Special needs ministries reach those ‘dear to the heart of God’
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| A boy with Down syndrome enjoys a tactile Noah's Ark wall at Access Ministry, an arm of McLean Bible Church in northern Virginia, sponsor of a yearly church-oriented Accessibility Summit.Photo by Andrea Higgins |
“We were about ready to quit church before we came here,” said Long, who has attended the McLean Bible Church since then.
Gordon, now 14, was completely non-verbal when he began attending the Access Ministry for special needs at the church, located in the Washington-area suburb of Vienna, Va. Today, Gordon has some language, plays hockey in a special league and participates actively in the Beautiful Blessings Sunday School class.
Author sees distractions as God’s call to refocus
DALLAS (BP)--Priscilla Shirer used to get annoyed by the errant thoughts that would pop into her head, interfering with her prayer times and Scripture study.
Author’s transparency helps women see God’s love
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--"Buckle up!" author and speaker Angela Thomas laughed as she described the joyous journey of a lifetime that awaits anyone willing to take it.
Former teen star acts on Christ’s call
DALLAS (BP)--For Lisa Whelchel, acting on her call to share the Good News of Jesus Christ is just a fact of life.
Author, in the trenches, intent on protecting teens
AUSTIN, Texas (BP)--Sometimes Vicki Courtney would prefer to be oblivious to what goes on in teen culture. But this mother of three knows that bewildered parents everywhere need help combating the incomprehensible barrage of disturbing trends that tempt today's youth.
Lab coats, stethoscopes underscore initiative for healthy EKG
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| Healthy welcome Registrants for a Sunday School training conference in High Point, N.C., were greeted by hosts in medical attire, highlighting the “EKG” (Empowering Kingdom Growth) theme aimed at nurturing healthy churches. Photo courtesy of Green Street Baptist Church |
Heart health was the emphasis of featured speaker Kenneth Hemphill. But it wasn’t of the medical variety.
The Southern Baptist Convention’s national strategist for Empowering Kingdom Growth, or EKG, has developed an “instrument” that is becoming widely used by churches to do a spiritual checkup.
Marriage conference deemed relationship-building adventure
RIDGECREST, N.C. (BP)--The romantic hike through the lush Pisgah National Forest in the pristine Blue Ridge Mountains was just a prelude to what was to come.
Groundbreaking for Graham library precedes ‘living crusade’
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| Merry hearts Billy Graham and his son Franklin enjoy a light moment during the groundbreaking ceremony for The Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, N.C. Photo by Bob Carey |
On a sunny day filled with cheerful celebration and humorous asides, Graham was clearly at ease Aug. 26 in Charlotte, N.C., enjoying reminiscing in the casual company of 400 invited friends and family members.
But the aging evangelist -– and world’s most famous preacher -- did not fail to give his ageless message: Christ died for our sins.
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| The honoree Billy Graham addresses the crowd at the groundbreaking ceremony for The Billy Graham Library located adjacent to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association offices in Charlotte, N.C. Photo by Bob Carey |
“In traveling to different places, the Scripture that has deepened in my heart is where the Apostle Paul says, ‘I am not ashamed of the Gospel,’” said Graham, whose ministry has spanned more than six decades.
An extended standing ovation greeted Graham, 86, as he stepped onto the stage with the aid of a walker. Graham, who has prostate cancer and Parkinson’s disease, spoke in a strong voice but quipped that his hearing has gotten so bad he needs an interpreter to speak to his wife, Ruth.
An extended standing ovation greeted Graham, 86, as he stepped onto the stage with the aid of a walker. Graham, who has prostate cancer and Parkinson’s disease, spoke in a strong voice but quipped that his hearing has gotten so bad he needs an interpreter to speak to his wife, Ruth.
‘Only God can get the glory for’ growth at Biltmore church
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| Comments at celebration James Walker, pastor of Biltmore Baptist Church near Asheville, N.C., addresses an estimated 1,000-plus people at celebration service in which 142 people were baptized in Biltmore Lake Aug. 15. Photo by Bob Carey |
“We were thinking real big. We thought we’d like to have one that would seat a thousand people,” Tommy Koontz, who served as chairman of the building committee, laughed in a self-deprecating acknowledgement of how small man’s vision is -– compared to what God has in mind.
Church’s outdoor baptism services: More than 400 have stirred the waters since ’03
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (BP)--When Robert Sulaski invited Biltmore Baptist Church Pastor James Walker to hold an outdoor baptism in 2003 at a lake his company owned, they expected four or five people would want to participate.
Instead, 96 people went through believer’s baptism in Biltmore Lake in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains as family members and friends gathered around to watch.
In 2004, they were surprised again, when 164 people were baptized together in the picturesque 62-acre lake. On Aug. 15 of this year, another 142 were baptized in what has become a much-anticipated annual celebration for this growing church.
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| 2 of the 142 Pastor James Walker raises up one of the 142 people baptized by Biltmore Baptist Church Aug. 15 in Biltmore Lake near Asheville, N.C., while an associate pastor prepares to baptize a young woman in the background. Photo by Bob Carey |
“We just brought back what used to be,” said Sulaski, a deacon at Biltmore Baptist Church and vice president for residential development for Biltmore Farms, recalling a time when people were baptized outdoors all the time.
His daughter, Rachel, 6, was baptized this year in the lake, with Sulaski emotionally recalling the day, Dec. 14, 2000, he purchased the 1,300 acres for the planned Biltmore Lake subdivision.
“I knelt next to a tree and said, ‘Father, this is your property,’” Sulaski said of his hope that it would give glory only to God.
