Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief teams have been deployed to hard hit North Carolina to serve victims of Hurricane Helene over the next few weeks. Teams from Kaskaskia and Williamson Baptist Associations arrived on Oct. 20 and 21 and will serve as incident command, assessors, and chaplains. Additional teams from Kaskaskia and Macoupin Baptist Associations will […]
Annie Armstrong, Lottie Moon offerings reach highest point in history
Generosity among Southern Baptists remains strong as evidenced by the most recent Annie Armstrong Easter Offering and Lottie Moon Christmas Offering totals. When the books closed on the SBC’s 2023-24 fiscal year Sept. 30, the Annie offering totaled $74.7 million, and the Lottie offering totaled $206.8 million – record highs for both. The openhanded giving through […]
Masters (55+) Program offers pathway for kingdom impact
People age 55 and older have an opportunity to participate in the core missionary task with the International Mission Board. The IMB is inviting such Southern Baptist church members to give two years of their next season to the Lord, fully funded, using their gifts and skills for kingdom impact. The Masters (55+) Program allows […]
Revival Generation: Will our students lead the way?
Wow! It sounds like your student ministry is experiencing a revival,” a youth pastor friend said to me after I shared what’s been happening in our ministry. Our student ministry recently experienced an incredible season of growth. After facing challenges that hindered us from gathering, we were able to come together again, and the results […]
IBDR volunteers still needed in Georgia
Georgia is going to be on the minds of Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers through Thanksgiving according to Arnold Ramage. At least that’s how long the disaster relief response to Augusta in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene is anticipated to last the IBDR State Coordinator told the Illinois Baptist. Mass feeding efforts in the state […]
Fire guts Streator church pantry and fellowship hall
A building that doubles as food pantry and fellowship hall for New Beginnings Baptist Church in Streator suffered major damage from a fire in the early morning hours of Oct. 11. The Streator Fire Department arrived at 201 E. Bridge Street at 1:41 a.m. and was on the scene for three hours receiving assistance from […]
IBDR response to Hurricane Helene continues, response to Hurricane Milton begins
As the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) response efforts to Hurricane Helene continue, preparations for Hurricane Milton are underway. And Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief (IBDR) volunteers are involved in both. IBDR feeding volunteers served in Augusta, Ga. to minister to victims in partnership with Georgia, Kansas/Nebraska, Missouri, and Michigan/Wisconsin Baptists. Hurricane Helene barreled through the […]
Annual Meeting: Coming to Chicagoland
We’re headed back to Chicagoland for the annual gathering of Illinois Baptists. Ashburn Baptist Church in Orland Park, one of IBSA’s newer cooperating churches, will host the 118th Annual Meeting of the Illinois Baptist State Association. The schedule for 2024 brings much of the required business action together with worship, preaching, and missions in a […]
Abuse in the SBC
With SATF recommendations approved, the hard part begins
“The recommendations before you are not from Guidepost, they are from the task force,” Bruce Frank, chairman of the Sexual Abuse Task Force told messengers as they prepared to vote on a set of history-making recommendations at the SBC Annual Meeting June 14-15 in Anaheim, Calif. The task force was assigned and authorized by action […]
IBSA President on abuse response: From difficulties to determination
A 288-page report on any subject is daunting, but as a Southern Baptist, pastor, and president of IBSA, I felt a responsibility to keep the report open all last week and slowly read through it. I made notes and wrote down personal thoughts, and as I reviewed them afterwards, I was surprised to discover a […]
Former Illinois pastor accused; two relationships occurred in youth ministry in 2002
Former Illinois pastor Wes Feltner is accused by two women of abusive relationships, one of them sexual, when he was their youth minister in Indiana 17 years ago. The charges came to light as Feltner is lead candidate for the pastorate of First Baptist Church of Clarksville, Tennessee. The story was reported by the Clarksville […]
Longtime Chicago pastor resigns; sexual abuse prior to ministry among reasons
Charles Lyons resigned as pastor of Armitage Baptist Church in Chicago following what church leaders called a “corrective leave of absence” that began in October 2018. Read…
Resources
- Protect your children, protect your church https://www.ibsa.org/3327-2/
- Caring Well https://caringwell.com/
News Stories
Annual collection will help children, migrants, and church plants
Fill your boxes to the top with items our Send Chicago partners can use in their ministries and bring them to the Annual Meeting in Orland Park. If the mission project seems familiar, it is. Previously featuring multi-colored five-gallon buckets, the collection is now called “Blessing Boxes.” The switch is because square boxes are more […]
IBSA Annual Meeting: Amendments to be read, vote set
Springfield | When messengers take up business during Session 3 of the IBSA Annual Meeting Nov. 13, they will be asked to approve considerable updates to the constitutions of all three Association entities—Illinois Baptist State Association, Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services, and Baptist Foundation of Illinois (IBSA, BCHFS, and BFI). Proposed changes to entity […]
Send Relief, SBDR wrap up mass feeding as relief efforts continue in Francine aftermath
Mass care feeding wrapped up this week as Send Relief and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) prepared and served nearly 40,000 meals in the aftermath of Hurricane Francine’s landfall in Louisiana as a Category 2 storm on Sept. 11. A team of Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief (IBDR) volunteers was responsible for helping prepare more than […]
Iorg reorganizes EC heads
Nashville, Tenn. | New President and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee Jeff Iorg has reorganized the leadership team, ending speculation whether the previous interim EC head would leave. Jonathan Howe will stay on as VP of convention administration. He had led the communications team since 2019, before stepping up after the previous interim CEO […]