Voters for Abortion Policies, ‘The Ambassador’ & SBDR Awarded Money

Voters in five states will make decisions in the Nov. 8 elections on abortion policies that vary from proposals intended to protect preborn children to those that would guarantee far-reaching access to the lethal procedure.

The ballot initiatives have taken on heightened significance since the U.S. Supreme Court returned the regulation of abortion to the states in a June decision.

Voters in Kentucky and Montana will cast ballots on pro-life measures, while citizens of California, Michigan and Vermont will determine the fate of proposed constitutional amendments that would protect abortion rights.

Decisions on these proposals will come in the wake of prohibitions on abortion taking effect in 15 states since the Supreme Court reversed Roe. It is anticipated about half of the 50 states will enact laws that prohibit abortion either throughout pregnancy or at a stage of pregnancy, although courts have blocked the enforcement of some for now.
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Long before William Branch became a professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, he was known as one of the most influential Christian hip-hop artists of all-time, “The Ambassador.”

Branch’s music career carries on, as his new EP “The Invitation,” releases today Oct. (28).

He told Baptist Press the nine-track project’s title represents both an invitation from Christ and toward Christ.

Branch was recently honored with the “Kingdom Legend Award” by the Kingdom Choice Awards, a ceremony dedicated to the Christian hip-hop and urban gospel genres.

The award recognizes artists who have left a lasting legacy on the genre over many years. Branch accepted the award and performed during the show Oct. 1 in his hometown of New York City.
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Good News for Today is made possible through our friends at The Voice of the Martyrs, a nonprofit organization that serves persecuted Christians around the world. Founded in 1967 by Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, VOM is dedicated to inspiring believers to deepen their commitment to Christ and to fulfill His Great Commission — no matter the cost. Find out more and sign up for their free monthly magazine at vom.org/goodnews.
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Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) has been awarded $400,000 in funding from the Florida Disaster Fund to help the state’s residents with relief efforts following Hurricane Ian’s landfall in late September.

Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis made the presentation to several nonprofit organizations who led the way during hurricane relief efforts.

Florida Baptist Disaster Relief efforts began within 48 hours of category 4 Hurricane Ian’s assault on southwest Florida, and the efforts will be ongoing for months.

During the DeSantis press conference, Rich Rigdon, Florida Baptist DR operations manager, said that in the first 20 days following Hurricane Ian’s landfall, SBDR had served more than 600,000 meals to those impacted by the hurricane.

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