ABDR deployed its first all-women chainsaw unit in 2024.
From the deployment of Arkansas Baptist Disaster Relief’s first all-women chainsaw unit to the new Missions U training, Arkansas Baptists had a lot of news to share in 2024.
Here are a few highlights from throughout the year.
ABDR ladies’ chainsaw team cuts new path
Six ladies from the Russellville area donned yellow shirts and chaps and other safety equipment, picked up chainsaws and went to work in Valdosta, Georgia.
“There’s nothing like it in the country,” Arkansas Baptist Disaster Relief (ABDR) Director Randy Garrett said, describing ABDR’s first all-women chainsaw unit.
Arkansas Prison Initiative dedicates new education building at Varner Unit
It was a day of excitement at the Varner Unit of the Arkansas Department of Corrections, a high security prison in Lincoln County, for those involved with the prison seminary on Tuesday, Oct. 29, as they dedicated the new College at Mid-America education building.
New resources available for Abuse Prevention + Response
Protecting those vulnerable from sexual abuse remains a top priority for the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.
Connecting students to missions for 15 years
Fifteen years ago, a small group of Arkansas Baptist students and their adult leaders joined together at First Baptist Church in Pine Bluff for a brand-new missions event called CONNECT. A ministry of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, CONNECT was started as a way to equip and empower participants to live a missions lifestyle by teaching mission skills and providing opportunities to be actively involved in hands on missions and ministry. Sixty-seven people from four churches completed five ministry projects and learned to share the Gospel during that first weekend event.
Since then, because of CONNECT over 6,000 participants have been trained to share the Gospel and have learned how to identify needs around them and work with others to meet those needs and share the love of Christ. In 15 years, participants have completed over 500 ministry projects, and shared the Gospel thousands of times, resulting in over 100 professions of faith and hundreds of students responding to a call to full-time ministry and/or missions.
One Day sees more than 400 saved
More than 1,500 Arkansas Baptists from across the state descended on north Pulaski County to serve as the hands and feet of Jesus.
The One Day Acts 1:8 Missions Experience provides an annual opportunity for Arkansas Baptists to impact lostness in a specific area within the state. This year, the location was in north Pulaski County.
Arkansas Baptists traveled from across the state to Jacksonville on Saturday, Oct. 5. The day was comprised of numerous prayer walks, community outreach projects, block parties, senior adult and kids’ ministries, home repair projects and more.
More than 500 find salvation at Camp Siloam over summer
More than 500 salvations were reported over nine weeks of camp this summer at Camp Siloam.
“It was an amazing summer. God showed out,” Director of Camps Scott Maxwell said.
Approximately 7,140 campers spent a week of their summer at Camp Siloam. Maxwell said that was the highest number of campers they have had in at least the past 25 years.
Arkansas Baptists respond to tragedy in Fordyce
Tragedy struck the small town of Fordyce on Friday, June 21. A shooter opened fire at the Mad Butcher grocery store, killing four people and injuring 10 others.
Along with ABDR, several Arkansas Baptist churches stepped up to aid the Fordyce community,
56 salvations reported at missions day in Trumann
Fifty-six salvation decisions were made Saturday, May 4 in Trumann during Trinity Baptist Association’s “T-BA” Day, an annual one-day local missions event.
The Arkansas Baptist Foundation celebrated 75 years on Thursday, May 9, at the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.
Special guests at the event included ABSC Executive Director Dr. Rex Horne, GuideStone President/CEO Hance Dilbeck and WatersEdge CEO Robert Kellogg. Cory Epps of Central Baptist Church in Jonesboro led worship. Dessert and fellowship followed the program.
Missions involvement drives new Missions U training
A total of 130 Arkansas Baptists from across the state came together to take part in a new missions intensive training called Missions U. The one-day missions workshop was offered in two different locations on back-to-back days. Eighty Arkansas Baptists met together at Park Hill Baptist Church in North Little Rock on Monday, April 29 and another fifty met for training on Tuesday, April 30 at First Baptist Church in Fayetteville.
Participants were able to choose from one of three lanes in which to focus their missions efforts: international missions, community missions or missions discipleship.
Cooperation leads to new church plant in Arkansas Delta
April 9 marked a historic occasion in Helena-West Helena as members of Helena First Baptist Church deeded the church property to Second Baptist Church in West Helena on Park Avenue.
ABDR welcomes first four-legged volunteer
Four-legged, fluffy, bright eyed, and sporting a yellow Arkansas Baptist Disaster Relief (ABDR) harness, Quigley could be found at Balboa Baptist Church over the weekend comforting volunteers and survivors.
The Aussiedoodle is the first therapy dog in ABDR history. He and his owner, Deb Norris, who has volunteered with ABDR for several years, had their first deployment together on Saturday following the EF-2 tornado that touched down in Hot Springs Village on Thursday.
Arkansas Baptists build relationships, share Gospel in Brazil
A team of Arkansas Baptists recently embarked on a Brazil vision tour.
ABSC Missions Team Leader Dr. Sam Roberts led the group of six pastors – four of whom brought their wives – on the missions trip. They traveled to Assu, Brazil, where they were able to meet, help train, encourage, and build relationships with church planters as well as International Mission Board (IMB) missionaries in the area.