An early morning fire caused extensive damage to the facilities of Taylorville Southern Baptist Church. Firefighters were called to the church at 3:23 a.m. on Sunday, July 24. Several neighboring fire departments worked together to put out the fire, which took about an hour to get under control, the Springfield State Journal-Register reported. Read…
Lee honored in St. Louis; Search continues for new WMU head
Wanda Lee, who has served 16 years as executive director of Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU), was recognized during the Southern Baptist Convention in June for her long-standing commitment to missions. Lee announced in January that she will retire from the Birmingham-based Southern Baptist auxiliary once her replacement is named. A search committee, including Illinois WMU President Jill McNicol, currently is reviewing resumes for the post. Read…
Lake County aids Hungary Association
“It’s a different kind of hardship we face when it comes to religion today,” Gyuri Varga said on a visit to Illinois. Varga is a pastor in Hungary. He is a leader in the Hungary Baptist denomination. “Generally speaking, we have freedom of religion in Hungary since the fall of communism,” he said, “but the society is more secular, so there is a, uh, putting away of religion or discussion about belief in God.” Read…
Abortion ruling makes access easier
Abortion advocates celebrated in June when the U.S. Supreme Court released its 5-3 opinion striking down a Texas law which held abortion clinics to a higher standard of care. The New York Times hailed it as the “most significant victory in a generation for a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body.” Read…
Pastor urges ‘yes’ to refugees
“Our citizenship is in a different place. We want to communicate clearly we belong to a different Kingdom. It’s not an American Kingdom, it’s the Kingdom of God. We want to tell all those who are orphans and refugees, you’re welcome here. I don’t care what religion, what background, you’re welcome because we believe the gospel can rescue and save everyone.” – Phil Nelson, Pastor of Lakeland Baptist, Carbondale. Read…