Chicago | Pastor Edgar Rodriguez’s son knelt on the colorful United States map painted near where 10-year-old Lena Nunez died June 29. Nunez was watching TV in her home when she was hit by a stray bullet that came through window. The young man paused at the map to pray for an end to the […]
Pray for your missionaries-in-waiting
Over the past few months, my morning routine has consisted of the same few activities: exercising, reading Scripture, and browsing through news sites of my country of service. Every day I hope to catch something––anything––about borders reopening or visas being issued. So far, my browsing hasn’t produced any results. In March of this year, my […]
Pandemic response: Disaster Relief provides disinfectant, meals, masks, and more
Hannibal, Mo. | As a Southern Baptist university in Missouri prepared to welcome back students this fall, the school got an assist from Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief (IBDR) volunteers, who provided disinfectant, soap, laundry supplies, and 6,000 face masks. “They were extremely grateful and said the disinfectant would be a great help as they prepare […]
News Stories
Pastor pledges to rebuild after arson at Dow church
Dow Southern Baptist Church sustained heavy damage in a fire early July 29. Sources on the scene told the Illinois Baptist local officials have confirmed the fire was arson. Pastor David Brown posted a 10-minute Facebook Live presentation Wednesday evening to share information with his church. “It’s terrible. It’s absolutely the most horrible thing that […]
Campers on Mission: Volunteers keep annual service weeks at IBSA camps
Illinois Campers on Mission travel to camp facilities every summer to help spruce up the grounds and make repairs to buildings onsite. Although 2020 has presented unprecedented challenges for mission teams of all kinds, the Campers spent two weeks at both Streator and Lake Sallateeska this summer. At Streator, their projects included replacing siding and […]
Two join IBSA staff
IBSA welcomed Jacob Kimbrough in July as the new manager at Streator Baptist Camp. A former residential specialist at Missouri Baptist Children’s Home, Kimbrough most recently worked for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in Kansas City, where his wife, Katie, received a Master’s degree in biblical counseling from Midwestern Seminary. In his role at Streator […]
Rising counts delay some church reopenings
Smaller churches appear to have some advantage over larger bodies as efforts to resume in-person worship gatherings continue, despite the emergence of new hot spots. The number of churches that don’t plan to reopen until “sometime next year” has grown from 1% to 5% in a month, according to researcher George Barna. The most recent […]
Encouraging Words
Disciple them, now
During this unique time, some unique discipleship issues have risen out of the sudden need to change almost everything about how we do church and ministry. Across Illinois, small groups and Sunday school classes are still meeting virtually. Some community groups or Sunday school classes are comprised of several families or couples; other virtual meet-ups […]
Every leader’s new job
“Whether realizing it or not, every leader now has the added job of being a psychologist.” Leadership expert Henry Cloud—himself a psychologist—said the COVID-19 pandemic has added a new hat to already heavy heads. At a recent webinar hosted by a Christian leadership network, Cloud said the current pandemic has cost people around the world […]