Don Hannel says he prayed for years to reach the communities near the church he pastors, First Baptist Church of Pleasant Hill, but doors did not open until this spring. Located in the narrow wedge between the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers about thirty miles south of Pleasant Hill, Hardin has no Southern Baptist church. First […]
New Illinois WMU president invites women into her calling
Two years ago, Lindsay Wineinger was bothered by the idea that her daughters could grow up without realizing the world is bigger than their corner of Illinois. The mother of three asked herself what she could do to help her girls see outside of themselves. “How can I align our family life so we are […]
Lawmakers send 650 bills to governor, some give Illinois Baptists reasons for concern
The Spring 2021 Session of the Illinois General Assembly began January 13 and officially ended May 31 in the House and June 1 in the Senate. The legislative body considered more than 7,500 bills and resolutions before passing 650, which were sent to Governor J.B. Pritzker to sign into law. Here’s a brief overview of […]
News Stories
Student camp relocated as Lake Sallateeska facility closes for one week
A student camp week was moved from Lake Sallateeska Baptist Camp to Streator Baptist Camp during the week of July 19, after Covid-19 cases were reported following a summer camp at IBSA’s southern Illinois facility near Pinckneyville the previous week. A local association that partnered with IBSA for their camp had confirmed cases of the […]
Parents seek options ahead of new school year; number of homeschoolers doubles
Homeschooling saw a surge in growth while schools were closed for in-person learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2020, U.S. Census data showed 5.4% of households homeschooled their children. By mid-October that number had doubled, increasing to 11.1%. Whether it’s due to COVID or Illinois’ new sex education bill for public schools, some […]
Litton names Executive Committee abuse investigation oversight
SBC President Ed Litton has named a seven-member task force to oversee a third-party review into the handling of sexual abuse claims by the SBC Executive Committee (EC). The task force was required by messengers at the 2021 Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville, after it was reported that the EC had hired a firm on […]
Chicago pastors seek prayer to end violence
Pastors are calling for prayer after the long July 4th holiday weekend came to a violent end with at least 108 people shot in Chicago, 17 fatally. “These are difficult days in Chicagoland, but our God is able to work through all of our difficulties,” pastor Adron Robinson told the Illinois Baptist. Robinson is pastor […]
Encouraging Words
Personal resurrection
Matthew 28 takes us to the first Sunday morning after the crucifixion. Two days prior, the disciples and friends of Jesus had witnessed his brutal execution and saw his body placed in the tomb. Many of them had restructured their lives in order to follow Jesus. They had found pride in being a part of […]
Serving the crucified Christ
Filled with hate, ignorant of truth, lacking in faith, and void of righteousness, the Jews had plotted to kill Jesus. Rome took ownership of their plot and made a statement of their authority in the act of crucifixion. In the course of less than 24 hours, Jesus was arrested, accused, lied about, cursed, and beaten. […]