On this special episode of Connections by APNC, Sara and Morgan are joined by Chris Hoffman, a longtime member of the behavioral health field and someone with experience in natural disaster recovery, to discuss initial reactions when people are hit by a natural disaster and the ways that our field can offer support to those affected.…

In this live podcast recording, we explore harm reduction as more than just a set of strategies for reducing the negative consequences of drug use. We discuss how it is a radical shift in thinking—focused on meeting individuals where they are, affirming their dignity, and promoting autonomy. Through personal stories and professional insights, our g…

On the season finale of Connections’ second season, Morgan and Sara are joined by Gene Ettison from the United Way of Rutherford County to discuss how he is connecting people transitioning out of incarceration with peers who help them adjust to their new life. Listeners will understand how empathy and compassion is the way forward when assisting in…

This week, Sara and Morgan sit down with Chaz Franke, therapist and social worker, to discuss how competent supervision and mentorship can guide professionals through periods of distress at work. Listeners will gain a new understanding of the supervisor position and how to reframe their mindset from quantity of work to quality to avoid burnout.…

On this episode, Morgan and Sara are joined by Tym Rourke of Third Horizons to discuss the differences between the infrastructure in place to treat children with cancer and the infrastructure (or lack thereof) in place to treat children with substance use disorders. Listeners will learn about the inconsistencies in treatment based on the type of di…

This week, Morgan and Sara are joined by Emmy Knowles, the Director of Collegiate Prevention at APNC, to discuss the protective factors on campuses to ensure student safety regarding alcohol and other drugs. Listeners will gain insights into the state of college campuses and prevention programming in North Carolina and the Leadership Academy at APN…

On this episode, Morgan and Sara are joined by Chris Hart, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Third Horizon Strategies, to discuss how our field tracks our work and how to collect and utilize data without losing sight of the real people we are trying to help. Chris also describes his time working with collegiate recovery when it was not a common p…

Residents of Florida, Georgia and Alabama need your prayers today as they deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The storm quickly intensified before coming ashore in the Florida panhandle on Thursday afternoon before zipping north into Georgia and Alabama overnight. Disaster relief crews are on standby as first responders do their work and a…

Millions of elementary through college students gathered at flag poles on their campuses yesterday file in the U.S. and 63 other countries to pray in the student-led “See You at the Pole” initiative in its 33rd year. The early sunrise, clouds and rains variously served as the backdrop for social media photos attesting to student participation. The …

Words are important. Southwestern Seminary professor Malcolm Yarnell says, “Christians ought to have a leavening influence on their society.” “But when we forget our primary allegiance to Jesus Christ [in favor of] political parties, movements or leaders, we begin to run into trouble.” An average of Gallup polls in 2023 found that 68 percent of Ame…

This week, Sara and Morgan are joined by Erin Bowman, CEO of the Julian F. Keith Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center, in front of a live studio audience to discuss blazing a trail for peers to create a career in the field and the ways that peers can help create a safety net for patients going through treatment. Listeners will learn how implemen…

In north Georgia close to 50 football players on the team at Shorter University made decisions for Christ this year before the season started, and 17 followed through with believer’s baptism. Zach Morrison, in his seventh year as head coach, described what happened after players arrived at the school in early August for preseason training and condi…

In 2022, opioid abuse resulted in 82,000 Americans’ deaths, the most ever recorded, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2021, an estimated 2.5 million adults in the U.S. dealt with opioid use disorder, while more than 10 million people misused prescription opioids in 2019, according to the CDC. Many churches felt t…

A group of local and national church leaders are working to help the situation in Springfied, Ohio where a relatively small town has become the focus of the national immigration discussion. Tensions rose in the city after the Republican presidential ticket spread claims on social media and during the presidential debate that immigrants in Springfie…

Each summer thousands of elementary, middle and high school students flock to Lifeway summer camps. In addition to games and ice cream machines, those kids love missions. This week, Lifeway President Ben Mandrell presented $678,283.32 to the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board. That’s right students across America gave …

The financial appropriations decision making process is working its way through Congress. Some of the priorities highlighted by the ERLC in the letter include pro-life issues, religious liberty concerns and opposing taxpayer funding for harmful “gender transition” surgeries. “As a nation, our values and priorities are most clearly displayed through…

This week, Sara and Morgan are joined by APNC team member and Director of Scholastic Recovery, Jarmichael Harris to discuss his journey as a trailblazer in North Carolina collegiate recovery and how the state became a national example. Listeners will gain new insight into what it takes for a collegiate recovery program to succeed on campuses and wh…

