Sharon Mager/Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware

GAITHERSBURG, Md. – It started out as an average Sunday evening at Tri-County Baptist Church on Sunday, Nov. 3. Seventeen preschool and elementary-aged kids in the church’s “Sunday Night BLAST” program were busy in their classes. But then everything changed quickly. At about 6:40 p.m., Pastor Travis (T.J.) Johnson was in the sanctuary when he heard a huge noise in the foyer.

JARRETTSVILLE, Md. – For the Evans family – Verla, her son Mark, his wife Harmony and their daughter Phoebe – Southern Baptist Disaster Relief is a family affair. Sometimes family togetherness means using a chainsaw or clearing debris after a storm. Other times it’s sanitizing a basement after a flood.

OCEAN CITY, Md. (BP) – The air crackles with excitement at Ocean City Baptist Church (OCBC) as members prepare to welcome 300-plus international students for a hot, homemade meal.

BERLIN, Md. — For years, Berlin First Baptist Church children’s director Shannon Diehl pondered the idea of the church hosting a Vacation Bible School for children affected by disabilities. It seemed like a natural fit for the woman with a background in working with young children with developmental delays. But fear kept her from doing it.

CLINTON, Md. (BP) – More than 500 pregnant women and new moms crowded Clinton Baptist Church May 11 for a Community Baby Shower and Resource Fair. The church linked arms with one of its favorite long-time partners, MedStar Health of Southern Maryland, for the win-win event.

BALTIMORE (BP) -- The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26 after being hit by a cargo ship stunned families in and around the city. Divers are working to recover those still missing. People are traumatized, and many said they cried as they saw footage of the bridge as it fell into the water.

LANHAM, Md. (BP) – As the first term of the George Liele Leadership Institute comes to an end, leaders are thrilled with the response.

COLUMBIA, Md. (BP) – Michael White, pastor of Freedom Church in Lincolnton, N.C., was a bit tense on Sunday, Sept. 24, the first-ever “Caring Well Sunday” on the SBC calendar.

LEONARDTOWN, Md. — Traumatized following the tragic shooting and subsequent death of one of her best friends, Macy McCombs published “Letters to Jaelynn: A True Story of Friendship, Loss, and Healing,” released this week. In the book, she shares the story of Jaelynn Willey’s death and the impact it had on her, her friends and the community and how God sustained them through it all. And she does it through (email) letters she wrote to Jaelynn — for years after her death.

COLUMBIA, Md. (BP) — The Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware's (BCM/D) General Mission Board (GMB) unanimously elected Tom Stolle as executive director, effective March 3.