GuideStone offers free resources to help churches resume operations
By Staff
DALLAS (BP) — If your ministry is considering reopening in the near future, you and your team are probably asking a lot of questions to determine how best to keep your congregation safe.
GuideStone has compiled resources for your ministry as you consider the various stages of re-entry.
Visit the resource page here: guidestone.org/Promotions/COVID-19-Resources/Re-entry
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Midwestern Seminary faculty contribute to ’24 Hours with Charles Spurgeon’
By T. Patrick Hudson
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP) — Evangelicals from across the globe, including faculty and students from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (MBTS), partnered together on May 8-9 with Spurgeon’s College in London via a digital age event called “24 Hours with Charles Spurgeon.”
During the event, participants from the U.K., the United States, New Zealand, and Australia took turns reading selections from the venerable Victorian preacher’s sermons, letters and other works via Zoom and then provided insight into those works to benefit today’s listeners. Each had 30 minutes’ time to contribute.
Spurgeon College principal Philip McCormack said, “While Spurgeon’s writings were the initial focus, we wanted each reader to focus upon the biblical principles that Spurgeon had been speaking on and offer a contemporary application, especially in the context of a global pandemic.”
A group of six faculty members and students from MBTS took part in the event, reading messages from The Lost Sermons of C.H. Spurgeon series — which features 400 of Spurgeon’s earliest sermons, written from 1851-1854 during his first pastorate at Waterbeach, near Cambridge, in England.
Jason Duesing, MBTS provost and general editor of the Lost Sermons, said, “These sermons are more than the early ‘trial-runs’ of a young preacher. Yes, Spurgeon was 16-19 years old at the time, but even then, his God-given gifts of genius and zeal were on display.”
B&H Academic began releasing the multi-volume series in 2017 and currently has three volumes in print. Work is underway and progressing on volumes 4-7, with Volume 4 due out in November.
McCormack noted that millions of Christians around the world continue to read Spurgeon’s sermons and books and added that Spurgeon “has left the whole Christian church a rich legacy and treasure-store of material that continues to bless God’s people because the spiritual principles contained in the Bible are timeless.
“This God-gifted preacher never ceased to have his Lord, Jesus Christ, as his primary focus; Christ was the creed upon which he built his life and ministry.”
Duesing — who read sermon 198, “Going Out of the Camp” — said that a day reading Spurgeon’s sermons is a day well spent. “Reading Spurgeon’s sermons always turns into a doxological event for me as he, even as a young preacher, always pointed to Jesus Christ and directs one’s heart and mind upward to Him. Thus, I am grateful for Spurgeon’s College, London, for their hosting this event and for our partnership with them and B&H Academic that gave us the opportunity to participate.”
Summing up the event, McCormack said, “I am grateful to God for His grace and mercy in turning the initial, slightly crazy idea into an amazing, global event in the space of only three weeks. This would not have been possible without the gracious and generous support of friends like Midwestern and the other Christian universities, seminaries, colleges, pastors, ministers and missionaries that were willing to support the idea of ’24 Hours with Charles Spurgeon.'”
View a recording of the event here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqJkxquIQYErJAJwI5a6RVA
To learn more about The Lost Sermons of C.H. Spurgeon, visit https://mbts.cc/lostsermons-4, and to learn more about The Spurgeon Library, visit spurgeon.org.
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NOBTS honors faculty and student achievement
By Marilyn Stewart
NEW ORLEANS — Outstanding student academic performance and faculty achievement in scholarship, research, and ministry were recognized by New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in the annual Celebration of Excellence event that marks the end of the academic year.
The awards were announced online in lieu of a ceremony in Leavell Chapel due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Three faculty members received the Marvin Jones Award for Excellence, named for Louisiana minister of education, church planter and former faculty member Marvin Jones. The award honors service in three areas. The Outstanding Classroom Teacher award was presented to Jeff Riley, professor of ethics. David Lema, associate professor of theology and missions at the NOBTS Center for the Americas in Miami, received the Outstanding Faculty Churchman Award, and Bill Day, distinguished research professor of Evangelism and Church Health, was honored with the Outstanding Research Professor award.
The Outstanding Student Awards presented by publishing houses were awarded to: Mary Unsworth, Zondervan Hebrew Award; Bryan Shuler, Zondervan Theology Award; John Baker, Broadman & Holman Seminarian Award; and Anthony Thibodeaux, LifeWay Pastoral Leadership Award.
Other Outstanding Student Award recipients were: Ashley Roberts, Baptist Association of Christian Educators Award in Christian Education; Brandon Foottit, C. C. Randall Award in Evangelism; Noah Madden, David and Sue Meacham Award for Outstanding Church Planting Student; Tarin Madden, James A. Headrick Award for Excellence in Christian Counseling; Mary Unsworth, Daniel H. Holcomb Christian History Award; Nicolas Holder, Outstanding Student Award in Christian Thought; and Erika Spengler, Excellence in Missional Living Award.
The Jack and Juanita Cunningham Scholarship Fund for Holy Land Travel was awarded to six students: Bryan Schuler, Zach Miller, Augustine Hui, Noah Madden, Linda Littlefield, and Obbie Todd.
Receiving the Robert S. Magee Doctoral Scholar award were Lindsay Holder and Eric Reeves. This award is granted for academic excellence and scholarly potential.
Outstanding Student Award recipients in the degree programs were: Will Spivey, Master of Divinity; Austin Mason, Master of Divinity in Discipleship and Ministry Leadership; Mary Helen Driver, Master of Arts in Christian Education; Jonathan Statham, Master of Music in Church Music; Kreig Todd, Baccalaureate Program; and Kevin Goodman, Associate Program.
T. Patrick Hudson is assistant professor of communications and history at MBTS. Marilyn Stewart is the assistant director of communications at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College.
This article was originally published by Baptist Press at bpnews.net