Bethea Retirement Community broke ground Aug. 27 for a 60,000-square-foot healthcare and rehab facility that will accommodate both long-term care and short-term rehabilitation needs. According to Bethea’s executive director, Ben Spurling, the new facility will feature private rooms, a 3,000-square-foot rehabilitation gym, a household design with residential living, activity and dining spaces, and access to […]
SCBC releases committee reports ahead of annual meeting
The South Carolina Baptist Convention has released the 2019 reports of the Committee on Committees and the Nominations Committee. The membership roster of the 2020 Committee on Committees has also been released. The reports will be considered at the upcoming SCBC annual meeting, to be held Nov. 11-12 in Moore. The reports can be viewed […]
Buckley to be candidate for state convention office
Seth Buckley, student minister at First Baptist Church of Spartanburg, will be nominated for second vice president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention when messengers gather at the Church at The Mill in Moore Nov. 11-12. In announcing Buckley’s nomination Sept. 9, David Wike, senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Florence, noted that Buckley […]
Obituary: John Osborne “Joe” Reed Jr.
John Osborne “Joe” Reed Jr., 96, of Columbia, died Aug. 10, 2019, at Agape Hospice House in Columbia. A native of Sumter, he was a graduate of North Greenville University, Furman University and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. He also attended Columbia Bible College (now Columbia International University) for two years. Ordained in […]
Obituary: Juanita Garrison
Juanita Garrison, who dispensed wit and farm-fresh wisdom for 15 years as the “Sunday Dinner” columnist for The Baptist Courier, died Sept. 5, 2019. Her column featured recipes submitted by Courier readers as well as favorite dishes from her own kitchen. “Sunday Dinner” ran in The Courier from 2002-2018, and in 2016 Courier Publishing released […]
Parson’s Pantry exceeds $1 million
Parson’s Pantry, a benevolent ministry created to provide financial assistance to the widows of pastors, pastors, and married ministerial students, has now given over $1 million to more than 1,000 Christian servants. “I never knew the needs were so great, and I never imagined people would step up and help as they have,” said Ron […]
Denying self is key to serving Christ, most churchgoers say
A majority of Protestant churchgoers believe making sacrificial decisions to serve Christ is essential to their faith, and most try to avoid situations that might lead to immoral thoughts or actions, according to a new study. The 2019 Discipleship Pathway Assessment study from LifeWay Research found two-thirds (66 percent) of Protestant churchgoers agree with the […]
‘Repurposed’ Credentials Committee elects Bramlett as chair
The Credentials Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention has elected Stacy Bramlett of Tennessee as its chair. The nine-member Credentials Committee was repurposed during the SBC’s 2019 annual meeting into a standing committee to make inquiries and recommendations for action regarding instances of sexual abuse, racism or other issues that call a church’s relationship with […]
Gray named executive director of Kentucky convention
Todd Gray has been named the new executive director-treasurer of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. Gray, a Kentucky native, was confirmed by the KBC Mission Board to the position in a special called meeting on July 25 in Louisville. Gray called the appointment a great honor. “While I did not aspire to the position, I couldn’t […]
Liberty University opens Michael W. Smith Music Center
School of Music students at Liberty University will be introduced this fall to the new Michael W. Smith Center for Commercial Music. Elijah Chau, a senior worship leadership major at Liberty, said he began listening to Smith’s worship music as well as interviews featuring Smith in high school and believes hands-on experience with a veteran […]