Chaplains deploy to oil-marred coast
The Louisiana Baptist Convention was to begin dispatching disaster relief chaplains to the oil-beleaguered Gulf Coast areas of the state beginning June 7. “We received a request June 2” from emergency management officials “and we are sending 12 disaster relief chaplains a week for the next few months or as long as needed,” said Gibbie McMillan, disaster relief director for the Louisiana convention.
CP giving behind 2009 pace
Year-to-date contributions through the Southern Baptist Convention’s Cooperative Program are 1.30 percent below the same time frame last year. As of May 31, the year-to-date total of $132,859,692.48 for Cooperative Program (CP) missions is $1,753,044.75 behind the $134,612,737.23 received at the end of May 2009. Designated giving of $158,009,141.77 for the same year-to-date period is 3.82 percent, or $5,811,353.66, ahead of gifts of $152,197,788.11 received at this point last year.
1st ‘Buckets of Hope’ clear Haitian customs
After languishing in the Port-au-Prince port for more than a month, the first shipping container filled with Buckets of Hope was released by the Haitian government June 2. The container, owned by the Florida Baptist Convention, carried buckets of various necessities donated by Southern Baptists across the country. A second container owned by the Florida convention and filled with 41,200 pounds of rice also was released June 2 from the port in Saint Marc, located north of the capital city.
Churches scramble to meet FCC rules
Religion News Service reports that American churches are almost out of time to change their wireless microphone equipment or face more than $100,000 in fines. In January, the Federal Communications Commission mandated that anyone using wireless microphones on the 700 MHz band must stop by June 12 in order to make room for use by police, fire and emergency services. An unlicensed person or business – which includes churches – using microphones on frequencies between 698 and 806 MHz must stop or face action by the FCC.
AU in planning phase for school of nursing
With the approval on May 20 by the South Carolina Board of Nursing of its nursing program feasibility study, Anderson University is engaged in the process of obtaining approval by the board to begin an undergraduate nursing program. The target date for initiation of the program is 2012. AU will conduct an evaluation phase to develop more specific details of a potential program for review by the board.
Group applauds iPhone anti-porn stance
A conservative group that monitors the entertainment industry is applauding Apple CEO Steve Jobs for his pledge to keep porn applications off the iPhone. So-called “apps,” or programs, are wildly popular and can be downloaded through Apple’s iTunes store. There’s an application for nearly everything – including news, sports, maps and restaurants – but Jobs says the store won’t offer porn. Jobs’ stance doesn’t mean the iPhone can’t be used to find porn. It still comes with a browser to surf the Internet, although it can be disabled with parental controls. Companies such as InternetSafety.com and BSecure.com also offer anti-porn filters for the iPhone browser.
Baptist Press now on Facebook
Baptist Press now can be accessed via the social networking site Facebook. The daily news and feature stories from the Southern Baptist Convention news service can be accessed at its “Baptist Press” page — http://www.facebook.com/BaptistPress. Baptist Press also is available daily via Twitter at Twitter.com/baptistpress, as well as its website, www.bpnews.net, and via e-mail distribution.
Bivocational network pastors to meet at SBC
Some 100 members of the national Bivocational and Small Church Leadership Network will convene during the upcoming Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Orlando to air the unique needs and challenges they face as they minister in thousands of SBC churches throughout North America. The North American Mission Board will sponsor the luncheon, slated for noon-2 p.m. on Tuesday, June 15, at Orlando’s Central Parkway Baptist Church, 5281 Central Florida Parkway. Earlier this year, the group met in Albuquerque, N.M., and changed its former name, the Southern Baptist Bivocational Ministers Association, to the Bivocational and Small Church Leadership Network. More information on the luncheon and the network is available at www.bivosmallchurch.net.
131 teenagers headed to Upstate
Students from across the nation, 131 of them, will be in Greenville the week of June 14-19 working on a variety of assignments that range from painting houses to putting new roofs on homes. World Changers assists cities across North America to alleviate substandard housing. Following a six-session “how-to” study that participants complete prior to coming, students serving Greenville will hit the ground running. The major work begins Tuesday during the week of the project. The students will be staying at Edwards Road Baptist Church for the week. This initiative is in partnership with the City of Greenville, Greenville Baptist Association and other local businesses.