Undivided Birmingham Podcast

In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Matt Mason, senior pastor of The Church at Brook Hills, where he has served for almost ten years. Matt was the Worship Minister for three years before becoming an internal candidate for senior pastor during the transition period of former pastor David Platt's call to the International Mission Board (IMB). The church voted Matt in as senior pastor with his wife Paula by his side.  Matt shares about his call to ministry at a young age after growing up as a PK and seeing his father and mother's love for the church. He tells the story of a pivotal moment in his life, at the age of twelve, when his father died in the pulpit in the middle of preaching a sermon on Palm Sunday on March 27th, 1988. His father was only 45 years old at the time. It is a remarkable story of faith and perseverance. His whole family, including all of his siblings and children, serve in ministry at various churches around the country. Matt shares about his love for the book of Philippians and how it was one of the first books in the Bible to light him up for the scriptures. He especially loves Philippians 3. Every morning Matt starts his day praying, engaging in the scriptures, Bible journaling, and reading his daily verses in the Psalms.  We know you will be inspired by this wonderful interview with Matt Mason, senior pastor at The Church at Brook Hills!  

In today's Undivided Birmingham podcast, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Austin Hardison, executive director of Red Mountain Grace. Red Mountain Grace provides safe, clean, and affordable apartments to patients and their families receiving long-term medical care at hospitals throughout the city of Birmingham. Red Mountain Grace has 20 fully furnished apartments and has served over 1,000 families since 2013. There are many ways that churches can be involved at Red Mountain Grace, including adopting an apartment and volunteering through cleaning, celebrating milestones, catering, and ministering to families. Learn more about Red Mountain Grace at https://www.redmountaingrace.org/.

In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Luke Long, our new BMBA Missions & Ministry Intern.  Luke, a student at Samford University, is currently pursuing a degree in Christian Ministry with a business minor. A native of Trussville, Luke grew up in a large family of ten—eight children, four biological and four adopted. As the third child in the family, Luke's upbringing was shaped by the lessons of faith, service, and community, values that continue to inspire his calling to ministry.  Ministry runs deep in Luke's family. His grandfather, James Long, serves as the Homebound Minister at First Baptist Church of Trussville, and his father, Alan Long, transitioned from 25 years of practicing medicine to serving as a Teaching Pastor at First Baptist Church of Trussville. Through their examples, Luke has gained valuable insight into what it means to serve others through the local church. “My parents never pushed a certain vocation on me or my siblings, but they have always been supportive of our callings. It's all about parents being supporters and cheerleaders for God's work in their children,” Luke said. Luke is eager to serve the BMBA in a variety of ways, assisting with tasks that support our churches and their ministries. He looks forward to guest teaching in student ministries and small groups, as well as preaching in churches throughout the association. “I am here to be a sponge and to teach what I have been taught,” he said. As his calendar begins to fill, Luke is enthusiastic about putting his education into practice and investing in the churches of the BMBA.  If you would like to have Luke speak at your church, you may contact him by email at LukeL@BMBAonline.org, or you may call him at (205)790-5448 or at the BMBA office at (205)599-3245.     

In today's podcast of Undivided Birmingham, Dr. Keith Sharp, pastor of Concord Baptist Church in Hueytown, AL speaks on the topic of balancing ministry and family. His message is especially for young people who are just getting started in ministry. Qualities of a man of God able to hold their life in balance with ministry and family: Always walk with the Lord. He must be front and center in your life Young ministers need to make sure they know how to love God everyday. Out of their love for God, a love for people will grow. Learn to love the people who God has called you to lead. You can't lead them, pastor them, or shepherd them if you don't have a growing love for them.  Time management and the ministry: If you don't make a priority of your family, no one else will.  Set priorities: #1. Your walk with God #2. Your family #3. Your ministry.

