Indian reservation is first cleanup site after wildfires
PAUMA VALLEY, Calif. (BP)--Melvin Nelson visited the home where he lived for more than 40 years on the La Jolla Indian Reservation on Monday, Nov. 5. As disaster relief volunteers cleared away piles of charred debris, Nelson seemed at first glance too upbeat to have lost his home two weeks ago in the wildfires that raged in Southern California. But between conversations, Nelson kept walking to the same spot on the edge of his property -- under one of the few trees that survived the fires, where volunteers added to a pile of keepsakes rescued from the rubble: a collection of coins, small souvenirs and tools, jewelry, an old baseball. "They just seem to mean so much to people, the things that we're able to find and save," said Peggy Williams, a Southern Baptist disaster relief leader from Banning, Ca, who has participated in several previous fire cleanup projects.
Amid Calif. smoke, Baptist volunteers seek to help
VALLEY CENTER, Calif. (BP)--The air still smells of smoke in Valley Center and wherever wildfires have swept across Southern California, prompting 640,000 evacuation notices in San Diego County alone in a week's span. The smoke remains a reminder of what a long week it was and of the challenges and rebuilding that remain ahead. Since Sunday, Oct. 21, more than 2,000 homes have been destroyed in the southern part of the state; nearly 1,600 of those were lost in San Diego County, where seven fires are still burning, according to news reports.
Vision San Diego focuses on partnership
SAN DIEGO (BP)--San Diego is known by locals as "America's Finest City," and in some ways, that's not an exaggeration. Beautiful beaches dot the city's coastline, desert flowers bloom in inland areas, and, of course, there's the nearly perfect weather. It's a center of industry and research, a home base for thousands of residents who serve in the United States military, a temporary home to 250,000 college students, and a thriving tourist destination.
Church gives school ‘extreme makeover’
EL CAJON, Calif. (BP)–Cindy Wilcken warned the congregation at Shadow Mountain Community Church that she might cry as she addressed them on Sunday evening, April 15. Her audience laughed when she told them that her third grade students at Logan Elementary School know to expect a few tears from her whenever she tells them stories […]
God’s work in New York City seen on NAMB trustee tour
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| Trustees of the North American Mission Board gathered on the playground of Joseph Wade Middle School in the Bronx as school administrator Blanche Hogquist (in red jacket) explained the impact Southern Baptist volunteers had when they painted the 75-year-old inner-city school last summer. Photo by Meredith Day |
Throughout the day, the trustees, who met in the New York area for a regular business session, met NAMB missionaries, pastors and others who minister in the metro area, hearing firsthand the story of how God is changing lives in New York.
Yankees assist burglarized SBC church with $20,000 check
NEW YORK (BP)--The New York Yankees, though just in spring training, stepped up to the plate to assist a Bronx church and its soup kitchen after a break-in. The Yankees, whose stadium also is in the Bronx, presented a check for $20,000 to Daniel Dupree and Greater Universal Baptist Church on Feb. 23 to cover losses the church sustained during the Feb. 7 burglary.
18,000 at Passion 06 seek their part in Great Commission
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| 18,000 strong A capacity crowd of 18,000 college students from all 50 states and more than 20 countries filled Nashville’s Gaylord Entertainment Center Jan. 2-5 for Passion 06. |
“Our heartbeat is to see the campuses of this nation awaken to God,” Louie Giglio, who founded the Passion movement in 1995, said.
At Passion 06, students were discipled by Giglio, Beth Moore and John Piper, worshiped with the David Crowder Band, Chris Tomlin, Charlie Hall and Matt Redman, met in small community groups and were encouraged to visit the “Go Center,” where more than 50 exhibitors from educational institutions and missions agencies shared with them how they can be involved in sharing the Gospel throughout the world.
Reunion brings together those who started ministry in N.Y.C.
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| Original group In January 1975, a group of Samford University students traveled to New York City to renovate an abandoned storefront that would serve as the headquarters of Graffiti Community Ministries. Photo courtesy of NAMB |
“It was something we did when we were foolish college kids and didn’t know what we were biting off, but it’s had such a lasting impact for Christ in this neighborhood,” said Karon Bowdre, one of the 19 students who served at what would become the headquarters of Graffiti Community Ministries.
