The nation's slow economic recovery from a deep recession is showing up in the offering plates of Protestant churches in the U.S., according to a recent survey by LifeWay Research.

Although 56 percent of churches still report negative impact from the economy, 13 percent report a positive impact-a jump of 4 percentage points from May 2012. When compared to the previous three years, churches are reporting less negative and more positive economic impact.

A three-judge panel from the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati has upheld gay marriage bans in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee.

The appeals court judges split 2-1 in a decision that could cause the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in the hot-button issue. Judge Jeffrey Sutton wrote the 42-page decision and Judge Deborah Cook concurred, delivering a ruling that runs counter to four other appellate rulings from the 4th, 7th, 9th and 10th circuits. Judge Martha Craig Daughtrey dissented.

RISK: Bowling Green has drawn nearly 500 individuals into a relationship with Christ as Warren Baptist Association churches engage communities with personal testimonies, prayerwalking and through a variety of outreach event.

The Kentucky Baptist Convention will hold its 177th Annual Meeting at Living Hope Baptist Church in Bowling Green Nov. 11, and RISK: Bowling Green is a series of precursor events to engage the community with the gospel.

Michael Johnson learned a million little things in the U.S. Army. He learned to make his bed Army-style. He learned to march in the Army band. He learned to shoot an M-16 rifle and throw a grenade.

But maybe the most important lessons he learned during close to a decade as a soldier had nothing to do with combat. He learned how to be a leader and how to look at everyday life as a mission field.

An evangelist who has preached in more Kentucky Baptist churches than anyone alive will receive the KBC's Cooperative Program Leadership Award at the Nov. 11 annual meeting in Bowling Green.

A longtime pastor, associational moderator and two-time president of the state convention, Don Mathis is staff evangelist at that city's Eastwood Baptist Church. His pastor, Tom James, is this year's only announced presidential candidate.