News

Once described as the London of the American West, St. Louis has more recently been crowned a city of hope and hurt.

Through entrepreneurial action, Southwest Baptist University’s Enactus team is fulfilling the university’s mission to be a “Christ-centered, caring academic community preparing students to be servant leaders in a global society.”

What began as a vision given to a young Baptist pastor and his wife more than a century ago has grown into a vibrant ministry with campuses across Missouri and ministry connections around the world.

Recalling examples from his own life, Paul Gibson,  early on realized that “we were running against” other denominations and sometimes even other Baptists, he told Fall Adult Retreat attendees Oct. 7.

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Heartland installed new coordinator Jeff Langford and celebrated the 25th anniversary of national CBF during its fall assembly Oct. 21 at First Baptist Church of Jefferson City, Mo.

More than 40 former International Mission Board journeymen who were appointed in the second year of the two-year overseas missions program celebrated the 50th anniversary of their commissioning Oct. 13-16 at the International Learning Center in Rockville, Va.

John Howell, an original faculty member of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas, Mo., was remembered fondly following his death at 92 on Sept. 6 after a short illness.

John, of Village of Oaks, Mo., taught Christian ethics, served as faculty dean and vice president of academic affairs at the seminary during his tenure from 1960 until his retirement in 1999. Then he was named dean emeritus.

Few pastors throw their hat into a political race. But many engage in politics in other ways, both in the public square and in church sanctuaries.

“Ministry is not a vocation, it’s not an occupation, it's a calling,” states a senator from Oklahoma. Others see running for office as part of the process of living out their faith.

American Baptist Churches of the Great Rivers Region (Missouri and Illinois) upended the traditional tithe of 10 percent by giving 90 percent of a recent bequest to the denomination’s International Ministries for overseas missionary work.