Helen Gibson

NASHVILLE (BP) -- A Bible study curriculum for urban, multicultural environments -- simply titled YOU -- is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. The team that produces the resource is remembering the past while continuing to look to the future. LifeWay Christian Resources first published the quarterly YOU curriculum in the fall of 2008 as a way to minister to those who were underrepresented in LifeWay's content and product offerings, said Beverly Sonnier, content editor for YOU. "It came out of a desire to create a curriculum specifically designed to meet the needs of African Americans, urban, multicultural individuals and churches," Sonnier said. At the time, Mark Croston was president of the Southern Baptist Convention's National African American Fellowship, encompassing more than 4,000 predominately African American churches.

NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- Earlier this summer, Kay Bennett received a phone call that left her with some exciting news. Bennett is the executive director of Baptist Friendship House, a Send Relief ministry center in the heart of New Orleans. Each year, her organization hosts a back-to-school bash, in which they celebrate the beginning of a new school year and give backpacks filled with school supplies to about 600 children living in poverty. But plans for this year's back-to-school event suddenly multiplied when Bennett got a call from Send Relief, a ministry of the North American Mission Board, offering to donate 5,000 backpacks to the cause.

NASHVILLE (BP) -- For those who have been involved in ministry, chances are they've been there -- in need of an additional volunteer at the last minute and scrambling to find someone they trust to get the job done. Or perhaps a congregation has announced a need for volunteers from the pulpit and advertised it in the bulletin, yet the church still has a hard time filling vital positions. Encouraging people to step forward and serve can be frustrating, but it doesn't ...

NASHVILLE (BP) -- Mental health struggles and thoughts of suicide may be more common than church leaders realize -- even among some of the youngest members of a congregation. Around 1 in 3 high school students (31.5 percent) say they've experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, according to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additionally, 17.2 percent say they've seriously considered attempting suicide, while 13.6 percent say they've made a suicide plan, 7.4 percent have attempted suicide, and 2.4 percent were injured in a suicide attempt.

The Holy Land travels of Biblical Illustrator magazine staff members enrich Bible study leaders as they teach from curriculum lines published by LifeWay Christian Resources.

OWENSBORO, Ky. (BP) -- Holes were starting to form in the front steps of her house. The storage shed in the backyard leaked when it rained. And everything needed a fresh coat of paint. But 64-year-old Charlene Meadows, a lifelong resident of Owensboro, Ky., was unable to make these repairs to her home herself.