Staff Blog

Today, we are talking about Reverend Dr. Kate Alexander from Christ Episcopal Church here in Downtown Little Rock. She began working there in 2007 and is now the rector. She is originally from Berkeley, California, and she was ordained there through the Episcopal...

Today, we welcome Pastor Laura Ayala. She is the Coordinator of Global Missions for Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in the Atlanta area of Georgia. She was born in Puerto Rico into a Catholic family, but she was able to come to the United States to go to school in the...

Today, we want to introduce you to Reverend Marie Mainard-O’Connell. She is the Interim Pastor for Adult Education at Second Presbyterian Church in Little Rock. She is married with three children, and has made her home in Little Rock for many years. Her life and...

The Prodigal Son Sharon Henry, 2023 Acrylic on Canvas, 11"x 14" Little Rock, Arkansas In this painting the broken hearts represent the father and son.  The father’s heart is broken because his son took his inheritance and left to live in the world.  As the world did...

Haley Jones-Wells is the Pastor of Community Engagement at First Methodist Church in Downtown Little Rock. We spoke on Zoom because everyone here was snowed in. She was home with her husband and children and I enjoyed the pitter-patter of her family moving in and out...

Today, we are highlighting Meredith Stone, who is the executive director for Baptist Women in Ministry. She is a native Texan, who currently lives in Waco, TX with her husband of 23 years, and her two teenage children. She went to seminary at Hardin Simmons in...

Seed Parables of Jesus Kay Reed, 2023 Oil on Canvas, 12"x 16" Sheridan, Arkansas The parables of God’s kingdom contain simple, everyday objects and normal people, but the stories always seem to have a twist, an unexpected ending, symbols and mysteries.  Just like the...

By Christine Harris (newly appointed deacon at Second Baptist) Last fall I was notified I had been nominated to serve as a deacon at Second Baptist Church.  As I told our pastor, I was stunned and terrified.  But I agreed to consider the idea and pray for discernment....

I have long been an advocate for Baptist female ministers. I mean… I am one. And I have experienced first-hand, in a variety of contexts, just how difficult it can be, specifically in a Baptist church context. This is why the organization, Baptist Women in Ministry...

Christmastide Luke 7:18-23, John 1:1-13, Psalm 147:12-20   I have been laughing more lately! Our daughter Libby gave birth to our first grandchild in June. Her name is Ceily. And yes, for all of you who have preceded us in grandparent-hood, you were right. It is...

Christmastide Luke 7:18-23, John 1:1-13, Psalm 147:12-20 I love the Christmas story. Other than the crucifixion and resurrection, the Christmas story has inspired more art, music, and poetry than any other story in the New Testament. And that is as it should be for no...

Christmastide Luke 7:18-23, John 1:1-13, Psalm 147:12-20 Late in the summer of 2002, we were living in Baytown, Texas, which is a blue-collar refinery town 18 miles east of Houston. I was a stay-at-home mom to Julia, our three-year-old, but I had picked up a part-time...

Fourth Week of Advent - Love Luke 3:1-14 & Zephaniah 3:14-20 Never did I imagine the telegram announcing the birth of my first child would hold up a United States Air Force plane! My brother was stationed in the Azores, a remote island off the coast of Portugal. I...

Fourth Week of Advent - Love Luke 3:1-14 & Zephaniah 3:14-20 When thinking of love, like so many people who have ever been moderately adjacent to a Hallmark movie, I always think of “3 simple words.” No, not those words. The words I think of are “Daddy’s back...

Third Week of Advent - Joy Luke 1:57-66 & Isaiah 35:1-10 During the holidays, this family picture continually resurfaces.  After over 2 decades, my family and I hunt for this picture and get a great chuckle. My poor baby brother, Austin, appears traumatized at the...