Several weeks ago, I experienced one of the greatest honors of my life and ministry.The Lord allowed me the joy of preaching in a chapel service at the International Mission Board (IMB) in Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Paul Chitwood, IMB president, was gracious in extending the invitation for me to come and represent the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio (SCBO).Over the past several years as SCBO Exe...  Read More

Have you ever felt like you were all alone or like no one would understand your situation? In 2023 at the SBC Annual Convention, a resolution entitled, “On Needed Care and Support for Pastors and Ministry Leaders” passed. One of the paragraphs says: “WHEREAS, The reality of internal struggles among spiritual leaders has reached a critical point, with current research indicating that 42% of pastors...  Read More

2 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Lk 10:2). (2016). Crossway Bibles. The church where you worship hasn’t been there forever. Whether it was five years ago or 100 years ago, at some point, somebody planted the church where you ...  Read More

International Mission Board missionaries commissioned a new facility, Lead Global Training Center, in Nairobi, Kenya, on Jan. 26 to prepare Africans to reach the nations.IMB missionaries, along with senior leaders from Richmond, gathered to pray for healthy African churches to send African missionaries and to praise God for the work He is already doing across the continent.  Chad Pumpelly, who ser...  Read More

Worship 4:24, a partnership between Cedarville University and SCBO, had another amazing year setting multiple records while training worship leaders and teams from Ohio and across the nation. God is truly at work in our state, and the kingdom footprint He allows us to have to invest in worship leaders and teams is enormous. Last year, we saw a massive increase in total conference attendance. In 20...  Read More

The Man Maker Conference was an incredible time of growth, challenge, and encouragement as 250 collegiate men from across the region gathered to be equipped as godly leaders in their homes, churches, and communities. The event was sponsored by H2O Church and SCBO. “Thank you so much for investing into our young men and women!So thankful for SBCO and getting to run together!”  –Josh Ortega, H20 Wri...  Read More

Each January Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) volunteers from all over the United States gather for the National SBDR Winter Roundtable. The Roundtable includes two days of intense training for volunteers and one day for Disaster Relief directors to conduct SBDR business.Last month, roughly 200 people gathered in San Antonio, Texas, for this event. The highlight of the week is the banquet o...  Read More

The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 1:3-5, “I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” (CSB)Paul expressed gratitude for the ongoing gospel partnership he shared with the Philippian believers. His words resonate with me as I reflect on the special partner...  Read More

ALPHARETTA, Ga. – This year, March 16 falls on a Sunday, and the North American Mission Board’s (NAMB) evangelism team is urging Southern Baptist churches to plan a special outreach on that day with a campaign: “3:16 on 3/16.”“John 3:16 has been referred to as the gospel in a nutshell. It’s probably the most widely known Bible verse in the world,” said Tim Dowdy, NAMB’s president of evangelism. “S...  Read More

At least fifty SCBO churches have participated in the 21 Days of Prayer. As churches begin to pray in unity, great reports are coming in. So, what’s next?In the fall, a pilot group of a dozen churches participated in a Prayer, Care, Share initiative that ended with a Friend Day.Pastor David Haarmeyer, East River Road Baptist Church, Fairfield, reports, “21 days of prayer and Prayer Care Share had ...  Read More

This year, I’ve had the privilege of meeting Southern Baptist worship consultants across our beautiful country. I happened to notice that our sister convention in North Carolina (NC) was offering communications training for their churches. I attended with my two part-time staff that create graphics, and we all agreed it was phenomenal.NC Baptists have agreed to offer SBCO churches the same graphic...  Read More

The State Convention of Baptists in Ohio recently welcomed two new team members.AJ Frasure and Jess Shoup have joined SCBO and are already busy working to serve Ohio churches and pastors.AJ Frasure - Director of ITFrasure is the new Director of IT and will oversee the technology needs of SCBO including IT support, network maintenance, and staff training on key software.“My responsibilities also ex...  Read More

Cove City Church, Cleveland, Merry Mart Store OutreachThank you for supporting us and partnering with us in our 4th annual Merry Mart Store. I wanted to share an update with you on some of the key things that came out of this event.222 kids served, (283 signed up).100 Bibles given to families, some for the first time.Praying for families and inviting them back to be a part of our church family.Two...  Read More

Covenant Church, Grove City, has quite literally been a church on the move.Since launching in 2010, the church plant has been portable, meeting in various rented facilities over the years.All that changed on Sunday, January 5, 2025, when Covenant Church gathered in its new building which is right where they wanted to be – in the middle of their target area.“It’s good to be home,” said Lead Pastor ...  Read More

Hey Northeast Region family,I pray that 2025 has started well for you.A new year brings new opportunities and challenges but with the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, we will be able to seize some of those opportunities and stand strong against the challenges we may face.One of those opportunities is for us to build on our partnership with southeast Florida.On January 8-10, several N...  Read More

It’s been a long day. You get home from work, grab some dinner and sit in your chair to watch the national news.For the last few weeks, all you’ve seen are pictures of the devastating fires burning in California. The losses are overwhelming. After a while, it seems to be too much but your heart goes out to the victims.For the believer, the images of so much suffering spark feelings of compassion t...  Read More

Amidst all the attention on college football players and coaches openly expressing their faith, let’s talk about a PENALTY.TreVeyon Henderson, an outspoken Christian and leader in Ohio State football’s Bible studies and baptism services, is an example of faith in action.During OSU’s semi-final game against Texas, he wore Romans 3:22 eye black—a bold display of his beliefs—while also receiving a 15...  Read More

The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a fellowship of nearly 47,000 Baptist churches scattered across the United States and its territories.These 47,000 churches have organized themselves to accomplish a specific set of missions and ministry initiatives all to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people everywhere.The Annual Church Profile (ACP) is part of the organization of our SBC chur...  Read More