There have been so many wonderful memories to cherish in 2019, as EthicsDaily continued its E3 Initiative to educate, engage and empower people of faith.

While attending the North American Baptist Fellowship meeting in Orlando, Florida, I took time to pay my respects to the victims of the Pulse Nightclub massacre.

Standing outside the nightclub and visiting with Orlando residents fueled many emotions. I was brokenhearted by their pain but inspired by a community coming together in the face of such evil.

In Austin, Texas, it was an honor to work alongside Stephen Reeves, associate coordinator of partnerships and advocacy for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and an EthicsDaily.com board member.

Reeves and I spoke to a group of Baptists discussing how hate-filled rhetoric toward immigrants can lead to sinful and criminal behaviors.

In New York City, EthicsDaily covered CBF’s Advocacy in Action conference. Visiting the United Nations and hearing about the global effort to promote justice left me hopeful for the future.

However, seeing the ways justice and peace are being thwarted through armament and violence inspired me to advocate more for marginalized and oppressed people.

In addition to the U.N. visit in New York, we took time to visit Plymouth Church in Brooklyn.

Plymouth’s pastor, Brett Younger, guided our group to the church’s basement. Beneath the church, slaves found sanctuary in the 19th century as they passed through Plymouth traveling on the Underground Railroad.

It was such a sacred moment standing in such a holy place where God’s black children fled the darkness of humanity seeking a light of salvation.

Landing in Greensboro, it was such a delight to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina.

Larry Hovis, executive coordinator, and his staff were the perfect hosts as North Carolinian Baptists celebrated their past while looking to a bright future. EthicsDaily certainly appreciates and values our partnership.

Working with Ray Higgins, executive coordinator of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Arkansas, is a pure delight.

EthicsDaily partnered with CBF-Arkansas to produce a promotional video highlighting their ministries.

The project was so successful that they invited us back to partner with them in producing a video for Arkansas Baptist College, a historic black college in Little Rock.

The Alliance of Baptists held their annual meeting in Washington D.C., and I was invited by their leadership to lead a breakout session addressing how to advocate for justice in a divided world.

Their meeting was inspirational and challenging, as Alliance Baptists are committed to social justice work for all people.

During the summer, EthicsDaily attended two terrific assemblies: the general assembly of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the annual gathering of the Baptist World Alliance.

At CBF, it was a delight to hear the vision of new Executive Coordinator Paul Baxley, who brings a pastor’s heart and vision to the fellowship.

The Baptist World Alliance is always enlightening as Baptists from around the world gather to discuss critical issues.

Other important events and collaborations during 2019 include:

  • Working with Metro Baptist Church in New York City on a video production to help them share their story and dreams.
  • Becoming more familiar with Nurturing Faith’s Jesus Worldview Initiative by attending a gathering at Yellowstone National Park and expanding our collaboration by starting a quarterly column in their journal.
  • Interviewing Emmanuel McCall at Dallas Baptist University after he received an award from the T.B. Maston Foundation.
  • Celebrating with Charlie Johnson as he was named the 2018 Baptist of the Year for his work with public education.
  • Joining Virginia Baptists at the Baptist General Association of Virginia’s 2019 gathering.
  • Continuing our work with Baptist Women in Ministry, as we co-produced our second short documentary about female senior pastors in Baptist churches.
  • Collaborating with BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty) to combat Christian nationalism by producing a video and series of columns pointing out its dangers and harm.

Added to the mix of these incredible moments are the various columns and series published at EthicsDaily.com.

EthicsDaily’s managing editor, Zach Dawes, and our volunteer columnists provide insightful and challenging articles addressing the most critical issues of the day.

Media producer Cliff Vaughn is the most talented film producer working in faith-based journalism today. Under his leadership, EthicsDaily has produced a number of short films and videos on numerous topics around the world.

As you can tell, it’s been a busy and productive year at EthicsDaily. We still believe that when good people engage in good work, we can change the world for the common good.

As another year comes to an end, we are already looking forward to a new and exciting year ahead.

We’ve already shared that we will be releasing our first narrative podcast in early 2020 featuring the life story of Molly T. Marshall, president of Central Seminary, and EthicsDaily has some of its most exciting announcements still to come in 2020.

It’s going to be a great year, and we could not do it without each of our readers, viewers and supporters.

If you believe in our mission, we want to invite you to send an end-of-the-year contribution to our cause either through the secure, online donation form or by check (P.O. Box 150506, Nashville, TN 37215-0506).

Every donation is both appreciated and valued. Because of your kindness and generosity, EthicsDaily still believes in a hopeful future.

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