By CBF field personnel Suzie Hope is what motivated most of our ancestors to leave their countries of origin and seek a better life in the United States. That impulse to find a haven continues for people of faith in many parts of the world. Over the past several years, we have experienced this personally. … Continue reading
By Rev. Dr. Christian McIvor For many, each New Year is approached with a profound sense of hope and renewal. We make resolutions out of a desire to better ourselves and the world around us. But as we move into 2023, it’s no secret that there’s not much to be hopeful about regarding the state … Continue reading
By Gennady Podgaisky, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel We came to the States in December of 2021 on a scheduled off-field assignment. We were planning to go back to the Ukraine on March 12, 2022 but, due to the war, we could not return. About a week after the war started on February 24, we … Continue reading
“Master, I want to see,” said the old blind beggar. It was an emphatically clear and concise answer to a bold question asked by Jesus of Nazareth. And this answer was met with a clear resolution: restored eyesight. In the Gospels, we see Jesus healing the sick and relieving the infirmities of the broken. In … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed I am so relieved that heading into Advent and Christmas 2021, the pandemic is in the rearview mirror. We can put aside the difficulty and the different look of last year’s holiday observances and go all out, with all of our people back in the pews! Record scratch. The reality is that … Continue reading
By Layne Rogerson My final visit of the day was with a family who recently started hospice services. At the conclusion of the visit the adult child walked me to the car and shared that several years ago she had attempted suicide when she was at a place in her life where she could see no hope. Now, she has confidence that with God she will always … Continue reading
By Lesley-Ann Hix Tommey Reflection based on Isaiah 40:1-5 During one Living Well meeting in November, one of our participants showed up on the Zoom call 30 minutes late, overly apologetic and completely flustered. Just 20 hours earlier, and with less than a day’s warning, she had been given notice that she was being transferred … Continue reading
By Holly Strother-Waller I watched Emma’s body come up out of the Jacuzzi-looking portable baptismal. The pandemic forced the church to get creative for our baptisms throughout the last year. Water splashed on to Worship center floor as she got out of the pool of water to get dried off. The water continued to ripple … Continue reading
Over the next weeks and months, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship will be sharing reflections from our CBF field personnel serving around the world. These are stories of impact and outreach, Gospel-sharing and relationship building, long-term presence and abundant love. The following is a reflection from CBF field personnel Steve Clark, who serves among Karen refugees … Continue reading
By Kristan Pitts Advent is a season of paradox. It’s a season where we hold in tension the celebration of the birth of Christ and the anticipation of Christ’s second coming. 2020 has been an exercise of what it means to exist in tension. We have experienced a pandemic, increased visibility of structural injustice, polarizing political … Continue reading