VALLEY FORGE, PA (03/23/2026)—American Baptist Home Mission Societies’ (ABHMS) extensive network of partners in Puerto Rico was an asset in helping the Andover Newton Seminary (ANS) at Yale Divinity School organize Emmaus Encounters in Puerto Rico, the first in a series of three travel seminars designed to equip future ministers for building and cultivating community.

VALLEY FORGE (03/11/2026)—The Beyond the Stained-Glass Ceiling Grant (BTSGC), offered by American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS), supports African American female clergy called to lead small congregations, many of whom face financial struggles and cannot afford to pay their pastors a living wage.

VALLEY FORGE, PA (02/18/2026)—Garry Mills lost 18 family members and friends to gun violence in Philadelphia, and to process his grief, he played basketball. One day in 2010, when he invited friends to play, 400 people showed up. That was when Garry realized that people in his neighborhood—especially young men—really need a safe, positive space.

VALLEY FORGE, PA (02/18/2026)—On the morning of September 11, 2001, a group of 400 Georgia religious leaders representing different faith traditions gathered for breakfast. Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, was the keynote speaker. She forcefully argued that people of faith must unite to advocate for all children across Georgia. As the leaders prepared to leave, news of the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C reached them. Hearing it, everyone in the room committed to stay and work together for Georgia’s children.

By Dr. Jeffrey Haggray

VALLEY FORGE, PA (01/26/2026)—My heart grieves the tragic deaths of Alex Jeffrey Pretti and Renee Nicole Goode. They were both law-abiding citizens killed while exercising their civic and moral duty, along with their constitutional rights to peacefully resist the ruthless conduct of federally appointed agents that were visibly violating the rights of their neighbors.

VALLEY FORGE, PA (12/25/2025)—“I matter. My story matters.”

These are the words that many young American Baptists wrote again and again, claiming the power of storytelling, at the American Baptist Youth Convention on November 7-9, 2025, in Lyons Falls, New York. They came together for renewal, reflection, and new friendships. The gathering’s theme was “Oasis” — a place in a “desert of life where participants can find Living Water.”