News Articles by Adam Miller

ALPHARETTA, Ga. BP -- The deaf residents of Manchester, Conn., now have a church of their own, as do the students at the University of Hartford -- and it's right on campus. This is because God is using church planters to reach into the hard-to-reach areas of North America with the Gospel.

NEW YORK (BP) -- Hal Haller III has been named state director of missions in New York, serving as a North American Mission Board missionary with a goal of cultivating church planting movements in metropolitan New York City.

NEW YORK (BP) -- Hal Haller III has been named state director of missions in New York, serving as a North American Mission Board missionary with a goal of cultivating church planting movements in metropolitan New York City. Haller, his wife Sharon and their two children, 17-year-old Hal IV and Alexandra, 15, are making the transition to New York from Florida -- with the two teens voicing a hesitancy common for missionary families. "My kids are being very open about how they feel about leaving Florida," Haller said. His daughter has had the hardest time warming up to the change. "I don't really like the idea," Alexandra said. "I've moved every couple of years. I'm really outgoing. I'm kind of scared. I've moved around Florida but never really moved out of Florida. I don't know if I'll make friends." Uprooting and replanting their lives is nothing new for Hal and Sharon Haller. Before they started their family, the adventure of planting churches and relocating often seemed to define their lives. Even after their kids came along, the Hallers planted churches in Miami, started churches elsewhere in the state, served on the staff of three existing churches and served, most recently, at the Jacksonville Baptist Association. "My background is in church planting. Every few years we get up and go plant again," Haller said. "They're familiar with it, but it comes with sacrifice. We're not wanting to be disruptive, but we're doing what the Lord wants us to do. We're walking through that journey with our kids." At the outset, much like her daughter, Sharon said "no way." She winced at the thought of taking her children away from things they invested so much in, including football, soccer, friends and stability. But now her response is different, and the kids are coming around. "It's the kind of opportunity our past has prepared us for. We don't take it lightly," Sharon said. "It's an overwhelming feeling to make this move, but to say 'no' to God -- we can't. We have to do what He says to do." Hal and Sharon had seen their children take root in their community. Alexandra has a vast network of friends and plays competitive soccer. "Hal 4" plays football, with his team in the running for the conference championship most years. Moving to New York means giving up his senior year. One by one, though, each member of the family has independently come to the conclusion that New York is their new home. Hal 4 is looking forward to seeing the snow, which he's only seen once or twice. "I was kind of blown away by my 17-year-old's response, especially," Haller said. "He said, 'If this is what God is asking us to do, we have to be obedient.'"

TORONTO (BP) -- For the first time in the 17-year history of the North American Mission Board, its trustees gathered on Canadian soil, and a vision tour preceding the Oct. 9 meeting revealed to many just how real the needs are.

TORONTO (BP) -- For the second year in a row trustees for the North American Mission Board have approved a one-time contribution of $1,000 to the retirement accounts of 1,500 church planters in NAMB's Send North America Network. The money is coming from underspends in NAMB's 2012-13 fiscal year budget.

TORONTO (BP) -- What Crossroads Church in Hinesville, Ga., is doing to obey God and penetrate lostness in Toronto seems crazy. They are, you might say, at a bit of a crossroads and have decided to take the path less traveled.

NEWARK, Del. (BP) -- University of Delaware senior Allie Murray had never shared the Gospel, but during an Engage 24 evangelism outreach, she discovered it can be a positive experience.

PLANO, Texas (BP) -- New York City church planter Patrick Thompson started New City Church in Queens only a few months ago and wasn't exactly sure what to expect when he arrived at the 2013 Send North America Conference.

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) -- "We have to plant more churches," North American Mission Board President Kevin Ezell emphasized to NAMB trustees during their May 14-15 meeting in Alpharetta, Ga.

NEW YORK (BP) -- Graffiti Church in Manhattan's Lower East Side has long been a destination for Southern Baptist mission teams wanting to serve New York. Pastors tell stories of how it changed forever the way they view cities and poverty.