American families interested in adopting babies from the People’s Republic of China will find it more difficult when tougher guidelines are implemented in May. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – American families interested in adopting babies from the People’s Republic of China will find it more difficult when tougher guidelines are implemented in May. Those rules will refuse adoption to people who are obese, single, over 50 years old or on anti-depressant medication. Prospective parents also will be required to have been married for two years and have no more than four children.   The director of the China Center for Adoption Affairs said the measures will help ensure the quality of adoptive parents, according to a report in the Associated Press. In the past 10 years, more than 50,000 Chinese babies have been adopted by foreigners, the majority of whom are from North America and Europe.   China’s population control law limits most couples to only one child. Large numbers of baby girls are abandoned at birth because of a traditional Chinese preference for sons. More than 90 percent of Chinese babies adopted are girls. AFGHAN WOMEN STILL STRUGGLE – Millions of women and girls in Afghanistan continue to face daily violence and … [Read more...]

The message of the Gospel may be 2,000 years old but thanks to new Internet-driven technologies – podcasts, blogs, webcasts and others –Southern Baptists’ work of spreading the Good News has never been easier, more flexible or more pervasive. ALPHARETTA, GA. (BP) – The message of the Gospel may be 2,000 years old but thanks to new Internet-driven technologies – podcasts, blogs, webcasts and others –Southern Baptists’ work of spreading the Good News has never been easier, more flexible or more pervasive.   The North American Mission Board’s (NAMB’s) church planting group has just launched a new weekly podcast aimed at the church planting community, according to Tom Cheyney, the group’s resourcing manager.   What is a podcast? Think of it as an audio "broadcast" but aimed at – or subscribed to by — specific audiences. The audio program can be accessed live or downloaded for listening at a more convenient time, much like using a Tivo® digital video recorder or VCR to "time-shift" and watch video programs later.   Podcasts can be accessed two ways — via clicking up a site on the Internet, or by using digital music or multimedia players such as Apple’s iPod® with iTunes® software.   "We’ve just released our ninth episode." … [Read more...]

The stage is set in Kansas City, Mo., as thousands of girls prepare to gather for "Blume"-four powerful days of worship, interactive conferences, hands-on missions and ministry projects, concerts, fun nightly activities, and new friends. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The stage is set in Kansas City, Mo., as thousands of girls prepare to gather for "Blume"-four powerful days of worship, interactive conferences, hands-on missions and ministry projects, concerts, fun nightly activities, and new friends.   On July 10-13, 2007, more than 8,000 girls from across the nation are expected to experience Blume, a missions event designed to challenge girls to recognize their gifts and encourage them to live out their God-given purpose. Blume is the German word for "flower" representing growth, youth, and new life. The event is open to all girls ages 12 and up, including collegiate young women.   "The purpose of Blume will be accomplished in our minds and hearts if girls leave empowered with the realization that God has a plan and purpose for their lives," said Blume coordinator Suzanne Reece. "They are each uniquely gifted, and God can use them even now to make a difference in the world and to accomplish His mission."   Taking a holistic approach … [Read more...]

Nearly all churches were involved in some way in evangelism during the past year, though many churches place a low priority on increasing their community outreach, according to research released by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.     PHOENIX (BP) – Nearly all churches were involved in some way in evangelism during the past year, though many churches place a low priority on increasing their community outreach, according to research released by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.   Research released in the January/February edition of LifeWay’s Facts & Trends magazine examines the level of involvement of U.S. Protestant churches in evangelism and community outreach, as well as what obstacles hold them back from being even more involved. The study, conducted for Facts & Trends by Ellison Research of Phoenix, is a representative sample of 811 Protestant senior pastors nationwide. Senior ministers were asked about the activities their church held in the past year specifically for the purpose of evangelism, as well as what types of community outreach the church offered.   Ninety-seven percent of all churches report doing something specifically for … [Read more...]

The Louisiana Baptist Convention disaster relief ministry is responding to the ice storm disaster in southwest Missouri.     ALEXANDRIA—The Louisiana Baptist Convention disaster relief ministry is responding to the ice storm disaster in southwest Missouri. As a part of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Disaster Relief network, Louisiana is joining other teams across the nation by mobilizing quickly in response to the severe weather that hit many parts of the Midwest, particularly Missouri and Oklahoma. Both states were hammered by the ice storm that followed the I-44 corridor.   Louisiana Baptist chainsaw crews were activated and two are scheduled to leave Sunday for Southwest Missouri. According to Cal Jones, LBC disaster coordinator, the Richland Baptist Association crew (office in Minden, La.,) and the Folsom First Baptist Church team are planning to leave Sunday for Nixa, Mo.   "The problem is huge. It is somewhat like Katrina in that the damage covers thousands of square miles," Jones said.   Louisiana Baptist Convention has 23 certified chain saw crews and has a training program for equipping additional teams for future disasters.   Gibbie McMillan, director of men’s ministries and volunteerism for the Louisiana … [Read more...]

