When Telesa Ellison’s family joined Northport Baptist Church in 1965, John Hinton had only been there for about three months. But news of the music programs he’d created there had already traveled. “When he came in February of 1965, we came that following June, my mom and dad and six children,” Ellison said. “The reason was that they had heard so many things about the music program he had started and the children’s choirs.” Now­, after decades of faithful service, Hinton is retiring as the church’s music director, and Ellison said it’s going to be a huge change for a lot of people — she, for ..read more

Severe weather — including tornadoes, torrential rain and flash flooding — has impacted parts of the South in recent days. At least three deaths caused by storms on May 8 had been reported in the region by press time. Disaster Relief volunteer teams are assessing the damage after thousands were left without power in states including Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia. “It’s hard to figure out where to start because the damage is so massive,” said Wes Jones, disaster relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. Disaster Relief teams are also busy helping residents imp ..read more

Founded by chaplain Max Helton in 1989, Motor Racing Outreach has been ministering to NASCAR drivers, teams and families for 35 years, providing community while sharing the message of Jesus Christ.  Completely donor supported, the ministry has become part of the heart and soul of the track and though it only involves four chaplains and four support staff people, what they have done over 35 years of ministry is well known and respected in the racing community. MRO’s mission is to “introduce people to Christ, to help them grow in their faith in Christlikeness and then to be a part of the b ..read more

God is faithful to His Word, but to know that, one must read Scripture. That’s why Susan Bates, founder of Your Working Copy audio Bibles has dedicated her life to recording and distributing unique audio Bibles. “How can we know He’s faithful to His Word if we don’t know His Word? It has to wound His heart that we — myself included — are so oblivious to the power of His Word and our need to know and understand it,” Bates said. “It is in knowing and understanding it that we are able to know and understand and walk with and enjoy our God.” Your Working Copy is a passion project that began ..read more

In a captivating blend of magic and message, retired Southern Baptist minister and magician David Garrard mesmerized the audience at the Auburn University “Baseball Chapel” on May 5. Garrard urged players to embrace a deeper connection with their faith as he performed illusions and other feats. Scott Shepherd, Auburn Baseball chaplain and local representative of “Athletes in Action,” welcomed Garrard as the special guest for the team breakfast. As the room filled with anticipation, Garrard transitioned from spellbinding tricks to heartfelt challenges, encouraging the players to place God at t ..read more

The University of Mobile Class of 2024 celebrated graduation on the Great Commission Lawn with fireworks, cheers from family and friends, and a UM tradition — touching the Great Commission Globe to signify being sent into the world to pursue God’s calling for their lives. Many of the 300 members of the Class of 2024 graduated from high school during the pandemic and did not experience a traditional high school graduation ceremony. To make their UM graduation extra-special, each graduate received a brightly wrapped present to open at the ceremony’s end. Each present — a University of Mobile Al ..read more

By James R. Strange, Ph.D. Professor of Biblical and Religious studies, Samford University SERVING IN CHRIST Ephesians 4:1–7; 11–16 In our fifth lesson on being an authentic church, we explore a passage from Ephesians. Paul visited Ephesus at least twice (Acts 18). Priscilla, Aquila and Apollos were probably the founders of the city’s congregations. In this chapter, Paul addresses a critical aspect of an authentic church, which is the unity of the body of Christ. Read all of chapter 4 and also 1 Corinthians 12. God makes us one but equips us with various gifts for His use. (1–7) In verse 1 ..read more

Robert Smith Jr. said his mother was protective of him when he was growing up. People would tell him that they thought he was going to be a preacher, and she didn’t want them telling him that. “She said, ‘If Little Robert is to preach, the Lord will call him,’” Smith said. And the Lord did. At age 17, after years of serving as a junior deacon and reading the Scriptures in worship, he felt the call to preach. “I had no idea how it would feed into a nearly 58-year ministry,” he said. Seeing ‘what God can do with so little’ At the end of April, Smith celebrated his retirement from his position a ..read more

LAHORE, Pakistan — Arson is suspected in a March 30 church fire in Pakistan that occurred after an individual threatened to prevent the observance of Christ’s resurrection. The predawn blaze burned the contents of the United Presbyterian Junior Church in Gujar Khan in Pakistan’s Rawalpindi District, report the news services Christian Daily International and Morning Star News. “We strongly suspect that it’s a case of arson,” Adeem Alphonse, pastor of the church, told the news services, “but the police and administration are trying to hush up the matter by terming it an outcome of a short circu ..read more

Mainline Protestant denominations have a clergy problem so severe that it’s threatening their existence. They also have a solution at their fingertips. They’re just not using it enough. First, the problem. Congregations are selling off assets, from endowment stock funds to parsonages and other church properties, to plug their budget gaps and keep paying full-time clergy who’re tired and often seeking a career change. In a survey of 1,700 pastors conducted last fall by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, 53% of clergy had seriously considered leaving ministry at least once since 2020 ..read more