Prayers & Celebrations
May 2021
Prayer Requests
Stan Hastey and the family of Bettie Hastey, West Palm Beach, Fla., whose memorial service will be held Saturday, May 22, at 11:00 a.m., Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach, Fla. Bettie’s service will be live streamed here.
The Fraternity of Baptists in Cuba, some of whose companion churches are experiencing increasingly stressful times with COVID cases rising, more intense food shortages and almost no access to medicine.
Waldemar Murguido, Sanchez-Quiros, Cuba, who serves as the Financial Secretary of the Fraternity of Baptist Churches in Cuba. Last month, his father was hospitalized with COVID.
Celebrations
Eileen Campbell-Reed, Nashville, Tenn. on the release of her book, Pastoral Imagination: Bringing the Practice of Ministry to Life. In the book, Eileen demonstrates the practice of ministry is learned and that learning takes time and preparation, risk and responsibility, support and feedback.
Partner Congregation Covenant Church, Houston, TX, which will celebrate its 56th anniversary on June 6, 2021.
Isabel Docampo, Loveland, CO, who has retired from Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, after having served as director of the Center for the Study of Latino/a Christianity and Religion, co-director of the Intern Program and Professor of Supervised Ministry at Perkins School of Theology.
April 2021
Prayer Requests
Please join us in praying for member Fran Langstaff as she undergoes a second hip replacement on May 10. Fran is also a member of Partner Congregation Watts Street Baptist Church.
Please keep the family of staff member Hortensia Picos Lee and former board president Mayra Picos Lee in your prayers as their brother David passed away Wednesday morning from complications with COVID-19. David was also the cousin of Adalia Gutierrez Lee, uncle of Michelle and Melissa Schellinger Gutierrez and member of Shalom Baptist Church in Mexico City. Join us in holding the family and community in prayer and love during this difficult time.
March 2021
Prayer Requests
(The following is being shared with Philip's permission.) Please keep our friends at Crossing Lines Africa in your prayers. The Unbreakable Love safe house for LGBTQ youth was recently burned down. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt, but some people are recovering from wounds and being treated for issues related to smoke inhalation/asphyxiation. The Unbreakable Love Group is founded and directed by Julie Collines Matovu, a transgender woman and refugee currently living in Kenya. Unbreakable Love is a Member Group of the Africa Alliance for LGBT Inclusion, a ministry started by our friend Philip Kakungulu under the Crossing Lines Africa umbrella. If you'd like to support Crossing Lines, you can make a donation through BPFNA (select Crossing Lines Africa from the dropdown menu) or send a check to 300 Hawthorne Ln, Suite 205, Charlotte, NC 28204 (please indicate that it is for Crossing Lines).
Please keep our friend and peacemaking partner Ildephonse Niyokindi in your prayers. We recently learned of the passing of his father, Ntakarutimana Frederick, who has had a long battle with diabetes. We pray that Ildephonse and his family are surrounded in peace and comfort during this time.
February 2021
Celebrations
Congratulations to Rev. Dr. Kadia Edwards, former BPFNA board member, on defending her DMin dissertation, "The Power of Storytelling for Racial Healing," at Lipscomb University!
January 2021
Prayer Requests
Please keep BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz member and former board member Rick Harris in your prayers as he undergoes cancer surgery on January 14.
Please pray for Pastor Tony Santana in Cuba as we received news that his wife, son, mother, sister, and brother-in-law have all tested positive for Covid-19.
Philip Kakungulu, Crossing Lines Africa Uganda, has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently very sick. Please join us in holding Philip in love, prayer and health. We are hoping and praying for a quick recovery.
Please keep Interim Executive Director Doris Garcia Rivera and her family in your prayers as her brother-in-law's mother recently passed away from COVID-19. She has also learned that more people on that side of the family have also tested positive for the virus.
December 2020
Prayer Requests
Please pray for Amy Jacks Dean, Charlotte, N.C., as she continues to recover from surgery resulting from a surprising diagnosis of lung cancer. Amy and husband Russ are co-pastors at Park Road Baptist Church, a BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz Partner Congregation.