While the debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris is in the rearview mirror and may be the only time the presidential candidates take to the debate stage, Southern Baptist Convention President Clint Pressley says believers should recognize the “transcendent policy issues of our time,” which he lists as the sanctity of life and marriage, gende…

Thousands of residents in New Orleans are finally receiving power after Hurricane Francine made landfall across the Gulf Coast late last week. Disaster Relief workers from at least Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas are working in Louisiana. Feeding teams, chainsaw teams and chaplains are work. Thousands of meals are being served as …

What was once a major port for enslaved people is now a harbor for diaspora groups, and Southern Baptists are playing a key role. Diaspora refers to “the movement, migration, settlement or scattering of people away from one’s indigenous homeland.” In North America, diaspora people comprise immigrants, refugees and international students. Christians…

Residents of the Gulf Coast are reeling from the effects of Hurricane Francine after it made landfall on Wednesday. Heavy rains and strong storms ripped across Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Disaster Relief workers huddled in areas hours away from the gulf to see how they could help one the storm came ashore. When first responders give them th…

Sept. 11 is a day many Americans can never forget and a day younger Americans should never forget. It’s a day when terrorists killed innocent Americans who were going to about their daily routine on a typical weekday. Thousands of families were affected forever as loved ones left for a work day and never returned home. Millions of Americans were im…

September is National Recovery Month! All month long, Connections will be bringing you interviews about various aspects of recovery. To kick this off, this week, Sara and Morgan are joined by fellow APNC's Director of Outreach, Michael Roberts, to discuss his personal story of recovery and the journey from active addiction to working in the substan…

Reports showing sustained increases in food and home prices alongside a cooling labor market highlight a continuing challenge for churches. That information impacts everything from attaining goods for ministries like food pantries to hiring new staff. Inflation sits in the middle of it all and while it remains high, the rate is decreasing. In addit…

The Spurgeon Library at Midwestern Seminary has established a partnership with Reformation Heritage Books to republish Charles Spurgeon’s 63 volumes of sermons. The partnership will produce five sets of volumes containing sermons preached by Charles Spurgeon in his church and originally published from 1855 to 1917. The first set was released in Aug…

Area churches responded quickly to a school shooting in Winder, Georgia Wednesday. Four people were killed by the 14 year old gunman. Bethlehem Church sits three miles from the shooting and has numerous members connected to Apalachee High including students, teachers and coaches. Pastor Jason Britt confirmed with Baptist Press that there were membe…

Bill Denman in Independence, Missouri retired from construction work in his early 60s. He had used heavy equipment machinery to build water and sewer lines most of his adult life. First, he was an operator and then a foreman. He worked hard. Retirement was good. He picked up a hobby as he bought a classic car and began entering it in car show compe…

Send Relief continues to aid Sudan, as half the nation faces acute hunger and famine chases refugees and internally displaced persons. Cholera and heavy rains exacerbate the humanitarian crisis, according to international governmental agencies. Jason Cox, Send Relief’s vice president of international ministry, said the war is not getting enough att…

Alabama meteorologist James Spann has found his passion in life. The longtime TV weatherman in Birmingham says that since he was a young boy he wanted to do what he’s had the opportunity to do for decades. Spann can be seen every weekday in the Birmingham area and heard on radio across the United States. Though he’s thankful he’s able to work a job…

Today is Labor Day. The Museum of the Bible writes, “Labor activists first put forward the concept of a federal holiday to celebrate “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations” in the late 1800s. Although times had changed and agriculture was giving way to a more industrial economy, there was still an imbalance of power.…

A Missouri ballot initiative to enshrine abortion and contraceptive rights into the state constitution would repeal all laws regulating such reproductive technologies as human cloning and in vitro fertilization for stem cell research, the Thomas More Society said in a lawsuit challenging Amendment 3. Missouri Attorney General John Ashcroft, a pro-l…

Telling other people about hope and salvation in Jesus is one the primary things He told His disciples to do. This summer, over 350 short-term missionaries served for six to eight weeks in 26 cities and neighborhoods that need a greater Gospel presence. Together, the students reported having just shy of 4,500 Gospel conversations. The students serv…

In this episode, Sara and Morgan, in front of a live studio audience, continue last season’s conversation with Nathaniel Metz and Dock Henry from Phoenix Recovery Solutions to discuss how recovery professionals can establish themselves not just in a community but as part of the community. Listeners will gain insights on establishing a wide network …

The Kendrick brothers’ latest movie “The Forge” had a strong opening weekend at box offices nationwide, bringing in $6.6 million, according to reports. The film came in fifth overall in box office ticket sales between Aug. 23-25. The Forge features Cameron Arnett from previous Kendrick film “Overcomer” in a leading role as Joshua, a business owner …

