Shawn Hendricks

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BP) -- Standing in the pulpit at Sixth Avenue Baptist Church -- a congregation rich in civil rights movement history -- Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear focused on how only the Gospel has the power to bring true, lasting transformation to society. During Sunday morning services (June 9), Greear told the predominately African American church located on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Birmingham, Ala., "the church thrives when the Gospel is at the center."

NASHVILLE (BP) -- In his office on the seventh floor of the SBC Building in Nashville, Ronnie Floyd sat down with Baptist Press to talk about his first fast-paced, meeting-filled week on the job as president of Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee. Floyd wrapped up his final sermon as pastor of Cross Church in Springdale, Ark., this past Sunday (May 19). And following the EC presidential search committee's election of Floyd in April, he has hit the ground running.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BP) -- Keeping the focus on the "Gospel Above All" theme is Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear's main goal going into SBC's annual meeting in Birmingham, Ala., June 11-12. But following a year of transition among five SBC entities searching for new leadership and the convention responding to reports of sexual abuse, Greear noted there will be other issues demanding attention.

ARUA, Uganda (BP) -- Missionary Jeremy Taliaferro remembers "mad-dash googling" on the internet to find out who is Paul Chitwood. The International Mission Board's presidential search committee announced their candidate last November. And Taliaferro admitted at first he was a little underwhelmed since the Chitwoods had not served as IMB missionaries.

JINJA, UGANDA (BP) -- There's a deacon in Uganda who will gladly pray for church members who pay a few shillings; another preacher says God will bless them with a car or house if they are willing to give him some money. And another preaches John the Baptist was born of a virgin birth. These are a few examples International Mission Board missionaries in Uganda and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa have shared on why theological training is so critical.

ARUA, UGANDA (BP) -- With only one arm, Agnes carries a five-gallon jug of water on her head in a refugee camp near the South Sudan border in northern Uganda. On her own, she's a single mom with two children to care for and has to make an hour-long trek to a well because it's the closest one to her house.

NASHVILLE (BP) -- The back brace I wore much of this summer is now collecting dust in the garage. That chair I had to sit on for weeks in the shower is somewhere in a garbage dump. And my running routine has for the most part returned -- though I'm more sore on some mornings than others. It's been four months since I crushed the T-12 vertebra in my back. To look at me now, you wouldn't know anything happened and that my life appears to be "back" to normal. But in some ways it's not -- and I remain thankful to the Lord for that. On July 13, (yes, Friday the 13th) I was preparing for the Spartan, a 3- to 5-mile run with more than 20 obstacles, when my life took a sudden detour. Before getting ready for work that day, I thought I could get in some quick training. But while climbing on some outdoor equipment, I lost my grip and fell about 10 feet onto my back.

NASHVILLE (BP) -- For Dave Ramsey, pastors have a special place in his heart. This summer at the Southern Baptist Convention in Dallas, the CEO of Ramsey Solutions and author of "Financial Peace University" (FPU) spoke to pastors and other Baptist leaders about stewardship and what the Bible teaches about debt. He offered FPU -- a 12-week financial planning program -- for free to pastors who attended the SBC meeting and offered the accompanying leader guides at a discounted rate. This fall, more than 15 state conventions are featuring the program at their fall annual meetings. In his Nashville-area radio studio, Ramsey sat down with Baptist Press to talk about helping pastors and their congregations navigate the daily financial challenges they face.

SBC president Steve Gaines answered questions from Baptist Press regarding this year’s annual meeting and lessons and rewarding moments he’s encountered during the past two years.

DALLAS (BP) -- Leading up to this year's Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Dallas, SBC president Steve Gaines answered questions from Baptist Press regarding this year's gathering and lessons and rewarding moments he's encountered during the past two years. Nearing the end of his second and final one-year term as SBC president, the pastor of Memphis-area Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tenn., specifically addressed this year's SBC election and some of the challenges the convention faces in the months ahead. ...