VALLEY FORCE, PA (07/17/2025)—Union Baptist Church in Mystic, Conn., one of American Baptist Home Mission Societies’ (ABHMS) many longtime supporters, looks like many small-town churches in New England. It is a beautiful, historic, white-steepled building; it also houses a congregation charting a bold course. Under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Lonnie Brown, Union Baptist has embraced a public theology of welcome and justice, becoming a spiritual home for those often pushed to the margins. The church is doing more than proclaiming openness: it’s practicing it. At a time when many churches are shrinking or disagreeing over social justice issues, Union Baptist is finding growth not in numbers, but in courage and clarity.

OMAHA, NE (ABNS 07/02/2025)—What follows is a pastoral response from the senior leadership of American Baptist Home Mission Societies on behalf of its Board of Directors to recent actions by federal authorities directed at immigrants, asylum seekers, refugees, and those facing deportation.Dear American Baptist Family,Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.For generations, American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS) has responded to Christ's call to welcome the stranger and walk with those on the margins.

A visitor to the corner of 79th and Cottage Grove in Chicago will see a derelict, half-vacant strip mall. Framed by cracked pavement and shuttered storefronts, the building is a silent testament to decades of disinvestment. This once-lively commercial hub now feels abandoned. There are no grocery stores or pharmacies nearby, just a payday lender and a liquor store. For longtime residents of the neighborhood, this landscape is not just inconvenient. It is demoralizing. Without access to grocery stores selling healthy food or necessary services, areas like this one are caught in a cycle of neglect. This reinforces inequality and stifles opportunity, as run-down shopping centers attract crime and drag down neighborhoods.

Valley Forge, PA (06/20/2025)—Massachusetts Baptist Multicultural Ministries is one of ABHMS’ partners that supports refugees and immigrants in their journey of resettlement, integration, and healing. It serves newcomers from Afghanistan, Somalia, Burma (Myanmar), Bhutan, Iraq, Central America, and Haiti, among others. Every year, it celebrates the resilience and dignity of people it serves on World Refugee Day, in the spirit of its mission: “to advocate, celebrate, and empower (A.C.E.) ethnic churches, pastors, and new Americans from different parts of the world. We promote and speak the language of love. Our work is weaving God’s love across cultures.”

Valley Forge, PA (06/20/2025)—Summer vacation time is difficult for Burmese children living in Indianapolis. Due to financial constraints, many of them cannot participate in camps, summer schools, or other traditional programs in the area. Disconnection from peer groups and support systems means that they often struggle with keeping their English and math skills active.

VALLEY FORGE, PA (05/27/2025)—“I was born in the Manzanar camp in January 1944,” said Bill Watanabe, a member of the Evergreen Baptist Church San Gabriel Valley, a Japanese American congregation in La Puente, Calif. His parents—farmers who had worked in the San Fernando Valley—and three older brothers were incarcerated there in March 1942. In September 1942, Bill’s older brother Takeshi passed away. He had serious medical needs that could not be addressed in the camp, which, coupled with low-quality, generic food and harsh desert climate, caused him to become weaker and die at the age of two.