Andrea Higgins

Witnesses to reconciliation Two pastors –- Steve Clark (left) of New Life Baptist Church and Arthur Yount of Springs Road Baptist Church – and their congregations saw the Holy Spirit bring reconciliation to the two Hickory, N.C., churches.

CONOVER, N.C. (BP)--Sixteen years ago, Lanette Harris was caught in the middle.
      She felt torn by the bitter division at Springs Road Baptist Church in Hickory, N.C., a town in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Her roots ran deep at Springs Road, where her grandparents, parents and many other family members attended.
      Her husband, Bill, however, felt the Lord leading them to join about 150 church members to break off from Springs Road and form their own church.

Worship and reflection The third annual Law Enforcement Summit at LifeWay Ridgecrest Conference Center in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains provided law enforcement officers time for worship and reflection. Sgt. Jesse Evans of the Florida Highway Patrol participates during the worship and celebration portion of the summit. Photo by Kent Harville

RIDGECREST, N.C. (BP)--In the macho, high-pressure world of law enforcement, a Christian officer can easily feel isolated both on the beat and in the squad room.
      But nearly 190 Christian law enforcement officers and their spouses found camaraderie at the third annual Law Enforcement Summit at LifeWay Ridgecrest Conference Center in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains, where they gathered Oct. 5-7.
      The event provided an outlet to share their brotherhood and sisterhood in the law -- and also in the Lord.
      "When you're working in the field, you're not necessarily with other Christian people," said participant Reed Johnson of Waynesboro, Va., a district law enforcement officer for the George Washington National Forest. "To be in a place with other law enforcement officers who know and love Christ -- it's powerful."

Singular mission Leading the church toward God’s will is pastor Homer Murdock’s mission at Hopewell Baptist Church. “It’s not playing golf or doing other activities,” one member says. “His pleasure, his will, is being totally involved in God’s work.” Photo by Andrea Higgins

MORGANTON, N.C. (BP)--Four years ago, if 15 people showed up Hopewell Baptist Church on a Wednesday, it was considered a good night. Sunday services drew 150, tops.
      The rural western North Carolina church, founded in 1870, had never sent its own team overseas to the mission field. With church rolls dwindling since the 1960s, it could barely meet its budget.
      Indeed, the hospitable hubbub that greets visitors today is a stark contrast to the not-so-distant past, a refreshing juxtaposition to the serene historic cemetery situated in front of the bustling church.
      “This church was 130 years old and dead as a doornail,” said Eugene Cole, Hopewell’s director of education. “It’s come back to life, and nobody would have expected it.”

Vibrant worship Worship was at the forefront of the second annual “Sisters Who Care” conference attended by several hundred African American women at LifeWay Ridgecrest Conference Center. Photo by Kent Harville

RIDGECREST, N.C. (BP)--When she was a missionary in Nairobi, Chiffon Chambers cringed every time an African would ask -- all too frequently -- why most missionaries are white. Chambers is black.
      The perception is one that Chambers and a growing number of mission-minded women across the United States hope to change.
      At this fall’s second annual "Sisters Who Care" conference at LifeWay’s Ridgecrest Conference Center in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, nearly 300 African American women from 21 states celebrated their "sisterhood" -- both in Christ and in their ethnic heritage.

Sponsoring marriage

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (BP)--“Loved the wedding! Invite me to the marriage -- God” A church’s lighthearted roadside billboard counters the cultural mindset which glorifies a wedding day yet disregards the lifetime to follow.
      Stan Welch, pastor of Blackwelder Park Baptist Church in Kannapolis, N.C., is taking a proactive approach to getting his congregation’s newlyweds to plan beyond their wedding arrangements.
      Five years ago the church began giving Fall Festival of Marriage scholarships as wedding gifts.
      Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Fall Festival of Marriage is a Christ-centered enrichment weekend sponsored by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Events are held at 12 locations throughout the country, packed with workshops to help couples focus on their relationship with God and with each other.

Pausing to reflect Mary Helen Wilson, wife of the late T.W. Wilson looks at a memorial paving stone honoring the late W.A. Criswell, placed in the T.W. Wilson Prayer Garden which was named in her husband's memory. Photo by Bob Carey

RIDGECREST, N.C. (BP)--The sparkling stream meandering through the tangle of massive wild rhododendrons under a dazzling Blue Ridge Mountain sky would no doubt have been an irresistible place for T.W. Wilson to stop and pray.
      Of course, there probably wasn't a place the late evangelist didn't do that. He was known as a prayer warrior.
      Friends and family members who gathered to dedicate the new T.W. Wilson Memorial Prayer Garden at LifeWay Ridgecrest Conference Center June 5 said the tranquil natural setting dedicated to prayer was a fitting tribute.
      "He loved being outside," said his widow, Mary Helen, as the headwaters of North Carolina’s Swannanoa and French Broad rivers gently tumbled down a nearby waterfall and skipped under an inviting covered bridge. "He loved to hunt and fish, and being able to appreciate God's glory. This certainly is a glorious spot."