Darren Casper believes in missions. As the executive director of the St. Louis Metro Baptist Association (often called STL Metro), he leads a staff of eight full and part-time missionaries. Their task is to equip churches to reach out with the gospel to the city of more than 300,000 people and a little more than 2 million people living on the Misso…

When God called Rhonda Schrage to leave a traditional career and build a new one based on her art, some thought she was crazy, but she stepped out in obedience and found the Lord walking with her every step of the way. Schrage, who lives in Jefferson City, Missouri, starts with a Bible passage written on a canvas. Then she begins to sketch out her …

A health care triad – including a hospital, a rural clinic and a nursing college – in East Java, Indonesia is reaching far beyond the island’s, and even the country’s, borders. The history dates back to 1951, when missionaries first went to the island nation. Medical work wasn’t far behind, and it soon became a key strategy for Gospel access. Today…

Only 2 percent of an estimated 80 million Deaf people alive today have ever been told the Gospel in their sign language, with at least 380 sign languages in use globally, according to ministry leaders. The International Mission Board (IMB) and Wycliffe Bible Translators are among more than 95 organizations and churches collaborating globally to cha…

On this incredible season premiere, hosts Morgan and Sara chat with Dr. Beth Harmer, Vice President of the Board of APNC and Director of the Masters of Social Work program at Western Carolina University, to discuss her experiences with social work students. She provides insights and guidance on how graduates can ingratiate themselves in the field a…

The Supreme Court rejected an emergency request from the Biden Administration that would have required the enforcement of new Title IX regulations released in April of this year. The rule expands the definition of “sex” in Title IX’s language to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Title IX is a federal law that prohibits sex-based discr…

Arizona and Missouri are the latest states to add measures to the November ballot allowing voters to enshrine abortion rights in their respective state constitutions, joining at least six other states with similar measures. In at least two states, Nebraska and Pennsylvania, ballot initiatives to protect life are pending. State ballot measures in Ar…

Bogdan Kipko immigrated to the United States from eastern Europe, arriving in Seattle with his parents in 1992 where a Baptist church provided space for his family and others to worship. Thirty years later, God has used Kipko to launch a church planting movement among Slavs who are dispersed throughout North America. Kipko planted Forward Church in…

It happens with a couch or mattress. It happens with two chairs facing each other across a table. While refugees’ initial days and months in America can be complex and filled with paperwork and immigration meetings, churches have learned that there are direct, simple ways to meet needs. Not long after it began six years ago, Living Hope Church in C…

As a French pastor was setting up for a community outreach event during the Olympics, he recalled a conversation he had overheard years before and had never been able to forget. A mother and child were walking along the street in front of his church. “What is this place, this building?” the child asked. “It’s a museum,” his mother responded. The pa…

Chris Holcomb looks up most days…he’s a meteorologist at an Atlanta TV station…but he says these last few days have been even better days to look up at the Persied meteor showers have passed over the U.S. Holcomb says looking up reminds him of the majesty of God and how God is in control. “It’s good to look at the sky and just be amazed,” he said. …

As rainfall totals passed 12 inches, saturated ground led to fallen trees, dams giving way and more than 100 damaged roads in Bulloch County, Georgia, from Tropical Storm Debby last week. Pastor Todd Wiggins of Southbridge Community Church was among those affected, as floodwaters crept into his home. “We were blessed, because there were people who …

Springfield Church in Hays, North Carolina had been planning their afternoon of service for months. Weeks of preparation had gone into delivering care packages to residents near the church’s property in mountainous region of Wilkes County. They had planned to hit the streets after the morning worship service. But as they finished the Sunday School …

Help is on the way to Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas as the remnants of Hurricane Debby continuing churning up the east coast. Rivers and lakes stand above flood stage from west Florida up into northeast Georgia and predictions of flooding continue through the Carolinas as what was Hurricane Debby makes its way north. At least six deaths are be…

Two members of Providence Church in Pasadena, Texas haven’t been there for weeks. But that hasn’t stopped the church from praying for them. Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Tracy Dyson are astronauts who are currently working aboard the International Space Station. Dyson’s tenure on the ISS runs through September. Wilmore is waiting to catch a ride home t…

Disaster Relief workers in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina are on alert as the remnant of Hurricane Debby sweeps across the southeast. Damage will be assessed after its passage for a more comprehensive response, Disaster Relief leaders announced today. Flood watches remain in effect through Tuesday across much of the southeast. The National Wea…