SBC Life Articles by Josie Bingham

SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas (BP) -- "It's a pretty somber place," Scottie Stice said of the community left behind after Sunday's horrific mass shooting at a Southern Baptist church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Stice, disaster relief director for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC), reported teams of Southern Baptist chaplains and other DR volunteers are ministering however they can among those devastated by the "senseless" tragedy.

Each year, PrayerLink—a collaborative network of prayer leaders representing SBC entities, state conventions, and other groups in Southern Baptist life—hosts a bus tour of local area ministries to foster a Great Commission mindset.

IMMOKALEE, Fla. (BP) -- Inside a gym with yellow walls, 200 volunteers form an assembly line. These helpers from First Baptist Church of Immokalee, Fla., are bagging food and cleaning supplies in the church's gym because it's one of the few buildings left standing after Hurricane Irma reduced the already-impoverished area to even less. "Our awesome volunteers are inside and outside the church manning all kinds of stations from bagging to distribution so that when people's cars pull up, they can get everything they need," said Jessica Pigg, wife of senior pastor Timothy Pigg. ...

FLORIDA (BP) -- Mark MacDonald walked around his Jacksonville home Monday morning (Sept. 11) assessing the damage done by Hurricane Irma. "Our roof is leaking and a few trees are down," MacDonald said. "I was curious as to how our neighbors were doing …. Their garden was completely torn to shreds. It's not ideal, but it really could have been worse for us. We're all thankful to God for that." Monday, Sept. 11, MacDonald will be working on his own home and aiding his ...

ORLANDO, Fla. (BP) -- "Is anybody hungry for a fresh move of God?" Las Vegas pastor Vance Pitman asked the crowd of 4,000-plus during the first of four main gatherings at the Send Conference in Orlando, Fla. "Our prayer is that God would move fresh in your heart -- that you would have a fresh encounter with the Holy Spirit," said Pitman, senior pastor of Hope Church in Las Vegas, in speaking on how to live on mission by redefining life.

The North American Mission Board has named Sam Porter as the new national director for Southern Baptist Disaster Relief. Porter will replace Mickey Caison, who officially retires Aug. 31.

PHOENIX (BP) -- It started Friday, June 9 -- the rumblings of an awakening. More than 700 voices worshiped at North Phoenix Baptist Church in Phoenix, Ariz., kicking off the weekend's Crossover Arizona and Harvest America events. The North American Mission Board's (NAMB) Crossover Arizona and Greg Laurie's Harvest America joined forces to host a three-day evangelistic outreach involving training, street evangelism and service projects before culminating in Harvest America's Sunday night crusade.

DALLAS (BP) -- Among a sea of attendees and volunteers in the Dr. Pepper Arena, the North American Mission Board and the International Mission Board's Send Conference challenged attendees to examine and redefine their lives on mission. More than 4,000 people paid and registered for the sold-out conference May 19-20 less than 30 miles north of Dallas in Frisco, Texas, which drew people from all states and three continents. "Be careful not to manufacture a heart for missions outside a heart for Christ," ...

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) -- Lynette Ezell and Tera Melber shared many joys, frustrations, challenges and triumphs over the last 15 years as their families have journeyed through the process of adopting children. Now, they are sharing that experience and knowledge with others. Hosting the North American Mission Board's "Adopting and Fostering Home" podcast, the two friends seek to encourage and equip God's people and the church to battle for the hearts and lives of children at risk. "We believe that if the church is going to champion the cause of foster care and adoption, the church has to be prepared for what that means on a daily basis," Melber noted. Melber and Ezell would know. They have watched their daughters and sons process and make sense of birth stories and unanswered questions. "As they work through their beginnings and the implications of their stories, there have been times when I have really understood Romans 12:15," Melber said. ...