Some Illinois Baptist leaders expressed surprise but are hoping for a godly outcome in a federal investigation of the Southern Baptist Convention’s handling of sexual abuse claims. “It caught me by surprise,” said Adron Robinson, an Illinois representative on the SBC Executive Committee (EC), while also urging prayer for justice. IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams […]
IBDR: Digging out in Metro east
A wide green line on a map of East St. Louis encircles most of the town. It’s the flood zone hit by the same storm system that flooded St. Louis on the other side of the Mississippi River and inundated several counties in Kentucky in late July. The record floods in Kentucky killed 37 people, […]
DOJ investigation of SBC abuse updated
(Editor’s note: The following is from our reporting partners at The Baptist Paper. The Executive Committee will meet online in executive session on Monday afternoon. Details of that meeting are not expected to be made public. This report shows what is known so far about the extent of the Department of Justice investigation as it […]
News Stories
2023 VBS theme revealed
The VBS for next year is based on a fictional game, “Twists and Turns.” The theme was announced just ahead of the SBC meeting in Anaheim. “Spin the spinner, beat the clock, skip ahead, level up, and play to win!” Lifeway advertised in the big reveal. The game theme is used to teach five key […]
Lifeway targets frontier states
Illinois native and Lifeway head Ben Mandrell shared the organization’s desire to partner with churches around the globe, including those who have felt underserved. After noting the challenges of leading Lifeway during his first three years as president, Mandrell said he believes the organization’s vision is crystallizing. “We are expanding the boundaries beyond the Southeast […]
Former editor dies at 61
Former newspaper editor Michael Leathers died August 3 at Springfield Memorial Hospital. He was 61. Leathers served as editor of the Illinois Baptist 1999-2002, and was currently a media and public relations consultant for Memorial Health Systems. He was a native of Mt. Vernon and a graduate of Judson College. He is survived by his […]
First Person: A statement regarding the Baptist Faith & Message and the word ‘pastor’
When the Baptist Faith & Message Study Committee made its report to the 2000 meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, the three of us, Charles S. Kelley, Jr., Richard D. Land, and R. Albert Mohler, Jr., were assigned two particular tasks by the committee and its chairman, Dr. Adrian Rogers. First, we were asked to […]
Encouraging Words
Frozen in motion
Overwhelm. I think that’s my word so far for 2022. Last year began as a year of weary, needing change. My husband was jobless. We lived in a one-bedroom apartment with our toddler. My work was remote, and our lifestyle was very limited. But this year the changes are hitting me hard. None of these […]
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 […]
Leaders
Ministering to immigrants
Jared Pryer of Ten Mile Baptist Church once expressed to me a burden that God laid on his heart. He explained the overwhelming need of ministering to hundreds of migrant workers who would travel to Southern Illinois and work for three months, before heading back to their home countries. They would come, work, and go […]