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Read the May 6 Illinois Baptist
 In the May 6 issue of the Illinois Baptist, read how SBC President Fred Luter is building bridges in Illinois, hear about the story Illinois WMU has to tell, and find out how one family learned to love a son. Read these stories and more at IBonline.IBSA.org.
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Luter builds bridges here
Even when he talks about serious issues, Fred Luter does it in a way that is disarmed, uplifting, and often funny.
About getting kids to church: “As a kid I had a drug problem,” he says,” “My mama drug me to church, drug me to Sunday school, drug me to VBS…” Read more
Breakfast with the President
The setting is a Springfield classic: Charlie Parker’s Diner, a Quonset hut decorated with vinyl albums and Route 66 signs. Over coffee, eggs, and plate-size pancakes, the conversation moves from life in the Big Easy to today’s SBC challenges. Read more
'We've a story to tell...'
At Illinois women’s meeting, missionaries, volunteer share how God is at work
Great stories have great characters, like a family of eight who gave up the American dream to take the Gospel to families in rural Chile. And an intriguing plot, like the journey of a former felon who returns to prison to give hope to others like her. Read more
One-ness is goal of SBC meeting in Houston
Southern Baptist Convention President Fred Luter chose the theme for this year’s annual meeting – “Revive Us That We May Be One” – because he believes the brotherly love that distinguishes God’s disciples is the only way the convention will experience the revival it so desires. Read more
Illinois Disaster Relief responds to flooding
 A team of Disaster Relief volunteers is working out of Woodland Baptist Church in Peoria this week, preparing meals for people displaced by recent flooding in central and northern Illinois. Go to Facebook.com/IllinoisBaptist for more.
Pastor rallies people to pray for legislators
As people on both sides of the debate wait for the Illinois House to vote on a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage, Christian leaders continue to gather together to pray the state legislature will vote to protect a traditional definition of the institution. Read more
Pastor's first book comes out of 'bad attitude'
Attitude. It can be a squirm-inducing word, because most everyone knows theirs needs work from time to time. Pastor Joe Buchanan took a hard look at his, and it resulted in his first book. Read more
Cotler to serve as NAMB's Midwest mobilizer
Tim Cotler, who has led IBSA’s church planting efforts in Northeast Illinois for the past four years, has accepted a role with the North American Mission Board, effective the beginning of this month. Read more
Learning to love a son
On March 24, 2010, we received the call we’d been waiting for from the adoption agency. “There is a boy, 27 months old, that we’d like to refer to your family,” said the woman on the other line. Read more
Gay marriage, a civil right?
We should have seen it coming. Back in 1989 two young activists pushing for the normalization of homosexuality coauthored a book intended to serve as a political strategy manual and public relations guide for their movement. Read more
Light in a very dark place
When most people get out of prison, they don’t ever want to go back. But Arkansas chaplain Stacey Smith voluntarily spends 40 hours a week in the place where she was once serving a 60-year sentence. Read more
Pat's Playbook
Q: After many years in the position, our worship leader needs to be replaced. Our music is just plain bad. Many people have said this to me privately, but no one will stand up when the time comes. They don’t want to hurt his feelings. Read more
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