As your SCBO Worship Consultant, I want our worship leaders to be able to learn from the best worship ministry trainers in the world.That’s why I’m excited to share that Paul Baloche will be our guest artist for Worship 4:24 on January 30-31, 2026!Paul brings a wealth of worship leading, songwriting, pastoral, and training experience to our conference. He served for 25 years as a worship pastor, w...  Read More

Throughout 2025, SCBO is celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Cooperative Program with “CP100,” a series of interviews highlighting the impact of the Cooperative Program on churches and individuals in each of Ohio’s six regions.This month, CP100 is visiting Ohio’s West Region.For almost 34 years, Ohioans Jeff and Barbara Singerman served as International Mission Board missionaries, sharing the...  Read More

Heather Wagoner, a lifelong musician and southwest Ohio native, serves as the Worship Minister for Grace Point Fellowship, Franklin, the church she helped plant in 2015, alongside her husband, Lead Pastor Reagan Wagoner. She loves being mom to their four beautiful kids, Reese, Ty, Tess, and Presley, good coffee, and getting herself into more DIY projects at home than she can actually handle. Heath...  Read More

The outdoor patio at Pizza Cottage in Pickerington was the location for the “Called to Ministry” lunch gathering in early August. Thirteen full and part-time youth leaders took time to invest in 12 young adults who are exploring a call to ministry. We handed out “Calling Out the Called” books by Scott Pace and Shane Pruitt of NAMB to the pastors and youth leaders at the meeting.After connecting ar...  Read More

While working in a well-established career in city planning and development in Licking County, Chris Harkness felt the Lord calling and preparing him for a ministry in church planting.“He had been slowly kind of moving us towards ministry,” Chris said. “We felt like he was speaking very clearly to us for maybe eight years. So it was like we knew he was moving us into ministry, but we were waiting ...  Read More

Urbancrest Baptist Church hosted the 27th Annual Urbancrest Golf Classic on Friday, August 22. We were honored to have 100 golfers participate in the event. The golfers were treated to a Chick-fil-A breakfast sandwich and a player gift bag at check-in. Foursomes played 18 holes of golf on one of the best days of weather this year.Following golf, we joined together for the Awards Lunch, which featu...  Read More

Once again, it’s time to think about getting involved with the Christmas Backpack Program. This program is a lifeline for children living in the Appalachian areas of Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia.  I’m asking every church to please consider packing backpacks this year! They not only help the children but also impact the families who receive them with items that are needed, as well as...  Read More

In 2024-2025, 52 churches have been planted or replanted in Ohio, and each one was led by a church planter.However, before Ohio church planters move from sensing the Lord’s call to starting a church, many seek the expertise and training available from Send Network Ohio.Send Network Ohio is part of Send Network, the largest church planting organization in North America and a division of the North A...  Read More

Gospel conversations lead to Gospel congregations. As you can see from the cover of this edition, we have seen a culture of multiplication begin to sweep across the Buckeye State through a movement of new church plants in recent years! The Lord has been so kind to us, providing an excellent SEND Network Ohio team, resources, and, of course, planters who have received and responded to the call upon...  Read More

CampUCan 2025 brought 90 young males, ages 9-15, from diverse backgrounds and cultures to experience the love of Jesus Christ. In early August, youth from urban communities in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Toledo descended into the hills of north central Ohio’s Mohican Region. Powered by Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” CampUCan challenged a...  Read More

A Cleveland-area pastor lights up when he shares his story – a testimony of a new life in Christ, a call to church planting, and a mission to reach his community with the gospel. “So the Lord saved me in prison,” said Lentrail Abston, pastor, Clearview Community Church, Euclid. “While I was there, Jesus rescued me and gave me my calling.”When he got out of prison, he moved in with a mentor, who li...  Read More

Through your generous participation in the Ray Roberts State Missions Offering, Ohio Disaster Relief has been able to purchase much-needed equipment. This new equipment has provided the opportunity to respond more efficiently to crisis events.What people often do not see is how the offering helps us give new life to donated equipment and get it ready for use by Ohio Disaster Relief and local churc...  Read More

A few years ago, Word Baptist Church was just a dream in the hearts of a handful of believers. Meeting in the gym at Highland High School in Marengo since their launch in January 2022, this rural church plant has been proof that God delights in doing big things in small places. In just 30 months, Word BC has seen 26 people baptized and now averages over 60 in Sunday morning worship.This summer’s V...  Read More

“The story of Southern Baptists in Ohio cannot be told apart from the life and ministry of Ray E. Roberts, transplanted North Carolinian whom God brought to Ohio by the way of Kentucky,” former Ohio Baptist Messenger Editor L.H. Moore in his 1979 book, The History of Southern Baptists in Ohio.The Ray Roberts State Missions Offering is a fund supported by Ohio Southern Baptists and managed by the S...  Read More

Vacation Bible School, Hillside Church, PolkPastor Mike Feliciano, Hillside ChurchGod blessed our second VBS since we launched Hillside. We averaged 24 with a high of 25. It was nice to see families walking to VBS in our town. One 12-year-old girl was saved and then baptized the next Sunday at our church pool party. We had two visitors that Sunday and four the next Sunday. Our volunteers worked ha...  Read More

“Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the ...  Read More

Hey Northeast family. I pray that you are enjoying the warm weather because in northeast Ohio, we only get a few months of it. I hope you have been able to take a break and refresh for a little bit.This is also the time when many churches ramp up their outreach efforts with sports camps, back-to-school bashes, and car washes. I'm praying the Lord is blessing your effort as you share the love and g...  Read More

As I shared with you last month, I’m thrilled that we are rolling out regional worship consultants in four of our six regions! These are high-capacity leaders who serve in our SCBO churches and have been helping our churches as volunteers behind the scenes. These leaders will be driving new regional worship gatherings, and pastors, I urge you to require your worship leader to attend. It will encou...  Read More