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Ken Weathersby has held many different titles; however, he has always had the same role.

“The role is servant,” said Weathersby, former vice president for Convention advancement for the SBC Executive Committee.

From his work with the Tennessee Baptist Convention, the North American Mission Board, the SBC Executive Committee, and others, Weathersby remained emphatic that the point of his work and therefore his service was to spread the Gospel of Christ, not for the benefit of his own personal gain.

”It’s all about the Kingdom of God,” Weathersby said. “My focus has never been about me. My focus has always been about serving churches.”

Weathersby broke new ground in nearly every position he held.

He was the first African American pastor to hold a full-time associate professorship at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, where he was director of the Cecil B. Day Center for Church Planting and director of the Nehemiah Project.

Marshal Ausberry, first vice president for the SBC, noted that Weathersby built many bridges for the Convention.

“We can truly call Ken a trailblazer,” Ausberry said. “We celebrate Ken and the accomplishments God has allowed him to achieve within the SBC.”

Some of his other roles include manager of African American church planting at NAMB as well as senior strategist for evangelism and vice president for church planting. He also served as the associate vice president for multi-ethnic mobilization.

“Ken has helped bring people of various ethnicities together and he has worked tirelessly to make positive inroads for all people groups within the SBC,” Ausberry said.

Weathersby said that he desired to go wherever God called him in order to have a long-lasting Kingdom impact.

“God called me to Himself, and so whatever He wants to do I would do,” Weathersby said. “I love the opportunity to see people come to know Christ, so my heart and my passion is to assist the local church in making disciples among all the nations, encouraging them to be involved in missionary activities, training indigent leaders, and networking for evangelism that results in church revitalization.”

Weathersby noted that during his time at the SBC, great strides were made in creating an inclusive culture—breaking barriers of culture, race, and generations for the cause of the Gospel.

“Oftentimes we highlight the challenges of the past and we do not recognize the impact the Convention has made in race relations,” Weathersby said. “The SBC is now the most ethnically diverse denomination of congregations in the United States, and many people do not realize that.”

Weathersby said that when he first joined the SBC there were around five hundred predominantly African American churches. Now, there are around four thousand.

Weathersby credits this substantial growth to SBC’s emphasis on church planting.

”We have intentionally worked to mobilize churches to reach the nations,” Weathersby said. “Many people do not realize that the majority of our ethnic congregations across the SBC were planted by our predominantly Anglo congregations. Our Anglo churches have been the Send Churches needed to plant those churches.”

This missional mindset has resulted in crossing cultural lines in order for new churches to be planted, creating the diversity within the SBC church community.

Explaining his motivation ministry, Weathersby said that his ultimate desire is to give everyone an opportunity to hear the Gospel.

“I want to make sure Christ’s name is known,” Weathersby said. “I believe every believer ought to be sharing the good news of Christ.”

Moving forward, Weathersby said he is confident the SBC will continue down the path of inclusive church planting that cultivates even greater diversity.

“We have leaders across all ethnic lines who are prepared, who are ready, who are taking the baton and will take on the mission of making Christ known in North American and across the world,” Weathersby said.

Source: SBC Life

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Africa University and the 20th Episcopal District are partnering to increase access to higher education for students in East and Southern Africa. The groundbreaking collaboration—a first for the 20th Episcopal District—provides a pathway for graduates of AME schools in five African countries to matriculate at Africa University.

The 20th Episcopal District will enroll seven students each year, beginning in March 2020. An anonymous gift of $700,000, given to Africa University, will provide most of the funding to educate 28 students from the 20th Episcopal District over a seven-year period. However, the District will need to raise additional funds to invest in the initiative. “I am very excited about the partnership because in the 20th Episcopal District—which is made up of the countries of Uganda, Tanzania, Northwest Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe—we have 35 AME schools,” said Bishop Ronnie Elijah Brailsford, Sr., who was assigned as the presiding prelate in July 2016. “Six of those schools are high schools,” said Brailsford. “We do not have a university or college, so this provides an opportunity for many of our students from the various countries to get a good education,” he continued.

The Education Empowerment Project within the 20th Episcopal District—especially involving women, girls, and orphans—is imperative for Bishop Brailsford and his wife, the Rev. Carolyn E. Brailsford, who serves the district as their Episcopal supervisor. The partnership with Africa University is a natural extension of the Education Empowerment Project of the 20^th Episcopal District Women’s Missionary Society, under the leadership of the Rev. Brailsford. The Project already provides scholarships and school supplies for primary to college students.

According to Bishop Brailsford, “the minds we help to shape today will help to shape the world tomorrow.” Opening new opportunities for Africa-focused and high-quality professional and leadership training in a church-related setting is a logical and crucial next step for the Brailsfords.

“Seeing them (the students) become the persons that they are meant to be, instead of the usual or expected reality of being married or becoming pregnant and starting motherhood at age 13 or 14, is the greatest joy,” said the Rev. Brailsford. “Too often, after girls and orphans complete the 8th Grade, they are done. There’s no one to invest in them so that they move forward in their education. However, given a chance and the necessary support through these mission efforts, we are seeing them enroll in college, graduate, and start their own businesses. They are taking charge of their lives and I can’t think of anything better than that,” she added.