We received sad news from Greg Ledbetter informing us of the passing of his father, James (Jim) Ledbetter, due to COVID-19. Jim was a former member of the BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz board of directors and he and his wife Faithe have been longtime active members of BPFNA. Please keep Faithe, Greg and the rest of the Ledbetter family in your prayers. Read Jim’s obituary.
We learned of the passing of longtime BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz member Doris Hayes. Paul Hayes (son) writes, "My mother has been the hub of family life—an educator, pianist, world traveler, choir member, church lady, and certainly, a force of nature at times. It’s hard to fully measure the impact she has had on so many people for almost 92 years, but many will easily recall her generosity of heart and spirit, her laughter, and her goodwill. Doris Joan Larsen Hayes has lived a long, good life and loved those who shared it with her all along the way." Please keep the Hayes family in your prayers during this time.
Please keep BPFNA board member Jessica Torres in your thoughts and prayers. She and her husband have tested positive for COVID and are not feeling well. Please pray for their health and a quick recovery. Thank you.
Celebrations
Happy 100th Birthday to Olive Tiller! Founding BPFNA board member, Olive Tiller, will celebrate her 100th birthday on December 13! A life-long peace activist, she has supported BPFNA since its inception, and even before as she was active in the Baptist Pacifist Fellowship, which later transformed into the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America. Olive and her late husband Carl Tiller were also the co-recipients of ABCUSA’s Dahlberg Peace Award in 1991, which recognizes those for their significant efforts in working for peace and justice over a period of time. Her family reports that her health is OK, but not great, and that she lives in the Skilled Nursing portion of a retirement community. The limitations imposed by the virus shutdown have been hard for her, but she is mostly in good spirits. If you would like to send a birthday greeting to Olive, the best way is via snail mail, at this address: Olive Tiller, 100 Norman Drive, Cranberry Township, PA 16066.
October-November 2020
Prayer Requests
Please hold the following people in your prayers:
The Seminario Intercultural Mayense (SIM), the communities they serve and all the people in Chiapas, Mexico due to recent severe flooding from Hurricane Eta. You can donate to relief efforts through BPFNA. If donating online, select “SIM Chiapas” from the dropdown menu. If donating by check, please send those to BPFNA, 300 Hawthorne Ln, Suite 205, Charlotte, NC 28204 and put “SIM Chiapas” in the memo line.
Please also pray for our friends in Cuba who are experiencing severe flooding and other damage after Hurricane Iota. Unfortunately, we do not have a way to collect and send funds to Cuba at this time, but please email allison@bpfna.org if you know of anyone collecting disaster relief funds.
Myra Houser & Jason Smith as Myra’s grandmother passed away from Covid-19 earlier this month.
Garth Sorensen, his wife Adela and their family as Adela’s younger brother is currently hospitalized and in a coma. Garth says he is not getting any worse but also not improving. Additionally, one of Adela’s aunts who lives in San Pedo Sula, Honduras was hit hard by the recent hurricane.
Rev. Stacey Simpson Duke, Ann Arbor, MI as she moves to a new drug treatment for cancer progression in her lungs, liver and femoral vein. Stacey has been battling soft tissue sarcoma since 2018. Stacey and her husband Paul are co-pastors at BPFNA Partner Congregation First Baptist Church of Ann Arbor.
Bob Carpenter, Penney Farms, FL who will have surgery on his back in November. Bob and spouse Martha Gale are longtime members of BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz.
Thelma Cooper, Waco, TX, who died in her home surrounded by family on Oct. 14. She is the mother of Dorisanne Cooper who serves as pastor of Partner Congregation Watts Street Baptist Church, Durham, N.C.
The family of Alida Tersy Docampo, Dallas, TX, who died this month. Alida is the mother of BPFNA supporter, Isabel Docampo.
Connie Gates, Chapel Hill, NC who died Oct. 19. Connie was a BPFNA supporter and member of Partner Congregation Binkley Memorial Baptist Church.
Ford Gregg, Dallas, TX, son of Amanda and Mike Gregg, who has been home for a week and is adjusting well and was able to meet his sisters, Annaleigh and Beatrice. The Gregg family asks for care and prayers as they learn how to care for a medically-fragile child. Mike Gregg is the pastor of BPFNA Partner Congregation Royal Lane Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas.
