Pastor remembered for how he invested in fellow leaders
“Do not think his final moment is the last word on his life,” Ed Stetzer wrote of Darrin Patrick, who died May 7. “He cared about pastors and his death reminds me that we need to care about them as well.”
Patrick died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound while target shooting with a friend, his church has announced. The 49-year-old pastor was serving as teaching pastor at Seacoast Church in South Carolina, but is best known as the founder of Journey Church in St. Louis. The multisite congregation currently has five locations, including one in Belleville, Ill. After Patrick was removed from leadership at Journey in 2016, Stetzer wrote, the pastor used his struggles and eventual restoration to help others.
Patrick is survived by his wife, Amie, and their four children. “We will be a mess for a good while,” Amie Patrick posted on social media, “but we will be ok. We grieve deeply with unwavering hope that this world is not the end and that we will see our Darrin again.”
Christian leaders call for justice in Ahmaud Arbery killing
Pastors and ministry leaders across the country condemned the shooting of a 25-year-old Georgia man, and called Christians to stand against injustice. Ahmaud Arbery was gunned down in February while jogging in a neighborhood outside Brunswick, Ga. The investigation of his death lagged until video of the shooting was released last week. A father and son, Gregory and Travis McMichael, were arrested May 7 and have been charged with murder and aggravated assault.
>Related: Southern Baptist Convention officers call for solidarity, support for minorities
High court considers abortion mandate again
As the Supreme Court convened via telephone conference, an order of Roman Catholic nuns continued its years-long fight to be exempt from a healthcare mandate that requires it to cover contraceptives in employee healthcare plans. The case of Little Sisters of the Poor is one of several matters related to religious liberty on the court’s current schedule.
Online concert to benefit churches amid pandemic
A May 15 benefit concert will raise money for churches at risk of closing due to the fallout of the Coronavirus pandemic. The benefit, which so far includes artists Lecrae, Lauren Daigle, and Toby Mac, will be broadcast at TogetherGeneration.com/CHC.
Sources: Christianity Today, Baptist Press, Christian Post, Biblical Recorder, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission