A person writing on a whiteboard with a marker.

News & Mission Stories

News / Mission Story
Mission Story Peter Bickel Mission Story Peter Bickel

A church helps refugees build new lives as they help build a new church

VALLEY FORGE, PA (07/13/2026)—When Pastor Joshua arrived in the United States in 2013, he was overwhelmed. His immigration process was stressful. He was worried that his limited English vocabulary would make work difficult. “I remember my first time when I started to work in the kitchen when they asked me, spoon... I couldn’t understand,” he reminisced in a meeting with the American Baptist Home Mission Societies staff in June 2026.

Read More
News Peter Bickel News Peter Bickel

ABHMS publications, Rev. Dr. Anna Piela honored with 2026 DeRose-Hinkhouse Awards

VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 06/19/2026)—American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS) and its publication, The Christian Citizen, received two DeRose-Hinkhouse Memorial Awards from the Religion Communicators Council (RCC). Rev. Dr. Anna Piela, editor of The Christian Citizen, received a third award. The 2026 honors, for works published in 2025, were awarded in April at a banquet during the council’s three-day annual convention in Cincinnati.

Read More
Mission Story Peter Bickel Mission Story Peter Bickel

Juneteenth reminds us that freedom must be actively protected to survive

VALLEY FORGE, PA (06/16/2026)—Juneteenth is an important day on the American calendar because it reminds us that legal freedom does not always translate into lived reality. The holiday commemorates the moment when news of emancipation finally reached enslaved people in Texas—more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation—reminding us that rights promised on paper are not always realized in practice.

Read More
Mission Story Peter Bickel Mission Story Peter Bickel

Walking with immigrant families in times of fear: ABHMS’ partnership supports compassion in action

VALLEY FORGE, PA (06/16/2026)—Recent immigration policy changes have made life much more stressful for immigrant families and communities in the United States. Often, amid uncertainty about their rights, parents are worried about deportation, and children fear that their families could be separated. The asylum application process is increasingly costly and complicated. While many communities rely on immigrant-owned small businesses, for many newcomers it is hard to get by.

Read More