Sharon Mager

ANNAPOLIS, Md.(BP) -- Though a nor'easter snowstorm cancelled the annual Maryland March for Life event on March 13, representatives from many Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware (BCM/D) churches still gathered for a planned pre-march "Prayer for Human Dignity" hosted by First Baptist Church of Eastport in Annapolis.

TOWSON, Md. (BP) -- The Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware's 181st annual meeting focused on unity and prayer reflecting this year's theme, "United in Prayer, Seeking Christ's Spirit," at the Sheraton North in Towson, Md. Ironically, just a short distance from where hundreds of Towson University students were walking out of their classes in protest of President-elect Donald Trump, Maryland/Delaware Baptists were bowing in prayer to be one in Jesus. The Nov. 13-15 sessions, attended by 341 messengers and 79 guests ...

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) -- Defining purpose, identifying an audience, solving problems and sharing calls to action were all key topics at the Baptist Communicators Association's (BCA) third annual Fall Forum. Held this year at the North American Mission Board's facility in Alpharetta, Ga., the Fall Forum brought communicators from across the country together to hear about and present topics on storytelling, reaching diverse audiences in a variety of media formats, responding to today's challenges in Baptist life, and offering the appropriate calls to action.

WASHINGTON (BP) -- Ultrasound machines are saving babies from abortion as women who see their babies for the first time decide to give birth to them, said Kelly Rosati during the Evangelicals for Life dinner Jan. 21.

WASHINGTON (BP) -- Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), along with Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family, presented awards to three pro-life leaders: David Platt, Charmaine Yoest, and Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), for their tireless advocacy in support of the dignity of life. The awards were presented during the first Evangelicals for Life dinner at the Hyatt Regency Washington, Capitol Hill, on Jan. 21. The dinner was a component of the inaugural Evangelicals for Life Conference sponsored by the ERLC and Focus on the Family.

WASHINGTON (BP) -- Pro-life supporters from across the country braved the elements in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 22, the anniversary of the historic Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 to legalize abortion, to make the annual March for Life from the Washington Monument to the U.S. Supreme Court building. Couples, women with babies snug against their chests, students, grandparents, Catholics, Protestants, representatives from the Jewish community, and those with no faith, braved the biting cold, waving signs, cheering and clapping for speakers while covering their faces, rubbing hands together and stamping their feet to stay warm at the starting rally near the Washington Monument. Legislators, pro-life and religious leaders urged marchers to continue their commitment to the pro-life cause.

SEVERN, Md. (BP) -- The Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware will now be known as the Mid-Atlantic Baptist Network, reflecting the cooperation of churches in states beyond Maryland and Delaware. Messengers affirmed the new "doing business as" name during the Nov. 9-11 BCMD annual meeting at The Church at Severn Run in Severn, Md.

NASHVILLE (BP) -- Tapping the popular "TED Talks" format, Baptist communication and public relations professionals shared their experiences and counsel in a first-ever Fall Forum originating from the Southern Baptist Convention Building in Nashville.

NEWARK, Del. -- Maryland/Delaware Baptists approved new content to their constitution and bylaws regarding the convention's stance on biblical marriage and the use of convention property for marriage ceremonies during their 178th annual meeting.

WHEELING, W.Va. (BP) -- Twenty-one years ago, Tom Rentfrow left a church in Heron, Va. -- the fastest-growing church in its association -- to begin a church in West Virginia. He had heard God speak to him during a sermon on home missions and being willing to serve wherever God calls. Rentfrow was flabbergasted but was sure it was God leading, so he obeyed. He and his wife Helen and two other believers founded Abundant Life Baptist Church in the Wheeling-area community of Elm Grove. The Rentfrows had been warned by family, friends and other pastors that most Elm Grove residents were Catholics and wouldn't be responsive to a Baptist church. "They told us it was a lost cause," Helen Rentfrow said. Indeed, the couple soon realized how difficult the situation was. In addition to the community's overwhelmingly Catholic majority, other professing Christians already were involved in their own churches. The Rentfrows had doors slammed in their faces. But they persevered, building bridges to active and nominal Catholics -- and lasting friendships. The most effective bridge has been Tom Rentfrow's involvement in the pro-life movement. Shortly after arriving in Wheeling, Rentfrow, now president of West Virginia for Life's local chapter, stood with the Catholic bishop in opposing abortion. "He was genuinely a man of God who loved life and loved people. I was in his office praying with him. I heard his heart," Rentfrow said. At the urging of a nun, Rentfrow led Abundant Life Baptist Church to become a Gabriel Project church supporting women in crisis pregnancy situations and those who choose life. God blessed Abundant Life. They moved to nearby Triadelphia and now have a membership of more than 200 and a thriving school. The church supports four missionaries and gives more than 10 percent of its receipts through the Cooperative Program. God then began to lead the Rentfrows and Abundant Life to plant a new church in an old Catholic parish in Wheeling in the heart of an aging Polish community. In 2002, the Rentfrows were prayerwalking in South Wheeling when they discovered the former St. Ladislaus Catholic Church on the corner of 45th and Eoff, founded in 1902. They stepped out on faith to make an offer of $35,000 and were amazed when the diocese accepted it. They had no funds for mortgage payments but trusted God. Supervisors of a local Head Start program asked Helen if she had any ideas where they could rent a facility. She suggested the St. Ladislaus parish, which suited Head Start's needs, and the rent provided the funds for the mortgage of the new plant, South Wheeling Chapel. "It was like a miracle," Helen said. God showed His hand repeatedly in the new outreach. The owner of property across the street, formerly the site of a convent, donated the land to the church. He was so impressed with his dealings with the Rentfrows that he went on to help the church get natural gas rights there for additional revenue.