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Articles by Brandon Porter
Diverse Group of Churches, Ministries Come Together for Evangelism Through Crossover Orlando
Twenty-eight years ago, members from First Baptist Church in Kissimmee began to pray that the church might someday own the field that adjoined their church property. As part of the events surrounding Crossover from June 1 to June 6, the church hosted its first outreach efforts on the land they recently acquired. An aerial view of First Baptist Church of Kissimmee shows the land where soccer tournaments and many other activities that were part of Crossover 2026 took place.
Preparing for the unexpected in your worship service
The choir was singing while we were in the middle of serving the Lord’s Supper one Sunday morning. The ushers were halfway down the middle aisle when the sanctuary’s rear doors flew open and a young man stepped in the aisle and began yelling. “You are prophets of doom,” he shouted. “This is a place of lies,” he exclaimed. I was sitting in a corner of the room. Another associate pastor was in the other corner. Immediately, our eyes met and we rose, simultaneously moving toward the man.
Southern Baptist leaders have released a statement to lament the assassination of Charlie Kirk and call for justice and peace. Kirk, 31, the president of Turning Point USA and a conservative advocate, was assassinated Sept. 10 as he spoke at an event at Utah Valley University. “Political violence is a grave sin, and it represents a threat to our nation and its government. The murder of Charlie Kirk is a grave warning to us all as we consider the health of our nation and society,” the statement says.
Hope for the violence that plagues us
The last few days have reminded us, once again, of the frailty of human life in the face of the human capacity to inflict sudden, deadly violence upon other people. The tragic death of Charlie Kirk yesterday came upon the heels of revelations about the murder of Iryna Zarutska which occurred on August 22. Charlie was murdered by a gunman who shot him from a distance. Iryna was fatally stabbed by a knife-wielding felon who sat behind her on a train.
MacArthur Leaves Legacy ‘On a Generation of Preachers’
Longtime pastor, author and teacher John F. MacArthur died July 14 after a short battle with pneumonia. MacArthur, 86, pastored Grace Community Church in the Los Angeles area for 56 years. “At the center of Dr. MacArthur’s ministry was an unwavering commitment to declare God’s truth, and Pastor John preached the Word in season and out of season,” the church’s elders said in a statement posted on the church website.
Ben Mandrell has been called to be the senior pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church. Mandrell has served as president and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources since summer of 2019. “I cannot tell you how thankful we are for this moment,” Mandrell, 48, said in a statement from the church. “This big hurricane of Bellevue love has just swallowed us up.” The vote came as the entire church met in an overflow worship service followed by a special-called business session.
Fewer Nominees Announced Thus Far for This Year’s SBC Meeting in Dallas
(Editor’s note: This was published in our June magazine prior to the SBC 2025 in Dallas.) A month out from the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting, there was only one known candidate for most offices of the Southern Baptist Convention. This is a significant shift from recent annual meetings that frequently saw multiple candidates for each office. Texas pastor Michael Criner has indicated he intends to nominate current SBC President Clint Pressley for a second term.
Remains of Debby bring flooding, tornadoes to SC coast
Rivers and lakes stand above flood stage from west Florida up into northeast Georgia and predictions of flooding continue through the Carolinas as what was Hurricane Debby makes its way north. At least six deaths are being blamed on the storm. The storm is slowly churning up the East Coast dumping significant rainfall. The National Weather Service predicts the storm will still be a Tropical Depression as late as Saturday when it arrives in Maine.
N.C. pastor to be nominated for SBC president in Indianapolis
North Carolina pastor Bruce Frank will be nominated for Southern Baptist Convention president at the 2024 SBC Annual Meeting. Frank will be nominated by Tennessee pastor John Mark Harrison. “I have known Bruce personally for many years. When I led student ministry at Biltmore Church, Bruce became the pastor, and our plateaued church began to grow,” said Harrison, now lead pastor of First Baptist Concord in Knoxville, Tenn.
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