By Brittany Darst “How do you put this thing on?!” Deep in the church basement, I struggled with my alb. After a lifetime in Baptist churches, I had to wear my first-ever vestments for Thursday Vespers at Duke Chapel. With the gracious help of a Methodist friend, I finally figured out the drapes and snaps … Continue reading
By Caleb Mynatt When the COVID-19 pandemic sent the world into lockdown, it was an unprecedented and often chaotic transition for churches to make. And while figuring out the logistics of virtual business meetings and livestreaming worship services certainly wasn’t easy, there is one group of church leaders that perhaps had the toughest transition of … Continue reading
I hold the Bible as a sacred authority that informs my faith and living. And I also recognize that the Bible contains many unfortunate misogynistic and patriarchal views that have defined the beliefs, religious practices, culture, and family practices of many. One does not have to look very far in our history as a Baptist … Continue reading
By Maggie Parker I remember sitting in the admissions room at Agnes Scott College as I prepared to celebrate my graduation with a senior reception, not knowing that the graduation I was longing for would never come. I remember everyone being together and so proud of each other as we all looked forward to the … Continue reading
By Hannah Moody Throughout this pandemic, all have been affected. No matter one’s background or social standing, each of us has been affected. Coronavirus is relentless that way, not caring where you are, who you are, anything. If not physically, you have likely been affected mentally, emotionally, financially and spiritually. I know my own stress … Continue reading
RICHMOND, VA – Rev. Susan Pierson Blanchard (M.Div. / M.A.C.E. ’97) has accepted a call to lead a new initiative for Cooperative Baptists beginning this fall at Union Presbyterian Seminary’s Richmond campus. As director of the Baptist House of Studies (BHS) program, Blanchard, an ordained Baptist minister, will help students navigate the institution and their ordination process. “I have felt a strong … Continue reading
By Sara Crocker Rev. Dr. Daynette Snead Perez began doing cultural integration work as a six year-old first grader when her parents enrolled their African-American daughter in an all-white elementary school. Of course, she didn’t carry the titles of Reverend or Doctor then, but she was already doing important and holy work that would serve … Continue reading
By Brittany Darst-Hermsen Edwards Halfway through the semester, halfway through graduate school, I sat idling in miles-long gridlock. I listlessly began to scroll through Spotify. Desperate, my bleary subconscious tossed me up a Hail Mary: a song I hadn’t heard in decades. I searched it with a chuckle and smirk. Before long, my traffic neighbors … Continue reading
By Joya Moore I have been thinking deeply about the experience of women in America since the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. I honestly had not anticipated a woman occupying the Vice Presidential office for a long time, so to watch her take the oath and experience the ways in … Continue reading
The following is a reflection from CBF field personnel Laura Foushee, who serves alongside her husband, Carson, and the Japan Baptist Convention in Tokyo. You can learn more about their ministry and support their work at www.cbf.net/foushee. I met Rev. Akinori Taguchi, pastor of the first church that Carson and I served in Kanazawa, at the … Continue reading