Bishop Brailsford made his first visit to the Africa University’s main campus in October 2019. While there, he met with the AU Board chair, directors, and senior administrators who highlighted international student recruitment as a high priority and area of intense focus for the institution over the next five years. “We are sister churches, born of the same Wesleyan tradition into the global Methodist family, so for us to come together like this is really mutually-beneficial,” said the AU Board Chair, Bishop Mande Muyombo.

For Muyombo and the Brailsfords, this partnership exploits a natural fit between what Africa University’s ministry provides and the emerging needs of the communities served by the 20th Episcopal District. “I really see this as a divine opportunity that God has put our two entities together for the betterment of the children of Africa and what can happen for their future,” said Bishop Brailsford. “At its heart, our shared mission is to equip people to think and do for themselves, uplift their communities, and see God’s promise of abundant life realized in the world,” Muyombo added.

“It is a tremendous partnership for Africa University that God delivered,” said James H. Salley, the Institution’s Chief Advancement Officer. Salley and Brailsford are both South Carolinians and they have been talking about Africa University for years. “I’ve been asking Bishop Brailsford to come and see us,” said Salley. “He finally did and a vision for the AME Church to collaborate with Africa University in recruiting international students has taken shape. It is timely and extremely helpful to Africa University’s strategic plan and efforts to significantly increase the enrollment of international students,” he added.

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A new commercial from Starbucks is attempting to raise awareness of the daily challenges faced by the transgender youth.

The advertisement aired during the first week of February and aims to show people that Starbucks welcomes everyone, regardless of who you are or want to be. 

At Starbucks, writing your name on a cup and calling it out is a symbol of our warm welcome. Starbucks welcomes you, whoever you are. #whatsyourname Find out more at https://t.co/6BrvpLfKZb pic.twitter.com/w1ge3ZKu0C

— Starbucks UK (@StarbucksUK) February 2, 2020

The 90-second commercial starts out like a story, showing a trans teen who is referred to as “Jemma” during different times of the day.

At the end of the ad, the teen goes to Starbucks where the barista asks for a name.

“It’s James,” the teen responds with a smile. The employee writes “James” on the cup and the words “every name’s a story” appear on the screen.

The coffee giant launched the commercial as part of the #WhatsYourName campaign.

“Taking a customer’s name, writing it on a cup and calling it out is a symbol of our warm welcome. It is part of the Starbucks experience and creates a moment of connection between our baristas and customers,” a Starbucks release said.

“Starbucks #whatsyourname campaign celebrates this signature act and the significance it can have for some transgender and gender diverse people as they use their new name in public.”

To further expand their support for the transgender community, the coffee company has partnered with the charity Mermaids UK – a group that supports trans children by selling mermaid cookies in UK stores.

Mermaids supports gender-diverse children, young adults and their families until their 20th birthday. 

It is one of the UK’s leading LGBTQ charities and has faced criticism in the past for their push to reverse the nationwide ban on children receiving cross-sex hormones.

In the US, lawmakers in states like Florida and South Dakota are launching efforts to prevent sex change hormone treatments and surgeries for minors. They contend that gender confusion can clear up after the teenage years, so it’s wrong to allow treatments that could end up being an irreversible mistake.

CBN News has previously reported that some doctors also warn that the side effects of opposite-sex hormones are very dangerous and can cause blood clots, cardiovascular issues, and place people at risk for cancer. 

On the other side, in a 2016 interview, Mermaids CEO Susie Green told The Guardian that use of opposite-sex hormones should not be based on a young person’s age – rather their maturity level. 

National Review’s Madeleine Kearns called the combined campaign “shameful” and said that Mermaids “peddles dangerous nonsense to vulnerable children and families, using the ultimate emotional blackmail of suicide.” 

Kearns explained that Green “took her own gender-confused son Jack” to Thailand for a procedure that is “illegal in Britain and now illegal in Thailand.”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Four members of the Chinese military have been charged with breaking into the networks of the Equifax credit reporting agency and stealing the personal information of tens of millions of Americans, the Justice Department said Monday, blaming Beijing for one of the largest hacks in history to target consumer data.

The 2017 breach affected more than 145 million people, with the hackers successfully stealing names, Social Security numbers and other personal information stored in the company’s databases.

The four — members of the People’s Liberation Army, an arm of the Chinese military — are also accused of stealing the company’s trade secrets, including database designs, law enforcement officials said. The accused hackers exploited a software vulnerability that enabled them to obtain login credentials and navigate the company’s network while searching for personal information.

The case comes as the Trump administration has warned against what it sees as the growing political and economic influence of China, and efforts by Beijing to collect data on Americans and steal scientific research and innovation. The administration has also been pressing allies not to allow Chinese tech giant Huawei to be part of their 5G wireless networks due to cybersecurity concerns.

