Student missionary dies in Maine car crash
Southern Baptist summer missionary Palmer Maphet, 20, of Mount Juliet, Tenn., was killed and three other Tennessee students and their supervisor were injured June 16 when their car was struck by another vehicle near Portland, Maine. Maphet, a sophomore at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, was serving on a team sent out by Tennessee Baptist Collegiate Ministry to minister at Laconia Motorcycle Week in Laconia, N.H. They were en route to the event when the accident occurred.
SBC registration 3rd highest in 6 years
Interest in the Great Commission Resurgence helped fuel a great attendance resurgence at the 2010 annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention June 15-16 in Orlando, Fla. This year’s unofficial messenger count was 11,070, compared to last year’s 8,790, according to SBC registration secretary Jim Wells. The total included 630 registered messengers from South Carolina. If the unofficial count holds, this year’s messenger tally will be the third-highest total in recent years and the highest since 2006.
‘Dawn Treader’ trailer debuts
The latest movie in the “Chronicles of Narnia” series will release in December, and Baptist Press and other Christian media have been given the opportunity to debut the trailer early. “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” is the third movie installment from C.S. Lewis’ famous book series, following “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” in 2005 and “Prince Caspian” in 2008. The trailer was released early exclusively through Christian media, which itself is believed to be a first for such a big film. To watch the trailer, visit http://bpnews.net/mediaplayer.asp?id=68.
VBS to hit The Big Apple
As the song says, “Start spreading the news.” LifeWay Christian Resources’ VBS 2011 is gonna be a part of it – New York, New York! Vacation Bible School 2011 will go on a “Big Apple Adventure.” Set in the city known as the crossroads of the world, VBS organizers say kids will discover adventure on every corner. Using the sights and sounds of New York, they will hear Bible stories about people who stepped out in faith and connected with Jesus Christ. More information about VBS 2011 is available at LifeWay.com/VBS.
Poll: Half say abortion morally wrong
A new Gallup poll reports the American public takes various stands on the moral acceptability of life issues. On abortion, 50 percent of Americans believe it is morally wrong, while 38 percent believe it is morally acceptable. Americans are evenly divided on physician-assisted suicide, with those who say it is morally acceptable and those who say it is morally wrong at 46 percent each. Regarding embryonic stem cell research, 59 percent believe it is morally acceptable and 32 percent believe it is morally wrong. On human cloning, only 9 percent say it is morally acceptable, while 88 percent say it is morally wrong.
GCR recordings to be closed 15 years
Audio recordings of Great Commission Resurgence Task Force proceedings will be placed in the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives in Nashville and kept closed for 15 years. GCR task force chairman Ronnie Floyd said the group is following the pattern set by the Southern Baptist Convention’s Peace Committee. “As with the Peace Committee, the recordings will be deposited at the SBC Historical Library and Archives, where they will be maintained until opened to researchers,” Floyd said in an e-mail to Baptist Press. Audio recordings of Peace Committee proceedings, which consisted of “about 135 cassette audio tapes,” were held by the Historical Library and Archives from 1987 to 1997, the library’s director, Bill Sumners, said.
84 summer missionaries commissioned
Summer student missionaries serving with World Changers, PowerPlant and Families on Mission gathered at the North American Mission Board for the annual “Great Send Off” commissioning service June 2. The 84 summer student missionaries will travel in 21 teams across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico helping lead 25,000 participants in construction, ministry and church planting projects during the summer. Harry Lewis, NAMB’s vice president of partnership missions and mobilization, delivered the commissioning sermon while summer staff worship leaders led the music.
Young recovering from bypass surgery
Former South Carolina pastor Ed Young, pastor of Second Baptist Church in Houston, is recovering from triple bypass surgery. Young, 73, was president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1992-94. He has led Second Baptist Church since 1978. The church now encompasses 54,000 members in five Houston-area locations. He formerly was pastor of First Baptist churches in Taylors and Columbia. Young was released from the hospital on June 3 after undergoing the 90-minute surgery.