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Serve Day kicks off Mission Illinois Week

September 17, 2025 By Ben Jones

Mt. Vernon | A flurry of activity surrounded a house in Mt. Vernon as the Saturday morning sun began to heat up the day. Men and older boys worked on a leaky roof. Women and younger children raked leaves, trimmed grass, and worked in landscaping. Most were wearing bright blue shirts emblazoned with “Here to […]

MIO: Investing in students expands ministry

August 29, 2025 By Ben Jones

Volkening and Barrus

There are over 400,000 students studying on the campuses of Illinois universities. Most of those are between the ages of 18 and 25, the window where people are deciding the trajectory of the rest of their life. The vitality and potential found in that season of life motivated Nick Volkening to plant New City Church […]

BF&M Articles 9 and 10: Building to the final act

August 25, 2025 By Ben Jones

BF&M: Articles 9 and 10

The “Kingdom of Heaven” or “Kingdom of God” is mentioned directly 125 times in the New Testament. That’s a lot, in case you were wondering. Consider a word as ubiquitous in our Baptist theology as salvation only occurs about 150 times (as a noun or its verbal cousin). Yet in many ways, our essential and […]

VBS is biggest yet in Marshall

August 11, 2025 By Ben Jones

Marshall BC VBS

This was a record-breaking year for Marshall Baptist Church with an explosion in Vacation Bible School participation. With 197 kids and 130 workers, the church bested its best VBS numbers. “I was blown away by our attendance this year!” Pastor Paul Cooper said. “A full week of evening VBS can be exhausting, but the excitement […]

Reporter’s Notebook: SBC Edition

June 26, 2025 By Ben Jones

Ben Jones

Groucho Marx once said, “If you find it hard to laugh at yourself, I would be happy to do it for you.” Although I have been accused of having a “resting serious face,” I also know the importance of having fun, especially together. So here are a few moments at SBC ‘25 that had us […]

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Featured Columns

Michael Awbrey

Calming an anxious generation

Michael Awbrey

You have probably heard some of the troubling statistics about teens and young adults. The data points are piling up like symptoms for a very ill patient. Since 2010, Anxiety is up 139% among 18–25-year-olds. Depression is up 145% among girls and 161% among boys. Self-harm emergency room visits are up almost 200% for girls […]

Nate Adams

Thank You

Nate Adams

These are the final few paragraphs I will write to my Illinois Baptist family as IBSA’s Executive Director, and I want to express gratitude for so many things. Thank you for welcoming my family and me back to Illinois after almost nine years at the North American Mission Board in Georgia. As I’ve written and […]

Love note: Now I can say we’re time-tested

Meredith Flynn

A few nights ago, I woke up to the sound of wind howling outside our windows. Tree branches bowed and scraped against the side of the house. A loose shutter thumped rhythmically and loudly enough to wake two of the four of us inside. “At least this house can weather the storm,” I thought as […]

More Columns

Calming an anxious generation

Michael Awbrey

You have probably heard some of the troubling statistics about teens and young adults. The data points are piling up like symptoms for a very ill patient. Since 2010, Anxiety is up 139% among 18–25-year-olds. Depression is up 145% among girls and 161% among boys. Self-harm emergency room visits are up almost 200% for girls […]

News

Screenshot: PBS

Chicagoland’s Gaiter, Shannon honor civil rights icons and mentors

Illinois Baptist Staff

Chicagoland | Two pastors from IBSA network churches recently honored leaders in the civil rights movement who served as mentors and role models. Pastor Maurice Gaiter of Empowerment Community Church in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood was invited to pray at a remembrance service for Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died Feb. 17 at age 84. “He gave […]

State Department urges Americans to leave 14 Middle Eastern countries

Group of SBC leaders caught amid Iran attacks now headed back to U.S.

More News Stories

Mission

“While we have not yet arrived at the destination we envision, I believe we are clearly headed in the right direction,” said IMB President Paul Chitwood to trustees in the May 22 plenary session. IMB Photo

IMB trustees appoint new missionaries, elect first woman chair

Leslie Caldwell

Richmond | International Mission Board trustees approved 65 fully funded missionaries for appointment during their May 21-22 meeting near Richmond, Virginia. The missionaries approved for appointment will be recognized during a Sending Celebration on Tuesday, June 10, at 10:08 a.m. CDT in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Dallas. The event will […]

Metro East church plant hosts multiplication meeting

Sallateeska baptism demonstrates SBC connections

More Mission Stories

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