The accused hackers are based in China and none is in custody. But U.S. officials nonetheless view the criminal charges as a powerful deterrent to foreign hackers and a warning to other countries that American law enforcement has the capability to pinpoint individual culprits behind hacks.

“This was a deliberate and sweeping intrusion into the private information of the American people,” Attorney General William Barr said in a statement Monday announcing the case.

“Today, we hold PLA hackers accountable for their criminal actions, and we remind the Chinese government that we have the capability to remove the Internet’s cloak of anonymity and find the hackers that nation repeatedly deploys against us,” he added.

The case is one of several the Justice Department has brought over the years against members of the PLA. The Obama administration in 2014 charged five Chinese military hackers with breaking into the networks of major American corporations to siphon trade secrets.

Full Coverage: Technology

A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy did not immediately return an email seeking comment Monday.

The criminal charges were filed in federal court in Atlanta, where the company is based. Equifax last year reached a $700 million settlement over the data breach, with the bulk of the funds intended for consumers affected by it.

The indictment details efforts the hackers took to cover their tracks, including wiping log files on a daily basis and routing traffic through dozens of servers in nearly 20 countries. It includes charges of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, conspiracy to commit economic espionage and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Equifax didn’t notice the intruders targeting its databases for more than six weeks. Hackers exploited a known security vulnerability that Equifax hadn’t fixed.

Once inside the network, officials said, the hackers were able to download and exfiltrate data from Equifax to computers outside the United States.

According to the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, a server hosting Equifax’s online dispute portal was running software with a known weak spot. The hackers jumped through the opening to reach databases containing consumers’ personal information.

Equifax officials told GAO the company made many mistakes, including having an outdated list of computer systems administrators. When the company circulated a notice to install a patch for the software vulnerability, the employees responsible for installing the patch never got it.

Equifax’s $700 million settlement with the U.S. government gives affected consumers free credit-monitoring and identity-restoration services, plus money for their time or reimbursement for certain services. However, because so many people made claims, officials said some consumers would get far less than the eligible amounts because of caps in the settlement pool.

Copyright 2020. The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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Chinese citizens are up in arms over the rising spread of the deadly coronavirus. The death toll in China from the virus is now at least 908, making this outbreak more deadly than the SARS virus scare from 2002-2003.
 
The number of cases reported over the weekend rose after a string of daily declines. The Chinese government says containment efforts are successful, but a growing number of people around the world say Beijing is hiding the truth, and inside China people are expressing grief and outrage.

They are demanding answers from the secretive communist regime after a young doctor who warned about the coronavirus died from the disease.

In late December, 34-year old Li Wenliang tried to warn the government about the seriousness of the coronavirus. He reportedly died from it Friday. 

His mother, Lu Shuyan wants to know what happened to her son and why government officials ordered him to remain silent.

“My child was summoned by the Wuhan Police Bureau at midnight. He was asked to sign an admonishment notice,” Lu said. “We won’t give up if they don’t give us an explanation.”

Appearing on the CBN News program Faith Nation, China expert Gordon Chang said he expects the coronavirus death toll to keep rising, probably into the month of May. 

Chang said the Chinese public is outraged over the government’s secrecy about Dr. Li’s death. Citizens are also angry about deliberate underreporting and falsification about the spread of the virus – and that’s placing new pressure on President Xi Jinping.  

“People are now calling for freedom of speech, because they realize it’s the nature of the political system that allowed the virus to spread. And that’s why they say the communist party is responsible for his death. That’s why this has caused such an outpouring of grief and anger across China,” Chang explained. “And it also comes just after a XingYi University law professor has called for Xi Jinping to step down. That shows the Chinese people are losing their fear of China’s ruler.”

In neighboring Japan, more cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed on that cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama. The total is now 136. 
Docked in port for one week, the coronavirus outbreak on the Diamond Princess is the largest outbreak of the virus outside of China with a total of 3,700 passengers and crew quarantined on board.

And in Wuhan, China – the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak – health officials gave a China television reporter equipped with a GoPro camera an inside look at Wuhan Union hospital quarantine wards.

Doctors and nurses wear protective gear and work six hours without rest.
Some wear adult diapers because they’re not allowed to undress and redress to use the toilet. Each protective gown costs the equivalent of $43.

Medical staff are kept in hotels, forced to separate themselves from their families. 

Nurse Zhu Peipei is separated from her 3-year-old daughter. Holding back tears Zhu said, “I haven’t seen her in two weeks. I really, really miss her. I go back to the hotel very late. When I want to see her on video chat, she’s already asleep.” 

Dr. Tang Xin said, “The Pandora’s box has been opened, unleashing the disaster, fear and illness. But there could be one thing still left in the box. That’s hope. As long as hope is there, we shall overcome the difficulty.”

Not only is the Pandora’s box open on the coronavirus, the Chinese public’s anger over the government’s handling of the disease has been unleashed as well. And it may have serious political consequences for the government.

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