A church in Georgia reported baptizing 400 people on a single Sunday in March. From among 3,000 worship attenders at the church’s three campuses, hundreds responded to the call to follow Christ in baptism. And they stirred the waters for a long time that day. Such a story seems possible in Georgia where some “buckle […]
ERLC President nomination announced
Nashville, Tenn. | A Mississippi College professor was announced as the nominee for President of the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission March 30. Dr. Evan Lenow will be presented to the ERLC Board of Trustees at a special called meeting in April. The announcement by the presidential search committee concludes a seven-month search process […]
Upbeat Foshie reports at his first IBSA Board meeting
Springfield | “I believe a new season of cooperation and Great Commission fruit is about to be driven by our Lord. We can’t do it by ourselves… It must be a ministry of the Holy Spirit through Illinois Baptists.” In his first address to the full IBSA Board as incoming Executive Director on March 24, […]
IBDR wraps up Kankakee tornado response
Kankakee, IL | After 10 days on the ground in Kankakee, Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief (IBDR) volunteers have wrapped up their work following an EF3 tornado that struck the area March 10. Forty-three volunteers completed 36 jobs in the wake of the storm, which left a path of destruction and killed two people after crossing […]
Journey Church begins recovery as IBDR begins serving in Kankakee
Kankakee | Nearly a week after an EF3 tornado struck Journey Church of Kankakee County, Church Treasurer Rachel Thill said she feels, “God’s inexplicable peace about the situation. We shouldn’t have any peace, but we do.” The church, which lost two thirds of its roof and received significant structural damage from the March 10 tornado, […]
IBSA’s longest-tenured leader assesses his journey
Nate Adams’s superpower may be stubbornness. Or said more graciously, persistence. Or spiritually, perseverance. The tenacity to stick to a daunting task long after others would have surrendered has served him well across these two decades. And as longevity often fuels legacy, it seems appropriate to ask how he weathered 20 years as head of […]
Journey Church Kankakee severely damaged by tornado
Kankakee, IL | Journey Church in Kankakee suffered severe damage from a tornado that tore through the community on Tuesday evening (March 10). The church, located on the south side of town near the Aroma Park area, lost two thirds of its roof, with the remaining portion receiving significant damage. The church building is constructed […]
Mongolian pastor brings gospel to unreached people in Chicagoland
Erdenekhuyag Vandan is the lead planter and pastor of Messenger Mongolian Christian Church in Glenview. His journey to faith and to Chicagoland started more than 30 years ago, with prayer to a God he didn’t know. In 1994 when Eegi (as friends and family call him) was 25-years-old, his elder sister, Chimgee, put her faith […]
News Stories
Where’s Foshie? He’s on a listening tour─ all over Illinois
Updated April 1, 2026 | Waldo has nothing on Scott Foshie. The new IBSA Executive Director is traveling Illinois, wedging listening sessions with pastors and associational leaders into a busy onboarding schedule. “At every meeting, I have been humbled by the love and support for our Illinois Baptist Team,” Foshie said. He is well known […]
After Moody sues, Chicago opens teaching intern spots to students
Chicago | Moody Bible Institute will be allowed to participate in Chicago Public Schools’ student teaching program after the college alleged religious freedom violations in being excluded. Chicago Public Schools (CPS) first said Moody couldn’t participate in the student-teacher internship unless the institute abandoned its religious-based hiring practices, but agreed to drop the requirement after Moody filed a federal […]
Former SBC President Steve Gaines dies at 68
Memphis | Former SBC President Steven Gaines died Friday afternoon (March 20) Bellevue Baptist Church announced. “It’s with a heavy heart that we share with you the passing of our beloved Pastor Emeritus, Dr. Steve Gaines. After a two-year long battle with cancer, Bro. Steve stepped into eternity earlier this afternoon, and he is now […]
Campers on Mission lose two of their own
Farina | “We’re all just one big family” is how Karen Mowers, Illinois Campers on Mission (COM) Secretary, described the volunteer evangelism ministry. That family suffered a major blow when it lost two of its members to a tragic car accident just before a major spring planning meeting. James Rentfrow, 76, and his wife, Catherine, […]
BF&M 2000
BF&M Article 18: In the beginning God created… family
At the apex of God’s creative workweek, we find him crafting a man, then a woman, and directing them to “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen. 1:28). It might surprise younger Baptists to know that Article 18 wasn’t included in the 1925 BF&M. Or the 1963 version. It was added […]
BF&M Articles 15, 16, 17: Our dual citizenship
Some nations allow dual citizenship. Citizens can enjoy all the rights and privileges of their nation while pledging allegiance to another nation as well, so long as they keep up their obligations (and pay taxes, I suppose). The United States does not prohibit dual citizenship, but if you want to enter the country, you must […]
BF&M Articles 13 & 14: What’s temporary vs. what’s lasting
Those unfamiliar with the biblical use of the word steward may find it helpful to substitute the word manager. The Bible teaches that God owns everything, and that Christians, God’s people, are temporary managers of all that he entrusts into their lives. Managers are not owners. They are caretakers, with delegated responsibility for the treasures […]
BF&M Articles 11 & 12: Let’s talk about Jesus
The first official SBC-sanctioned witnessing training I received was called “Lay Evangelism School.” A leader from the state convention came to our church and taught us how to use a “survey method” to share the gospel on a Saturday morning. Then we went out and did it. We knocked on doors in the neighborhood and […]