Truth-seeking and truth-telling are two historic and foundational principles of true journalists but something isn’t quite right with the current trend of news reporting.  A variety of surveys and polls indicate an increasing decline in trust of news media outlets as a whole — and in some cases, individual reporters. This week we talk with Clay Carey, assistant professor of journalism and mass communication at Samford University in Birmingham, about the concern related to credible news sources.

Most of us, or at least those who are getting older, begin to think of leaving a legacy, but how do we make sure our desires are carried out? How can we make sure our estate plan continues reflecting our Christian values and personal faith? Barry Bledsoe and John Ashworth of The Baptist Foundation of Alabama share about the importance of estate planning and leaving a legacy on this week’s TAB News.

Protecting children and youth is vital to the ministry of any church or camp. So how do we create a safe environment for our children, an environment that parents, grandparents and guardians can trust is safe?  This week we talk with attorneys Kimberlee Norris and Gregory Love, founders of MinistrySafe and Abuse Prevention Systems. MinistrySafe has trained more than 1 million people on six continents through live and online courses.

Ten-year-old Zak McCullar from First Baptist Church, Carbon Hill, has become popular among Baptists after his appearance at Southern Baptist Convention annual meetings two years in a row. During the June 2019 meeting, Zak joined Executive Committee President Ronnie Floyd to add a Children’s Ministry Day to the SBC calendar. Zak introduced the motion at the 2018 annual meeting. We sat down with Zak following the closing of the 2019 annual meeting to learn more about him and his faith story.

This week we talk with Chaplain Ron Leonard, vice-president of operations, about the ministry opportunities associated with Canines for Christ. We do not publish an issue the week of July 4. The following is comprised of an exclusive article that ran in the special issue of The Alabama Baptist published for the Southern Baptist Convention, this week’s Sunday School commentaries and a sample of editor-in-chief Jennifer Rash’s editorials, which aren’t typically part of the weekly audio digest.

TAB News spoke with youth ministry leaders Scooter Kellum from the Alabama State Board of Missions and Terrance Andrews from Westmeade Baptist Church, Decatur. They share stories and give advice on how to not only personally connect with students, but how to disciple and communicate biblical truth at a teenage level. They also share ideas for youth ministry events, including the annual statewide Speak conference (formerly Youth Evangelism Conference) happening July 19-20.

With 240 million Christians in the United States, it seems like it should be easy to unite and communicate across the nation. Blessings Through Action is one group that has taken on the challenge to connect Christians across the United States. 

On this week’s TAB News, co-hosts Jennifer Rash and Debbie Campbell talk with Blessings Through Action founder Elaine Beck to learn more about the nonprofit, faith-based organization and its news social media app Our Action Place.

When Ukrainian orphans leave an orphanage, without intervention, 10 percent will commit suicide, and 20 percent will end up in prison. Some will join the Russian mafia. Six in 10 girls will be trafficked. A Clanton, Alabama-based ministry connects families with Ukrainian orphans not only for forever homes but also to help Ukrainian orphans find their identity in Jesus. We talk with Bridges of Faith founder Tom Benz and hosting coordinator Nancy Hendrix.

Dwight Martin grew up as a missionary kid in Thailand, came to the United States for college and settled down to build a family and a career but the call to Thailand never went away. Martin and his wife are now back in Thailand working with Reach a Village Ministries, which provides resources for church planting throughout more rural areas. This week we talk about how he is using his software development skills to aid in church planting strategies and why he thinks the concept would work worldwide.

The Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting is coming to Alabama for the first time since 1941. Along with the official business sessions of the denomination that are required, more than 125 other meetings and activities are taking place around the two-day event June 11–12. 

This week, we talk with several ministry leaders involved in planning the various meetings and activities and share highlights about what to expect in the days leading up to the main event.