LifeWay promotes baptism, Sunday School as new local church focus
INDIANAPOLIS (BP)--A new emphasis must be placed on baptisms and new Bible study classes if Southern Baptist churches want to reach people for Christ. This was the focus of LifeWay Christian Resources' annual LeaderLife pastor's luncheon June 15 on the first day of the two-day Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Indianapolis.
Tapping creativity to reach people, Fellowship, LW combine
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| The end result Creative evangelism can reach today’s generation, evidenced by the 2,000th person baptized at Fellowship Church under pastor Ed Young Jr.’s leadership. Assisting in the baptism is church membership coordinator Doris Scoggins. Fellowship Church led all Southern Baptist churches in baptisms last year with 2,284. Photo courtesy of Fellowship Church |
He’s had a passion for fishing since he was a kid, spending hours with his dad in the lake across from their house in South Carolina.
But there’s another passion Ed Young Sr., pastor of Second Baptist Church in Houston, passed on to his son that means even more.
“He taught me how to fish for men,” said Young, 42, founder and pastor of Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas.
G-Force keeps 4,000 kids coming back to church
GRAPEVINE, Texas (BP)--Tim Cheeks never has a problem getting his daughter Courtney, 11, excited about church. It’s what happens when they can’t make it to a service that sends his pre-teen into a tizzy: “What do you mean we’re not going to church?”
Women to be in the spotlight on new lifeway.com website
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--A new website just for women -- lifeway.com/women -- will debut May 7.
LifeWay adds ‘Passion’ to online resources
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--"Powerful." "Compelling." "Life-changing." Mel Gibson's film, "The Passion of The Christ," is receiving high praise weeks before its release Feb. 25. Christian leaders who have previewed the film call it "one of the greatest evangelistic tools of the century" as local churches look for ways to use the film for outreach.
LifeWay offers flowers, gifts via link with 1-800-FLOWERS.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Time is at a premium these days. Maintaining relationships with friends and family can get pushed behind chores, errands and meetings. That's why LifeWay Christian Resources began providing free electronic cards on lifeway.com, which now has blossomed into an additional online service for flowers and gifts.
Key facets of church relevance highlighted at C3 conference
GRAPEVINE, Texas (BP)--A visit to Fellowship Church is like finding the puzzle piece you didn't know was missing. Sure, there's great music, flashing lights and flat-screen monitors. But what sticks with you is the intense excitement felt in worship, Bible study, children's ministry -- everything. You leave Fellowship sensing that God is moving, that His truth is real, and that His Word is indeed relevant to daily life.
Volunteers at Glorieta reflect ‘servant spirit’
GLORIETA, N.M. (BP)--The sign above the door reads "Through this door walk Glorieta's best." It's a statement that describes the staff, but it also defines the dedicated volunteers who serve LifeWay's western conference center every day.
BELIEVING IN BAGHDAD:
Faith helps soldiers handle war’s agonies
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| Finding peace in war Sergeant James Crowell from Sayre, Pa., reads his Bible in his tent at the end of a long day. Photo by Jim Veneman |
There are no foxholes in this city of 5 million people. Ask any soldier and they'll quickly tell you there's no defined front line for the war they continue to fight. Instead, there are mortar attacks to listen for, IEDs (improvised explosive devices) to avoid and a good chance that the car stopped in traffic in front of you could very well be an ambush. Body armor is a common part of the uniform here.
BELIEVING IN BAGHDAD:
Chaplains keep the faith amid soldiers on war’s front lines
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| Talking about war Chaplain (Col.) Doug Carver, a Southern Baptist chaplain stationed out of Germany, shares some of his experiences in the field during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Photo by Jim Veneman |
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| Praying in faith Chaplain Dan Wackerhagen bows his head in prayer during a service at Steel Base Memorial Chapel at Baghdad International Airport. Photo by Jim Veneman |
These chaplains, like the men and women they minister to, have had to face death head-on since Operation Iraqi Freedom began in late March. It is hard and sometimes frightening but these Southern Baptist seminary graduates all credit God for getting them through.
"You never know Jesus until He's all you've got," said Carver, the highest-ranking chaplain currently in Iraq, stationed at the Coalition Provisional Authority headquarters in Baghdad. He oversees more than 350 chaplains and 350 chaplain assistants throughout the country. "I haven't had my wife here, my children; just an army cot in a corner," he reflected. "Finding that quiet place has been hard."
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| Saving grace Chaplain Eddie Cook reads through a copy of Oliver North's latest release, "Jericho Sanction." Cook got the copy in the mail before heading to a makeshift gym for a workout. He decided to go back to his room to read. Minutes later, an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) hurled into the side of the room where he would have been exercising. Photo by Jim Veneman |
Along the way, numerous challenges have arisen. For Carver, putting the chemical gear on every time there was a missile attack threat in the early days of the war was almost claustrophobic.
"You're sitting in your bunker elbow to elbow with soldiers who are looking to you for strength," Carver said. "I was telling my wife how suiting up was starting to get to me, and she says, 'I'm going to pray that when you put it on that God will sing to you - try to remember [the hymn] God's Garden.' The next attack we had, I'm running to get my gear on and I hear the words to the hymn 'In the Garden' in my mind. I felt peace the entire time."