Reaching a world for Christ is the goal of the 75 or more people who participate in Sunday morning worship at First Baptist Church here.     GRIDLEY, Calif. (BP) – Reaching a world for Christ is the goal of the 75 or more people who participate in Sunday morning worship at First Baptist Church here.   "Some people are kind of amazed that a church our size gives 30 percent of its budget to missions," says Rick Cunningham, the church’s pastor. "But our church has such a cooperative spirit that it’s not an issue; it’s just part of budget planning."   The Cooperative Program comes first – 18 percent of undesignated offerings, plus 7 percent for the work of Sierra Butte Baptist Association and 3 percent to other missions and ministries.   "We feel anything we can do to present the Gospel is the mandate God gives us as a church and as individuals," Cunningham said. "The Cooperative Program helps us fulfill our mandate at a global level.   "One of the great things about the Cooperative Program for me is that the [missionaries] we send out are taken care of through prayer, through the Holy Spirit, and through the Cooperative Program," Cunningham said.   "... One thing we in the Southern Baptist Convention do agree on … [Read more...]

Forty-five years ago John Vandercook saw a need in New Orleans no one was addressing.     NEW ORLEANS – Forty-five years ago John Vandercook saw a need in New Orleans no one was addressing.   Here we had one of the busiest ports in America, with hundreds of ships a year arriving from all over the world, bringing thousands of foreign workers who would spend a few hours in this country and leave without ever knowing the first thing about us. What an opportunity if someone were to meet them, befriend them, show them some hospitality, and if possible, tell them about the Savior. Many seafarers live in countries hostile to the Christian faith, nations that not only bar Christian missionaries but forbid their own people from converting to Christianity.   This could be an opportunity, John thought. If someone had the faith – and gumption – to begin the process.   First, he would have to find out how to board the ships. He would have to be credentialed as a chaplain. Figure out a means to bridge the language gap. Secure a vehicle for driving the crewmembers into town or to a church service. Line up volunteers to help. Find the time for this. And the energy. And of course, the finances.   The sheer scope of beginning such a … [Read more...]

Baptists have always believed and taught that Baptists have always believed and taught that "God can take any tragedy, turn it around, and use it for our good, the good of others and His glory." We base that belief on the promises of Scripture, our confidence in the integrity and invincibility of the Lord, and our life experience. However, immediately following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, most of us were challenged concerning that belief. As we reflected on shattered lives, destroyed homes and churches, displaced peoples, and devastated regions, we were left wondering, "What is God doing? Why has He allowed so much devastation and destruction? How can any good come from all of this?"   In the New Orleans region, we can now see that the Lord has responded to the tragedy of Katrina through the Church of Jesus Christ and He is bringing good to people and glory to His name.   We are almost eighteen months past the time of rescue and relief and the church of Jesus is still receiving accolades from the leaders and people of our city and region. Everywhere I go, people still comment on the fact that it’s been evangelical Christians (especially Southern Baptists) who have brought help and healing to our region. They now have hope, … [Read more...]

There’s something about the football mentality of Americans, particularly men, that makes us want to apply lessons learned on the gridiron to the rest of life. Even to areas that do not compare in any manner whatsoever, like the church.     There’s something about the football mentality of Americans, particularly men, that makes us want to apply lessons learned on the gridiron to the rest of life. Even to areas that do not compare in any manner whatsoever, like the church.   Some say, "If we could just get us a pastor like…" Finish the previous sentence with the coach of your choice.   Imagine the following conversation taking place in the church foyer following a Sunday service. One fellow says, "Well, all I know is that Tommy Bowden came into Tulane – always a doormat in college football – and within two years, had led them to an undefeated season and a bowl game and national ranking." Another man says, "Don’t tell me it’s not about the coach. If you can do it in football, you can do it in the church. All we need is to find the right pastor."   As an example, take Sean Payton, the first-year coach of the New Orleans Saints.   In his first year as an NFL head coach, Payton was named "Coach of the Year" in professional … [Read more...]

Although we, as conservative Baptists, talk a lot about our focus on the Bible as the basis for our beliefs and practices, in our actual use of the Bible, we often have in view much less than the whole. Although we, as conservative Baptists, talk a lot about our focus on the Bible as the basis for our beliefs and practices, in our actual use of the Bible, we often have in view much less than the whole. Of course, I’m thinking primarily in terms of our typical preference for the New Testament over the Old Testament.   What concerns me is that our typical preference for the New Testament over the Old Testament and our stress on Jesus, even when reading Old Testament texts, is a practice which looks and sounds quite pious, but which actually may be detrimental to our fuller understanding of the message of the Bible.   To put the statement another way – if we read a New Testament understanding into an Old Testament text, we risk obscuring the message of the speaker, or writer, which was originally intended for the first hearers or readers; we may then miss what could have been learned about God from that text. In turn then, that diminished understanding of God has the potential for undermining our fuller understanding of the … [Read more...]