Posts published in “Magnolia Minds”

MAGNOLIA MINDS: Totally consumed — my identity crisis

MAGNOLIA MINDS: Totally consumed — my identity crisis

June 9, 2023

Editor’s note: I met Meyah Doyle when I served as a judge at the 2023 Mississippi Baptist State Speakers Tournament, which is open to high school…

MAGNOLIA MINDS: Navigating the Rocky Terrain of Broken Relationships

MAGNOLIA MINDS: Navigating the Rocky Terrain of Broken Relationships

May 26, 2023

MAGNOLIA MINDS: The blessings left for us by ‘Miss Ed’

MAGNOLIA MINDS: The blessings left for us by ‘Miss Ed’

May 22, 2023

MAGNOLIA MINDS: The heroes of short-term missions

EVERYDAY LIFE – People in Dhaka, Bangladesh, go about their business on a typical day in a country deeply in need of the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Photo credit: IMB)

MAGNOLIA MINDS: The heroes of short-term missions

May 9, 2023

MAGNOLIA MINDS: Summer camp can have lifetime impact

READY FOR CAMPERS – Staffers at Garaywa Camp and Conference Center in Clinton gather for a group photo for the Mississippi Baptist facility’s web site. (Photo credit: Garaywa Camp and Conference Center)

MAGNOLIA MINDS: Summer camp can have lifetime impact

May 8, 2023

Clergy Act advances from House
Ways and Means Committee
DALLAS – On Dec. 10 the House Ways and Means Committee advanced the Clergy Act, H.R. 227, in a bipartisan, unanimous vote. The Clergy Act would provide ministers who opted out of Social Security a one-time window to opt back in. The bipartisan legislation was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by California Congressmen Vince Fong and Mike Thompson, and has gained the support of several co-sponsors. The legislation is supported by GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention and other leaders from a wide variety of large and historic denominational benefit boards. In a news release issued by Rep. Fong’s office, GuideStone President Hance Dilbeck expressed gratitude to Fong for his leadership. The Clergy Act would create a two-year window beginning in 2029 that would allow eligible ministers who have opted out of Social Security to revoke their exemption and begin contributing. Ministers must still meet the standard 10-year contribution requirement to earn full retired-worker benefits, receiving benefits proportional to their contributions.