Caring Well Sunday, Sept. 24, is on the SBC Calendar this year for the first time, giving churches an opportunity to acknowledge the emotional toll of sexual abuse and commit to ensuring congregations are safe places. “We may never even know who they are in our congregations, but I can guarantee there’s not a single […]
Outside the Walls: Let Them Go
“Thanks for helping me move into college, Dad. So, how long are you planning to stay?” Just like that, 18 years of preparing my second son Connor for the world came to an end. Connor is attending Anderson University and is on their inaugural football team. For those who have not experienced taking their child […]
How does Janie Chapman Offering make a difference?
In 1902, Janie Chapman became the first South Carolina Woman’s Missionary Union president, and she served for 22 years. She was said to be disciplined with inner strength and a gentle spirit. She glorified the Lord in her work. The Janie Chapman Offering for State Missions was started and continues to be the driving force […]
President’s Perspective: ‘Let’s Go’ … to Thailand!
Thinking of going on a short-term mission project? It could go something like this: Our mission team convened in the First Baptist, Newberry, parking lot in the wee hours of a July Thursday. Six of us from our church, plus Ben Harr, pastor of Willow Swamp Baptist Church of Norway, headed off to catch a […]
Legislative Update: What Can We Learn from the Ohio Constitutional Referendum?
On Tuesday, Aug. 8, the people of Ohio voted no on a constitutional amendment that would have raised the bar to change their state constitution from 50-percent-plus-one to 60 percent. The “no” vote means the current law will stay in place. The vote is being seen as a defeat for pro-life forces who are now […]
New and Noteworthy Books
TEACHING TRUTH AND TRAINING HEARTS: THE STUDY OF CATECHISMS IN BAPTIST LIFE (Founders Press) by Thomas J. Nettles Catechisms are a first cousin to confessions of faith and have served as a useful tool in training the hearts and minds of Christians throughout church history. But the mention of catechisms and teaching by catechesis may […]
Sister seeks brother, meaning in ‘Orphan Train’ story
“Charles Found at Last,” a new book release from Courier Publishing (116 pages, $14.95), is the true story of “Orphan Train” rider (the late) Dorothy Urch and her quest to find the brother she last saw as a baby. As the story begins, five-year-old Dorothy waits on the platform of Grand Central Station, holding tightly […]
Ninety Six Pastor Nominee to Lead SCBC
Chuck Sprouse, pastor of First Baptist Church of Ninety Six, will be nominated for president-elect of the South Carolina Baptist Convention at the annual meeting in November. Zack Little, pastor of South Side Baptist Church in Abbeville, announced his intention to nominate Sprouse in an Aug. 8 email to The Courier. Sprouse has been a […]
Courier hires new publishing leader
It might have been a prophetic moment when the groom’s cake at Evan Knies’s wedding was made to resemble a stack of books. Knies, a Richmond, Ky., native, who presently works in local church ministry in Louisiana, was recently named the new publisher for the Courier Publishing company. He replaces Butch Blume, who retired earlier […]
Striking the Waters: Confessional Cooperation the S.C. Baptist Way (Part 2)
Last month, The Courier published the first of this two-part series explaining the South Carolina Baptist kind of confessional cooperation. The thesis is that Baptists came confessing and Baptists came cooperating; we are a confessionally cooperative people. However, part of historic Baptist doctrine and practice emphasizes the autonomy of both local congregations and Baptist organizations. […]