Mike and Angie are Jared’s neighbors. They live on a dead-end street next to Sugartree Creek in Williamson, West Virginia. Normally the nearby creek is about eight feet wide and a foot deep. But on February 19, 2025, torrential rains caused the river to swell out of its 15-foot bank and spill over another seven feet where it swallowed up homes on Goodman Drive. Both families lost everything in the...  Read More

God has a plan for every SCBO church, but often pastors and lay leaders become discouraged in their efforts for the Lord. Mark Jones shares five hope-giving truths in the April issue of the Ohio Baptist Messenger.  Read More

In Northeast Ohio, over 60 leaders gathered to learn how to understand the ways of God and not simply look for acts of God. Dr. Richard Blackaby, president, Blackaby Ministries, led us in three sessions that challenged us to seek Christ and his kingdom first. Dr. Bill Kirkwood shared how to plan worship that solely glorifies God....  Read More

The old, empty church buildings that dot our countryside demonstrate that small-town churches can no longer assume the “if you build it, they will come” strategy. Instead, we must go to them.  Read More

Registration for Super Summer 2025 is now open! Super Summer, a premier student leadership program, is back at Cedarville University June 24-28, 2025! Super Summer is for students who have completed grades 7-12 and are serious about their faith in Jesus and want to make a difference for him. To qualify for Super Summer, students must meet the leadership criteria as established by their church’s pr...  Read More

There were a million reasons Julie couldn’t address the roofing issues in her home. Being widowed made house repairs difficult. Then there was her age and declining health. And with kids constantly scurrying around her house—two grandchildren she was raising on her own—roofing repairs felt as far out of reach as the sky.When neighbors reported that Julie’s roof was falling apart, the city code off...  Read More

Cornerstone Missionary Baptist Church in Sandusky actively participated in the “21 Days of Prayer” initiative. This period of prayer was both inspirational and instructional. As a church family, we were able to identify some blind spots and clarify some misconceptions regarding the gospel, faith, and prayer. As a result of these discoveries, we aligned our prayer lives with God’s desires. In prepa...  Read More

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