By Kristy Bay Typically, when one envisions a church, certain images and norms come to mind: ideas about buildings, about congregations, about worship styles and theology. The 21st century has brought some ugly truths about institutional churches to light: declining attendance, clergy exodus in the wake of a pandemic, empty buildings, the politicization of faith, … Continue reading →

By Tina Boyles Bailey, CBF field personnel At the End of May I attended and lead workshops at the Mountain Top youth Retreat for Austrian youth. As I continue to connect deeper in my work here in Europe and in Austria, I was thrilled to be asked to be part of this special weekend. I … Continue reading →

By Grayson Hester This one’s for the nerds.  Rev. Aaron Coyle-Carr, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Morehead, Ky., insists that that once-insulting term, “nerd,” is not only acceptable, but today in his university-adjacent congregation it is desirable.  “A nerd is someone who is super passionate about one particular thing, who lives into it … Continue reading →

By Lynn Hutchinson, CBF Field Personnel One of the things I love about our Portuguese-speaking church is how interactive and affectionate members are between generations and nationalities, families and individuals. It has taken me longer than expected to figure out who goes with whom because there are warm embraces all around and children are frequently held … Continue reading →

By Marc Wyatt, CBF field personnel Early one morning, We received a request from one of our refugee agency partners. She asked if we could help one of her clients, an Afghan gentleman who had moved to Cary, N.C. Often, refugee clients who migrate from their original resettlement location start over from zero and with … Continue reading →

By Maha Boulos, CBF field personnel During our time in Egypt, we were able to visit six villages in the suburbs of Assyout. This is my second visit to the area and I’m always impressed by the response of people and their reactions to the message of the Lord.  We started this trip on Monday … Continue reading →

By Matt Norman, CBF field personnel The core of the ministry in which we are engaged in Barcelona and in the European region in partnership with the International Baptist Theological Study Center (IBTS) is relational. We seek to create and assist in the development of “safe” spaces. These are spaces where the fullness of the … Continue reading →

By Kirk, CBF field personnel In fifth grade I suffered the crushing blow of being passed over for the star role in our class play about Noah Webster of dictionary fame. That honor went to the new kid, Darren. I was the narrator.   I would have never imagined then that, decades later, in the … Continue reading →

By Delores Stimpson, Global Service Corps The Triangle West Welcome Network welcomes refugees and immigrants and provides temporary housing. It is common to receive families from very warm climates, at a time when our winter seasons are cold. We partner with refugee agencies to find local resources for seasonal clothing. When we cannot, I turn … Continue reading →