Mary and Steve Hammond, Oberlin, OH, ask for prayers for their daughter, Grace, in her continued recovery after surgery. Mary and Steve are retired from serving as co-pastors of Peace Community Church in Oberlin, a BPFNA Partner Congregation.
Stan Hastey, Palm Beach, FL, husband of 56 years to Bettie Hastey. Bettie passed away the week of November 2. Stan is also currently hospitalized with Covid-19. Stan and Bettie are longtime BPFNA supporters.
The family of Robert (Bob) Seymour, pastor emeritus, Olin T. Binkley Memorial Baptist Church, Chapel Hill, N.C., who died Oct. 10. The 96 year old is celebrated for his prophetic ministry of three decades (1958-1988) which energized Binkley and Chapel Hill around racial inclusion and social justice. The week before his death, a documentary of Rev. Seymour’s life and ministry was released and is now available for viewing.
South Sudanese refugees in Tika Village in the northern region of Uganda who are living in crowded and vulnerable conditions, struggling to survive in refugee camps supported by BPFNA partner Crossing Lines Africa. Philip Kakungulu writes that many of these refugees are hopeless, dying by suicide, and caring for children that have been orphaned. Philip writes seeking our prayerful and financial support.
Celebrations
Please join us in celebrating alongside:
Russ and Amy Jacks Dean, Charlotte, NC who celebrated 20 years as co-pastors of Partner Congregation Park Road Baptist Church.
Marie Onwubuariri, Brookfield, WI, who has been called as associate general secretary for mission resource and development by the American Baptist churches, USA.
September 2020
Prayer Requests
Please hold the following people in your prayers:
The family of Mike Gregg and Amanda Miller Gregg, Dallas, TX, as they continue to monitor their son Ford in the NICU. Friends have created a gofundme page for those who wish to help support the Greggs with their mounting medical bills. Michael is the pastor of Partner Congregation Royal Lane Baptist Church, Dallas.
Doris García Rivera, San Juan, PR, BPFNA’s Interim Executive Director, who is recovering from an optic nerve vitreous gel detachment in her right eye.
Celebrations
Please join us in celebrating alongside:
Jann Aldredge-Clanton, Dallas, TX, on the publication of her latest book The Gathering, A Womanist Church Origins, Stories, Sermons, and Litanies.
Brooks Wicker, Raleigh, NC, upon her retirement from serving as church administrator at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church. Pullen is a Partner Congregation of BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz.
JULY - AUGUST 2020
Prayer Requests
Please hold the following people in your prayers:
Tony and Peggy Campolo, Bryn Mawr, Pa., as Tony recovers from a stroke.
Michael and Amanda Gregg, Dallas, Tex., who continue to watch their son Ford grow in the NICU as his lungs continue to develop. Michael is the pastor of Partner Congregation Royal Lane Baptist Church, Dallas.
The family of John Laney, Asheville, N.C., who died peacefully at home on August 6. John served as an American Baptist pastor for more than 60 years. John had a life-long commitment to peace and justice and served as the president of the board of directors of Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America/Bautistas por la Paz.
Fran Langstaff, Durham, N.C., as she recovers from surgery to repair her wrist which was broken in a fall.
Marcus McFaul, Chapel Hill, N.C. as he undergoes a cardiac ablation Aug. 27 for atrial fibrillation. Marcus is senior minister of Partner Congregation Olin T. Binkley Memorial Baptist Church, Chapel Hill.
Celebrations
Please join us in celebrating alongside:
Joe Phelps, Louisville, Ky. on being awarded the Blanche B. Ottenheimer prize, the highest honor presented by the Jewish Community of Louisville, for his work for racial justice.
Myra Houser and Jason Smith, Arkadelphia, Ark., on the birth of their baby, Elton Mateo Romero Smith-Houser. He was born by C-section at 5:32 am on July 30 at 6 pounds, 2 ounces, 19 1/2 inches long. Jason currently serves on the BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz board of directors.
