Latest News
Recent Posts
“God’s Story, Our Story, Your Story”- Jody Long, Executive Coordinator, CBFGA
Ms. Crumbliss, my beloved high school history teacher, first introduced me to Studs Terkel, one of America’s best-known oral historians. Terkel’s long and twisting career in radio and writing found focus in the mid-1960s as he published his first book of oral...
Living the Story by Jody Long
Songs like “Blessed Assurance,” “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” “Victory in Jesus,” and “Higher Ground” were staples in my home church. These songs and so many like them draw us together to sing in harmony the story of faith. “I love to tell the story, ‘twill be my theme in glory to tell the old, old story of Jesus and his love,” wrote Katherine Hankey, putting words and music to her longing to proclaim the goodness of Jesus and his love to the world.
Beautiful Things Out of the Dust by Steven Norris
AS WE EMBARK on a new year together as CBF Georgia, it is customary to introduce myself as the new moderator for 2023. Though born in Mississippi, I call Memphis, Tennessee, my “hometown.” I joined the staff of First Baptist Church, Griffin, in 2018 after spending sixteen years in North Carolina, where I attended graduate school and served churches as music minister and pastor. It is an honor to be here and to serve CBF Georgia in this capacity.
CBF General Assembly Suggests a Bright Future-Norma Hodges-CBFGA Moderator
Dallas was hot! But the meeting rooms were cold! We had an uplifting time at the 2022 General Assembly in Texas! Georgia was well represented. For our state meeting, on the opening evening, we joined with CBF of Alabama to eat at a Mexican restaurant. Seeing the room filled with many young faces was great. It reinforced for me that CBF is healthy and has a future. Daniel Vestal shared during his podcast that he was pleased to announce that at the 2022 Assembly he recognized only about a third of the attendees from the past, because this year’s gathering was attracting a new and diverse generation.
Does Theological Education Have a Future?-Greg DeLoach-Dean of McAfee School of Theology
When I was a kid growing up in rural Middle Georgia, I had no idea what a seminary was, let alone the purpose of one. When I told my pastor that I felt called to serve the church as a minister, he explained that I would need to go to seminary. All I knew was that it meant an additional three years of school after college, and that sounded dreary! Nevertheless, there was no question that if I wanted to serve the church as a minister, I had to go to seminary. And I am glad I did, because it is still changing my life.
Summer is for Serving-Megan Doud, Coordinator for Young Baptist Ministries
When I was a youth minister, one aspect of summer was serving. It was important for me to take advantage of the summertime when youth schedules were more flexible. We served locally and nationally. This is exactly what this summer was for our children, youth, and college students throughout Georgia.
Signs-Jody Long-Executive Coordinator, CBFGA
The question I am asked the most is, “How is your work with CBFGA?” Lately, the second most-asked question I get is, “Where is my church going to find its next pastor?” Most of the time, my response is a garbled attempt at explaining the shifting sands of church...
Greetings and Happy 2022! … I’m Norma
As the new moderator of CBFGA, my hope is that we can return to normalcy in our churches during 2022. Zoom and livestream are wonderful tools, but oh, isn’t it grand when we can meet face to face and give our warm hugs of Christian fellowship! We can see smiles in the...
Happy Birthday CBFGA!
About thirty years ago, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia began forming. I write “began,” because several seminal dates are mile markers on our journey. First, on November 11, 1991, after the annual meeting of the Georgia Baptist Convention, interested...
CBF/GA Coordinating Council Nominations
CBFGA Coordinating Council Nominations Accepted through September 30, 2021. September 1 marks the opening of nominations for persons to serve on the CBFGA Coordinating Council. Our Coordinating Council conducts the business of CBFGA between sessions of our...
Student Ministry Events on the Horizon
College Mission Experience, March 5-12, 2022 • In March, our college students will have the opportunity to learn about missions by being a part of the Urban Immersion program in New York City. The Urban Immersion program is designed to offer groups a chance to learn,...
We’ve Come a Long Way, but… by Jody Long
John Smyth. Thomas Helwys. Roger Williams. William Carey. Luther Rice. Billy Graham. Martin Luther King, Jr. All these names are deeply embedded in our Baptist consciousness. But what about Catherine Scott? Sarah Wright? Mary Webb? M.A. Brannen? The small Baptist...
Together for Hope in Georgia
As of this spring plans are coming together in Sumter County, where Wendy Peacock, pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church and past moderator of CBF/GA, is helping to connect Together for Hope (TFH) with local agencies and initiatives. TFH was begun in 2001, with the...
Being a CBF Baptist Means FREEDOM!
I began learning about the peculiar tribe of Christians called Baptists in the late 1990s as a recent transfer student to Mercer University. Dr. Walter B. Shurden was my professor, and I had no idea of the extent of his influence and presence in the life of Baptists....
Changes and Challenges for CBF/GA and Churches
These are certainly challenging times for all our congregations. As I write this, our church has just decided to go back to virtual services only as COVID-19 cases spike in our area. Hopefully, in a few weeks we will resume in-person services. Still, we recognize it...
Wake Up Resource Now Available!
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect many of our partner congregations and their communities, CBF/GA, along with many other CBF states and regions, partnered with PASSPORT Camps to produce “WAKE UP!” WAKE UP is a missions retreat curriculum that can be adapted...
CBF/GA Welcomes Megan Turner Doud as Coordinator of Young Baptist Ministries
CBF/GA is pleased to announce that Megan Turner Doud became the CBF/GA Coordinator of Young Baptist Ministries, effective February 1, 2021. The search committee and Coordinating Council believe that Megan’s ministerial acumen, deep-rooted connectedness in CBF life,...
Happy 30th Birthday CBF!
In August of 1990, after several decades of mounting unhappiness with events in the Southern Baptist Convention, a group of “moderate” Baptist leaders met at the Inforum in Atlanta, Georgia. This gathering took place after years of soul-searching and of exhausting and...
A New Thing
In May 1991, I was a 13-year-old seventh grader at Ballard-Hudson Middle School in Macon and had zero knowledge of or interest in Baptist denominational politics. The small, semi-rural, super conservative Baptist church of my growing up years certainly did not talk...
Theological Education Scholarships Awarded to Seven Candidates
CBF/GA is pleased to announce that scholarship monies have been awarded to the following seven candidates for the 2020/2021 academic year. These scholarships are made possible primarily by the earnings of the Frank & Susan Broome Endowment.