Blog
Blog  Karol Vellines, Executive Director, Andrew P. Stuart Center At Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. C. Anne Davis, dean of the Carver School of Church Social Work, taught with her own type of parable: “When you see people floating down the river unable to get out, do you give them a hand out of the river or do you run around the bend and find out who is throwing them in? Well, of course, you do both!” www.stewartcenter.org/Rev. Christopher Copeland, Minister for Leadership Formation
A few weeks ago I traveled to Santa Fe to spend a week at Ghost Ranch, a beautiful desert conference center owned by the Presbyterian Church, USA. The purpose of my trip was to retreat and intentionally engage my spiritual life by taking the course, High Desert Spiritual Quest. I spent the week with 16 other pilgrims hiking gorgeous canyons, viewing ancient petroglyphs and pictographs, praying with the brothers at Christ in the Desert monastery, offering gratitude to the Spirit in a Native American sweat lodge ceremony, camping solo in the sage-filled desert, and laughing and playing as we kayaked down the Chama River. Interwoven in our activities were intentional times for reflection and sharing together as a community. This is spiritual formation.
by Paula Clayton Dempsey
On my recent trip to Washington, D.C., I met a woman named Mavis who advocates for Latin America on Capitol Hill. Mavis’ commitment to our Cuban brothers and sisters and her work to influence Congress to remove the oppressive travel restrictions are strong and undying. Wondering what compels her endless devotion, I asked her about her faith commitment. She described herself as a “marinated Lutheran.” Mavis went on to tell me about not only her marination, but that of her minister husband which has resulted in their living apart for nearly two years while he works in an economically underdeveloped country.
by Ken Sehested author of In the Land of the Living: Prayers Personal and Public, Co-Pastor Circle of Mercy, Asheville, North Carolina
If required to summarize my deepest conviction in a single sentence, it would be something like this: I believe that God is more taken with the agony of the earth than with the ecstasy of heaven. From this root grow seven related stems on which the prayers that follow depend for nourishment.
by J. Carl Gregg
Christianity, as some have joked, is not about “20 impossible things to believe before breakfast.”
by Paula Clayton Dempsey
From coast to coast, groups gathered during June to pay tribute to Stan Hastey for his excellent leadership and courageous stance in Baptist life during the 20 years he has lead the Alliance.
by Wayne Grinstead
Following Cuba’s first leadership change in almost five decades, the world’s media speculated on what the future holds for the island’s 11 million people.
To many observers, Cuba has changed little since 1959 when Fidel Castro’s rebels overthrew U.S. backed President Fulgencio Batista, marched triumphantly into Havana, set up headquarters in the Havana Libre Hotel—formerly the Havana Hilton—and proclaimed the country a Socialist state.
by Kim Gazella
Sometimes, dreams really do come true! For the community of El Bejuco in Nicaragua, a magnificent, long-awaited dream came true with the official opening of its new health clinic June 26.
Working through the Alliance of Baptists’ international partner organization AMOS Health and Hope, a 15-member delegation from Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh, N.C., had broken ground for the clinic more than a year ago with the financial support of Pullen and many individual contributions.
by Melissa Hale
Dear family and friends,
Another month has gone by… it has been a rather eventful one.
I have had a couple of opportunities to interact with Iraqi Nationals. The first was the Women’s Initiative Conference that I attended with the Brigade’s Women’s Initiatives Team. We talked to Iraqi women about ways to empower them in their communities. 65% of Iraqi women are widows. A good portion of these have little to no family support to help take care of them and their children. Some can’t get help from the government of Iraq (GoI) because they do not have a death certificate for their husband (due to kidnapping, missing, etc.). There are lots of programs being put in place to help.
Chris Copeland, Minister for Leadership Formation The first conversation we had as a group was whether our discussions could be videotaped for a web podcast. Although there was much discussion, the general sense was that if the camera were on, some folks would not be able to share what they really thought, but rather would speak in an official capacity. I looked across the room and caught the eye of Phyllis Tickle — founding editor of the religion department of Publishers Weekly and an authority on Emergence Christianity — and realized I was not the only person surprised and discouraged by this conclusion. www.homebrewedchristianity.org
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