Ohio

Southern Baptists are set to plant as many as 100 churches in Cleveland over the next five years, according to a new initiative by the North American Mission Board (NAMB).

About half of Cleveland residents do not affiliate themselves with a church, NAMB reported, calculating that one Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) church exists for every 42,500 Cleveland residents.

Church members from around the country are being called into action to help plant churches in the northeastern Ohio city. According to NAMB, the SBC network is critical to initiating and supporting nascent churches in Cleveland. more >>

After an 11th minor quake hit northeast Ohio Saturday, officials said the seismic activity in the area could be related to injection of wastewater into the ground near a fault line.

The 4.0-magnitude quake in McDonald caused no serious injuries or property damage, but residents panicked as bookshelves shook and pictures and lamps fell from tables, The Associated Press reported.

The Ohio Seismic Network says more small quakes are possible even as authorities are looking into possible causes. more >>

Living Intensely For Elohim (L.I.F.E) is the mission and message that gospel rap solo artist DLIV and group L.I.F.E Camp Ministries are committed to spreading to fans through their music, lyrics and sound.

Ardale Patrick (DLIV), which stands for Delivered, is the breakout solo artist who signed to Urgency Records and produced the popular singles “Worthy” and “I am a Winner” (featuring Josiah Martin).

L.I.F.E Camp is a Cleveland, Ohio, gospel rap group. Their sound is an uplifting mix of inspiration and encouragement, with their latest single “Breakthrough” an anthem for overcoming obstacles and breaking through challenges. more >>

In Ohio, churches and ministries are reaching out to help veterans. This week, small groups from Fairfield Christian Church of Lancaster, Ohio, met to prepare care packages for a group of eight veterans coming to live in a home recently purchased by Lutheran Social Services.

The congregation at Fairfield just finished a six-week sermon series called “Project Restoration” promoting small groups and encouraging involvement in the community. Over 25 groups within the church are involved in the project. The groups each choose a local ministry, or create their own, in which they go out into the community and meet specific needs.

Executive Pastor of Fairfield Ken Mulpas and his small group decided to work with LSS’ veterans’ home for their project. The group has “a number of members who have relatives who have served,” and they felt a strong push to help out these veterans, Mulpas told The Christian Post. more >>

The “Heartbeat” bill is still waiting to see legislative action in the Ohio Senate, but the group Ohio ProLife Action is taking a proactive approach to speeding up the legal process. This week they released a new ad urging the Ohio Senate to send the bill to committee, and to do it quickly.

The 30-second spot is fairly simple: A school bus pulls up to a bus stop where two children are waiting. As they board the bus, a voiceover begins by saying the passage of the bill “will save the equivalent of a school bus full of children every single day.”

Images of children on a school bus are shown as the ad progresses. At the bottom of the screen these words appear: “The Heartbeat bill will save 70 Ohio children every day.” The first commercial aired in Dayton and ends by asking people to call their senators, with the names and numbers listed on the screen. For the bill to pass, 17 of Ohio’s 33 senators need to vote “yes.” more >>

This Halloween, a local church in Ohio is asking the community one sobering question: What if your worst nightmare was only a mild hint of your coming eternity?

Referring to Judgment Day, Hope Community Church in Hudson, Ohio, is skipping out on the pumpkins, the candy and the spooky costumes this year and using the month of October to get real.

“The Bible tells us that we will all stand before the Lord in judgment and what happens there will be based on the decisions we made in life,” the Rev. Jeff Schofield, co-lead pastor at the church, told Akron Beacon Journal. “We want to encourage people to choose a relationship with Christ.” more >>