Faith Archive

Pastor Ronnie Bearden’s puppet ministry started with a soft, pastel-colored stuffed glow worm that he snatched off a crib in the church nursey on his way into preschool chapel.

It was the first day of school, the children were crying and whining, and he realized that what he had prepared wasn’t going to fly. So, he improvised, unzipping the toy’s back, ripping out the battery pack and naming him Eddie.

December may have been warmer than usual, but the first weeks of the year have been colder.

That means the Santa Rosa Cold Night Shelter at Ferris Hill Baptist Church in Milton has stayed busy.

Jay Weaver’s time on this earth came to a close Jan. 2. He was 42 years young.

He played the bass in contemporary Christian band Big Daddy Weave and his family says they know exactly where he is now. After over two decades on a medical roller coaster, Jay continued to trust in the Lord.

Biltmore United Methodist Church of Asheville, North Carolina, is for sale.

Already financially strapped because of shrinking membership and a struggling preschool, the congregation was dealt a crushing blow by the coronavirus.

Joe and Tara Meyers and their boys, Aden, 7, and Joshua, 2, have been traveling and serving in the communities they visit since 2018, primarily internationally as part of service excursions they organized for fellow cruise travelers.

They saw a gap in opportunities to volunteer as a family with young kids, so they took matters into their own hands and started World Share, an organization geared towards making serving simple.

What a year 2021 has been. First 2020 took us all by surprise with a pandemic, a hurricane and a major bridge closure. We all thought it would get better in 2021 and boy, were we in for a ride.

But through it all, God has been faithful. As we start this new year, what are some resolutions that are God-centered?

The simple interior of the Beach House at Holley by the Sea was transformed into an elegant dining space for some 60 people dressed in finery and gathered for the first annual Grace’s Place Gala, held Dec. 4.

A crew of dedicated volunteers descended on the Beach House only hours before to set up tables with linen tablecloths and handcrafted centerpieces. They hung decorative lights and set up a large, colorful balloon ring. 

Pastor Austin Huggins, pastor of Christ Evangel Church (christevangel.org) in Milton was invited by Sovereign Grace Bible Church (SGBC) in Lagos, Nigeria to speak at a pastors’ conference in October.

The conference theme was “Suffering and the Sovereignty of God.”