SUNRISE BEACH – Online services are not merely a stopgap option for churches that cannot meet together in-person. The Holy Spirit still moves. Case in point, First Baptist Church, Sunrise Beach. Pastor Brent McCune said the church has seen a decline in attendance for several years, but has suddenly seen growth during this time of imposed quarantine. A few families were considering joining the church when the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic caused most churches to shift to online … [Read more...]
Hannibal-LaGrange student leads online story time for children
COLUMBIA – When Sarah Hanson enrolled in her children’s literature course at Hannibal-LaGrange University this spring, she had no idea how God was preparing her. Now, with campus shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic and students continuing their classes online, Hanson, a sophomore early childhood education major, is putting her training to good use by leading an online story time three nights a week. She originally read a book every night, but with the public library closed, fears of … [Read more...]
Mask-making a vital ministry for churches
SALEM – Masks, masks and more masks. In Salem, the quilting ministry at First Baptist Church has shifted to masks, donating them to the local hospital. The same goes for seamstresses at First Baptist, Blue Springs, and at Salem Avenue in Rolla. Campers on Mission spent time at Laclede Baptist Camp sewing masks for Lebanon healthcare facilities. Even incoming Missouri Baptist University freshman Alex Nicoli has spent his days stuck at home productively, completing 1,000 masks for his local … [Read more...]
Southridge calls pastor in online vote
JEFFERSON CITY – Like almost all Missouri Baptist congregations, Southridge Baptist Church, here is not meeting in-person during the COVID-19 pandemic. But they didn’t let that stop them from hiring the man they believe God chose to lead them as pastor. That man is Taylor Whitmore. Whitmore grew up in Colorado and Wyoming, but earned a degree in math from Hannibal-LaGrange University in 2015. After returning to Wyoming as a youth pastor, he began training to lead a church … [Read more...]
Models and methods: Replant Summit slated
GREENWOOD – It can feel like events are being scratched from schedules left and right, but those interested in church revitalization and replanting may want to add one to their calendars. The North American Mission Board will sponsor Replant Summit Aug. 24-25 at Fellowship Greenwood in the Kansas City area. Replant Summit is an event in partnership with Lenexa Baptist Church, which helped replant Fellowship Church where the event will be held. Both are affiliated with the Missouri Baptist … [Read more...]
Twenty children baptized at Fort Wyman Baptist
ROLLA – Last February, Steven Betts, pastor of Fort Wyman Baptist Church here, was desperate to see growth in his congregation. “As I was putting on my shoes getting ready for church,” he said, “I paused for a second and prayed, ‘Lord, bring me a family today.’” God answered his prayer, and went far beyond Betts’s expectations. Fort Wyman’s children’s ministry was down to three kids – two of them Betts’s – when this new couple moving from a Southern Baptist Church in Joplin showed up … [Read more...]
Baptismal pool ‘full of cobwebs’ no more; After years of no use, Edgar Springs fills baptistry once again
EDGAR SPRINGS – Dean Switzer isn’t sure how long Edgar Springs Baptist Church has gone without a baptism, but he’s only been there as pastor for the past three years. “I hadn’t pushed anything,” Switzer said. ”I’ve been getting to know the people, but this past year I’ve started pushing a little harder, and asking people – especially the men – to step up.” And people have begun stepping up. A couple joined the church three months ago and saw their granddaughter saved. She wanted to be … [Read more...]
Cape Girardeau Association comes to aid of Italian church
JACKSON – Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Pastor Mike Parry of Fruitland Community Church here knew they would need to cancel a mission trip to northeast Italy this spring, though they still wanted to invest in their partners in the region. Then they heard that their partner church in Belluno, Italy, has been struggling financially amid the COVID-19 lockdown. So Parry approached the Cape Girardeau Baptist Association Director of Missions John Vernon about sending a gift to the Italian church … [Read more...]
Stuck at home? Entertainment can spark conversation
JEFFERSON CITY – People are likely to be spending more time at home for the foreseeable future, but that isn’t an excuse for anyone to simply fire up Disney+ and unplug their brains. Everything – every book read, every newscast glimpsed, and every movie or TV show watched during “social distancing” is a ripe opportunity begging to spark a conversation among families. Michael Foust, a Baptist journalist who covers the entertainment industry and whose reviews appear across too many … [Read more...]
DR calls churches to serve during pandemic, offers first ever online training program
JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief leaders are in constant contact with state authorities about any potential role in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but in the meantime, they are asking churches to be the front lines in meeting the needs of their communities. “Church members taking care of other church members can help reduce the load on other systems in the community,” said Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief Director Gaylon Moss. “Coordinate with your local officials … [Read more...]
Drive-in style service brings Fulton church together
FULTON – Churches are scrambling to find ways to maintain community and continue corporate worship even though they can’t gather inside church building in any significant numbers. Many are shifting to live streaming online, but Ebenezer Baptist Church here has another solution: come to church, but stay in your car. They call it Drive-In Church. “We are in a country setting and our parking lot is in the midst of many beautiful shade trees,” said Pastor Mike Hibbard. “Ebenezer worshippers … [Read more...]
Streaming, online giving allow Missouri Baptists to get creative during COVID-19 pandemic
KANSAS CITY – When Tim Juhnke took to the pulpit in front of a much-smaller-than-usual crowd at Faith Community church here on March 15, he had a rubber band around his fingers of his right hand. It was to remind him not to shake hands. He wasn’t the only Missouri Baptist who needed reminding. Avoiding personal contact and that close fellowship that are usually hallmarks of Missouri Baptist churches were just the first steps many churches took to adapt to the temporary new normal of the … [Read more...]
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