Alex Sibley

ZAMBIA (BP) -- Elephants, antelope, hippos, crocodiles, buffalo and the occasional lion are among missionary Kenny Vines' travel mates as he moves about his ministry in the African nation of Zambia. On multiple occasions while on his way to a village for Bible study, he has been cut off by a herd of elephants and had to travel another path. At other times during days of extended ministry, lions calling, hyenas laughing, elephants trumpeting and hippos bellowing were the soundtrack to his nights as he lay in his tent.

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- When Brandon Kiesling checked his email, he discovered a message from a man he met on a mission trip to Australia more than a year earlier. "You most probably don't remember who I am," Todd wrote to Kiesling in late September, "but we spent an afternoon together and discussed certain misgivings I had regarding Christian theology." Kiesling, instructor of evangelism at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, recalled the conversation, remembering that they spent several hours in a coffee shop speaking about the Christian faith.

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's trustees approved a new master's degree in philosophy and reaffirmed the seminary's media policy during their Oct. 17-19 fall meeting. Trustees elected seven faculty members and promoted three others during their sessions at the Fort Worth, Texas, campus.

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- Juan was sitting by the baseball diamond in Rosemont Park when a team of seminarians saw him. In need of a job, Juan knew he needed prayer, but on this Friday afternoon an even greater need would be met. Five students from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary had gone there that day, July 29, to evangelize. When two of the student evangelists happened upon Juan, they broke the ice by asking him for prayer requests, and he answered by sharing his need for employment.

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- When viewed through the otherworldly lens of "Pokémon Go," Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is home to three "gyms," or virtual meeting places, and nearly three dozen "Pokéstops," or landmarks. Thus, numerous Pokémon "trainers," or participants -- enthusiasts who wouldn't otherwise trek to a seminary campus -- have made their way to Southwestern as they play the game. Realizing the unique opportunity for outreach, seminary students and faculty hosted a "lure party" at the Fort Worth, Texas, campus July 19.

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- Although Emily Mitchell was excited to participate in this year's Crossover evangelism efforts in St. Louis, she often found herself feeling discouraged and, at times, even inferior. Mitchell has only been active in church for about two years, with God calling her to join a congregation one year and to ministry the next. She just completed her first year in Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's master's in Christian education program, but struggled with feeling inadequate in sharing her faith compared to other Southwestern students and faculty. As the team began hitting the streets of St. Louis, however, Mitchell had one area of solace.

GUATEMALA CITY (BP) -- As a youth pastor, Billy Hurst went on a two-week mission trip to Haiti. Because his wife Debbie taught school, she had to remain in the U.S. In their separation, she feared for her husband's well-being in a foreign country. "So I spent a lot of time in the Word and just praying for his safety," Debbie said. "And while I was having my quiet times, the Lord very clearly revealed to me that I needed to prepare myself because He was calling me to the foreign mission field."

"It was pretty surreal.... People got saved,' Alex Sibley writes of the weekly door-to-door evangelism outreach by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. "Wow. Door-to-door evangelism actually worked" when Sibley joined a professor and two other students in the seminary's "Going the Second Mile" initiative on a recent Friday.

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's trustees elected a new dean of the school of theology and approved a new "text-driven" curriculum for the master of divinity degree during their April 13 spring meeting.

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- Nearly 2,000 men and boys gathered for the Men's Game Banquet on the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. United by a love for the great outdoors, 191 responded to the Gospel message by surrendering their lives to Jesus Christ. The Feb. 20 banquet in Fort Worth, Texas, featured free barbeque, exhibits, door prizes, and speakers Paige Patterson and David Morris, who shared hunting stories regarding some of their most prized trophies. But the clear focus of the evening appeared to be the Gospel.