By John DeWitt Danny Steis is the Children and Youth Pastor at Yates Baptist Church in Durham, N.C. Like so many other youth ministers, Steis was challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic. “COVID Zooms were awkward. Many youth, children and families didn’t fully return, and something was just ‘lost’ when we resumed.” However, the youth ministry … Continue reading
By Marv Knox After the United States military withdrew from Afghanistan in late summer of 2021, a wave of Afghan refugees began heading toward the San Francisco Bay Area, where Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel Lita and Rick Sample prepared for them. The Samples didn’t have to ask who might need help; their local Afghan … Continue reading
By Jennifer Colosimo Throughout January’s Martin Luther King, Jr., weekend, youth groups from CBF churches in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee converged at First Baptist Church Huntsville for the 2024 Winter Youth Summit (WYS)—the sixth since its inception, and possibly the best yet. Through meaningful worship, impactful speakers and informative, deep-study breakout sessions, this year’s Let … Continue reading
By Matt Norman A year ago, I noticed two young college-aged people come and sit down at a special service that we were having at Mosaic. Mosaic is a ministry we started in partnership with the First Baptist Church of Sabadell. It is a gathering for people who are interested in exploring their questions about God, Jesus and … Continue reading
By Yuniya Khan On Sunday morning, Reverend Doretha Lindsay Ward gets into her car to drive from her home in Delaware to St. Peter’s Church of God, in Philadelphia, the church she pastors. For the past two years, she has been making this commute—one hour each way on a good day—at least three days a … Continue reading
By Mary Van Rheenen Several refugees come to the Baptist church we attend in Arnhem, the Netherlands. We are not a large church, but we simultaneously translate the worship services into Persian, Ukrainian and English. Most of the baptisms in the past three years have been people from Iran or Afghanistan. One of them (let’s … Continue reading
By Suzie Dao was one of 15 children in her family. She tells early memories of being tied to the front porch with her toddler siblings while her parents went to work in the fields. They didn’t have daycare; that was just the way things were done. Her father was a local school principal and … Continue reading
This week, we are featuring two interviews: Subscribe or Livestream CBF’s podcast shares stories from across the Fellowship and innovative practices of those working to renew God’s world. The vision is to share ideas, stories, and innovations from ministers, authors, and practitioners. Join this audio Podcast by subscribing on iTunes, SoundCloud, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or Facebook. … Continue reading
By Kristen Thomason Music plays a central role in worship for most church goers. “[It] creates a pathway so that together we love the Lord with heart and mind and strength,” said Doug Haney, who recently retired from ministry at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas. Yet the church musicians crafting a meaningful worship experience often … Continue reading
Research indicates that an individual’s perceived level of busyness may be heavily connected to their self-worth and how others view their status. Individuals who are busy by choice may feel needed, in demand, and important, thus elevating their self-worth. Culturally, there has been a shift in status perception in that material objects and goods are … Continue reading