no and just break up, what do you do?” The teen’s question, submitted anonymously via an app, was read to 100-plus of her peers and their parents. “You need to be focused on God’s plan for your sexuality,” her pastor, Nick Moore, replied. The boyfriend “doesn’t sound like the kind of person who

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FBC SUNBRIGHT MINISTERS IN AFTERMATH OF TORNADO

SUNBRIGHT — Pastor Mike Hammonds of First Baptist Church, Sunbright, was on his way to Big Emory Baptist Association in Harriman on April 2 to teach a course when he received a call from his wife informing him a tornado had just hit the small town in Morgan County. Hammonds immediately turned around and returned home. The church and parsonage received minor damage but the funeral home (Schubert’s Funeral Home)

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PANCAKE MINISTRY: A PERFECT STORM OF KINGDOM PARTNERS

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. — From various regions of the U.S., God assembled individuals, like John Hjelm, to join forces with churches and mission organizations to help make Beach Reach 2024 another successful ministry opportunity for college students to reach spring breakers in Panama City Beach, Fla. Hjelm, a member of Immanuel Baptist Church, Hannibal, Mo., was the Week 2 leader for “late-night pancakes” — a new ministry that was

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A DIFFERENT KIND OF SPRING BREAK TRIP

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. — Free shuttle rides? Free pancakes? How can God use these simple acts of service to change a life?  Last month, more than 350 Tennessee Baptist Collegiate Ministry students and leaders utilized these simple acts of kindness to share the gospel with thousands of spring breakers in Panama City Beach, Fla.  Over a three-week period, BCM groups from Austin Peay, Belmont, MTSU, University of Memphis, Walters

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TENN. PASTOR WILL NOMINATE BRUCE FRANK FOR SBC PRESIDENT

KNOXVILLE — Tennessee pastor John Mark Harrison will nominate North Carolina pastor Bruce Frank for Southern Baptist Convention president at the 2024 SBC annual meeting in Indianapolis. “I have known Bruce personally for many years. When I led student ministry at Biltmore Church, Bruce became the pastor, and our plateaued church began to grow,” said Harrison, now lead pastor of First Baptist Concord in Knoxville. “His relentless passion for evangelism

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