By Ouachita Baptist University communications ARKADELPHIA, Ark.—Have you sensed a call to Christian ministry? Are you interested in learning more about diverse ministry opportunities? Ouachita Baptist University is hosting a Called 2 Ministry Retreat on Friday and Saturday, July 28-29 on Ouachita’s Arkadelphia campus. The unique two-day retreat is designed for high school students who sense God has called them into some area of vocational ministry or are interested in exploring the various areas of ministry available in today’s world. The two-day retreat is co-sponsored by Ouachita, The Prestonwood Network, Cross Church School of Ministry and the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. Keynote speakers include Jarrett Stephens, teaching pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas; Brian Mills, college pastor at Cross Church, Fayetteville; Jeremy Nottingham, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Brandon, Miss., and more. Worship will be led by Blake Johnson, student ministry worship leader at Prestonwood. “Our goal for the retreat is to help prepare high school students on their journey in exploring God’s call to ministry,” said Ouachita President Ben Sells. “We look forward to our retreat leaders encouraging and … [Read more...]

By Josie Bingham, North American Mission Board. PHOENIX (BP) – It started Friday, June 9 – the rumblings of an awakening. More than 700 voices worshiped at North Phoenix Baptist Church in Phoenix, Ariz., kicking off the weekend's Crossover Arizona and Harvest America events. The North American Mission Board's (NAMB) Crossover Arizona and Greg Laurie's Harvest America joined forces to host a three-day evangelistic outreach involving training, street evangelism and service projects before culminating in Harvest America's Sunday night crusade. By the end of that evening, Harvest reported 2,904 salvation decisions at the event with another 494 indicating decisions online. The events were held in conjunction with this year's Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Phoenix. "Welcome to Crossover," said Jason Powell, pastor at Harvest Christian Fellowship, during Crossover's Friday-evening gathering. "This is for you to learn tips and tactics to tell someone else about Jesus. While we're excited about the opportunity for 35,000 people to hear the Gospel at the crusade, it's very important we learn how to share and get out there every day." Powell was one of three key speakers at Crossover's opening night of … [Read more...]

By David Roach, Baptist Press PHOENIX (BP) -- Tennessee pastor Steve Gaines will be nominated for a second term as president of the Southern Baptist Convention, his son Grant announced today (May 17). Gaines "has led the convention faithfully" over the past year and been "marked by ... godly traits," Grant Gaines, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Jackson, Tenn., wrote in a statement to Baptist Press announcing his intent to nominate his father at the June 13-14 SBC annual meeting in Phoenix. Steve Gaines, pastor of Memphis-area Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tenn., has focused his first year in office on calling Southern Baptists to pray and rekindle a passion for personal evangelism. He has championed the Cooperative Program, Southern Baptists' unified method of funding missions and ministries in North America and internationally. Grant Gaines stated three reasons he plans to nominate his father: "First, he has been a consummate statesman in a year full of political and moral turmoil in our nation. Through his example, he has shown us all how to combine both a prophetic voice when need be, as well as wise restraint when certain comments might not be helpful," Grant Gaines wrote. "Second, through his … [Read more...]

By Baptist Press Staff PHOENIX (BP) -- The program for the 2017 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting has been released. The meeting will convene at the Phoenix Convention Center Tuesday, June 13, at 8:15 a.m. and conclude Wednesday, June 14, at 4:55 p.m. A full schedule follows. TUESDAY MORNING, JUNE 13 8:15 -- Opening worship -- Mark Blair, Convention music director; music minister, Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, Tenn. 8:25 -- Welcome and call to order -- Steve Gaines, SBC president; senior pastor, Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, Tenn. Announcement of Committee on Committees, Credentials Committee, Tellers, and Resolutions Committee 8:30 -- Scripture and prayer -- Grant Gaines, senior pastor, Calvary Baptist Church, Jackson, Tenn. 8:35 -- Registration report and Constitution of Convention -- Jim Wells, SBC registration secretary, Crossway Baptist Church, Springfield, Mo. 8:38 -- Committee on Order of Business report (First) -- Rod D. Martin, chairman; founder and CEO, The Martin Organization, Destin, Fla. 8:43 -- Appreciation of Phoenix volunteers -- Steve Gaines 8:45 -- Welcome to Phoenix -- Noe Garcia, pastor, North Phoenix Baptist Church, Phoenix, Ariz. 8:50 -- Honoring America … [Read more...]

By Tom Strode PHOENIX (BP) -- Messengers and other participants in the Southern Baptist Convention's June meeting will be able to run to help feed the hungry. A coalition of Southern Baptist organizations is sponsoring the Global Hunger Relief Run June 14, the second day of this year's convention meeting in Phoenix. All registration fees for the event -- which includes a 5K race and a one-mile, family oriented fun run -- will be used to feed the hungry in the United States and throughout the world. Global Hunger Relief (GHR) is a partnership of seven Southern Baptist entities that collaborate to address hunger needs in the world. The Cooperative Program's support of SBC entities enables 100 percent of the gifts received by GHR to be used in hunger projects implemented by Southern Baptist missionaries and partners. Eighty percent of those funds are used overseas through the work of the International Mission Board (IMB) and Baptist Global Response (BGR). The North American Mission Board (NAMB) distributes the other 20 percent of the money with the supervisory help of the Baptist state conventions. Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), commended GHR and the effort in … [Read more...]

By Brian Hobbs/Oklahoma Baptist Messenger PHOENIX (BP) -- The Baptist Messenger recently sat down with renowned evangelist and pastor Greg Laurie, who has been holding Harvest crusades, which are large-scale evangelistic outreach events throughout the United States and abroad, since 1990. In the interview, Laurie talks about the upcoming Harvest event scheduled for June 11 in Phoenix. The event will be held in conjunction with the Crossover evangelism events leading up to the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting on June 13-14. See interview with Laurie below. The Harvest America evangelism event coming to Phoenix, Ariz., will be held in conjunction with the SBC's annual meeting. You have teamed up with the SBC and the North American Mission Board to promote this Harvest America event. For our listeners who might be unfamiliar, can you talk about this outreach event and tell us what it is all about? Laurie: Kevin Ezell, who directs the North American Mission Board, came to us with the idea of Harvest Ministry to join forces, because we are all passionate about evangelism; we want to reach people. The problem for a lot of folks is how to get out there and do it. You know, a lot of folks come in from around … [Read more...]