Great Commission moment is now, IMB’s Elliff tells trustees

 It’s a question that both haunts and drives Tom Elliff, the kind that sometimes wakes him in the middle of night. But the International Mission Board’s (IMB) president won’t answer it until he dies, stands before the judgment seat of Christ and hears it fall from the lips of his Savior: “What did you do with what I entrusted to you?”

Hearts ready for gospel, Elliff tells appointees

Turner Bowman* walked into a jail cell as the door slammed behind him. He knew all too well the sounds, smells and sights of captivity.

After the attack & devastation, Pakistani collegians impart hope

The Pakistani college students stepped gingerly through the pile of bricks, barely recognizing the church building. Its once-white walls were ashen from hours of burning and heat still radiated from glowing embers.

Islamic terrorism spree shakes Nigeria

A declaration of a state of emergency in three northern Nigerian states does nothing to address the root cause of a surge in Islamic terrorism against Christians and others, an expert in Islamism told Baptist Press.

German homeschoolers denied asylum

A German homeschooling family has been denied asylum in a unanimous decision by a three-judge panel of the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals upholding a ruling by the Board of Immigration Appeals.

Winter Olympics initiative to ‘Engage Sochi’

With the 2014 Winter Olympic Games less than a year away, Southern Baptists are preparing for opportunities in Sochi, Russia, to turn hearts and minds toward a relationship with Jesus Christ. 

A small church makes a big difference

Some children are raised in and by the church, and Jane Wise* was definitely the “church’s kid.”

U.S. pastor in Iran released from confinement

Saeed Abedini, the American pastor imprisoned in Iran for his faith, has been released from solitary confinement, “a direct result of the multitudes praying,” his wife told the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) May 9.

Begging for a better life

The small-framed girl weaves through the mass of bodies bustling along a congested sidewalk. Her dark, almond-shaped eyes dart from person to person, choosing a subject. She approaches a woman and tugs on her sleeve, extending a small, dirty palm and uttering in a childish, imploring voice: “Sister, give me two taka (2½ cents)!”  The woman shrugs her off, telling Minara* to go find work as a housemaid. The girl cries, “No, give me money!” but the woman brushes past and continues on her way.

Rekha: out of the ashes

When the lessons end for the day, Rekha joins 13 other girls for lunch, their loud chatter punctuated with giggles and laughter. Afterward, the 17-year-old works with the younger girls as they learn to embroider handicrafts. This is a source of income that helps Rekha provide for her mother and two sisters at home.