In today's Undivided Birmingham podcast, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Dr. Willie Brunetti, founder of The Comfort For Caregivers Seminar which is dedicated to educating and empowering caregivers whose work is vital for the welfare of sick and disabled people. Dr. Brunetti became the caregiver to his father, mother, and mother-in-law all at the same time and all living in the same house with his wife and children. He saw the trauma that the circumstance bought to his family. Later he became the caregiver for his wife who came down with a devastating disease that lasted 15 years until she passed away in 2019. From his experiences in caregiving, a ministry was born. The seminar provides pertinent information that will enrich and support the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of caregivers. The seminar also encourages churches to create care ministries to the caregiver to aid the caregiver in managing the turmoil and stress of their lives. Dr. Brunetti has travelled thousands of miles and spoken in hundreds of churches leading the Comfort for Caregivers seminar as a way to give spiritual support to those who have become caregivers or who will become caregivers. He is available to speak in your church.   

In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Jeff Hurn of Alabama Baptist Childrens Home shares about the ministry of foster care provided by ABCH.  ABCH was founded in 1891 by Rev. John Stewart as an orphanage after the Civil War left so many children in need of care due to the loss of their parents. Today, about 6,000 children are placed in foster care with the State through DHR. ABCH steps in to help DHR by connecting with area churches that have families willing to open their homes and offer Christian foster care as a ministry to these children in need.  Learn more at https://www.alabamachild.org/fostercare.

In today's Undivided podcast, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Tim Crist and Ashley Turton of Lifeline Children's Services about CarePortal. CarePortal is a technology platform designed to connect churches and community partners to families in their community. Lifeline offers CarePortal to partner churches for meeting tangible needs and developing opportunities for relationships and gospel conversations with families near them.

Jay Gordon, Minister of Adults and Small Groups at The Church at Brook Hills discusses discipleship, small groups, and how the church can connect people to Christ and each other.

Gary Hollingsworth retired on April 30, 2023, after 47 years in full-time ministry. He had served as SCBC executive director-treasurer since January 13, 2016, based in Columbia. The Alabama native moved to South Carolina from Little Rock, AR, where he was pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church. His pastorates have included churches in Kentucky, Virginia, and Alabama. He also served as senior director of cultural evangelism at Southern Baptists' North American Mission Board from 2005-2007. Now, Gary is part of the Mission Dignity team of Guidestone Financial Resources. 

In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Mark Clifton of the North American Mission Board, shares about bringing life to dying churches. Approximately 800 SBC churches are forced to close each year unless a healthy church partners with them to replant and revitalize them to new life.  The majority of these churches are in populated areas and not in rural communities as many would think. Listen and learn what can be done to help these dying churches before it is too late.  Also, Mark mentions NAMB's 2023 REVIVE Summit that will take place at Hope Community Church in Birmingham, AL, on September 12th and 13th. To find out how to register for this event, contact Marisa Taylor at marisat@bmbaonline.org or Josh Cook at joshc@bmbaonline.org. 

In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Dr. Johnny Fain, shares about prayer and the story behind Assignment International Ministries. The story of AIM is one that started back in June of 1978, when Johnny and Debbie were married and shortly after became the pastor of a small church over 3 hours from their home in Ft Worth ,Tx. From that starting point, 41 years later, they found themselves in the crossroads of “What is next, Lord?” With this prayer being offered up to the Father in Heaven, they found themselves receiving the answer while visiting in the home of Glenn and Jackie Sheppard on a small sheep farm in Kansas City, Mo. Being “learners” of revival and prayer movements, they journeyed to K.C. to visit a prayer meeting that had been going on for over 17 years, at a site called The International House of Prayer.  Little did they know that the Lord would speak a word of direction to them, not at the prayer meeting, but out by a sheep pen.   Early Wednesday morning of that week, Johnny went out to pray and learn the lessons of the sheep. Of course, when you are learning about sheep, you must read Psalm 23. After reading this Psalm, the Lord lead Johnny to read Psalm 24. The purpose was to know that the Lord was his Shepherd and his King!  Following the 24th, the Lord said to read Psalm 25 with the question, “Being that the Lord is my Shepherd King,  what is my response to Him?”  I will trust You, God.  Show me Your ways.  Teach me Your paths.  Lead me into truth for I trust in You. Johnny began to pray these things and the Lord spoke very clearly, “It is time to leave the pastorate.”  He replied, “Lord,  you're  going to have to speak this to Debbie.” The Lord said that was not a problem!  With no word of this spoken to Debbie, she began writing what the Lord was saying to her during her Bible study and prayer time.  The words were clear.  They had finished the work in the pastorate and it was time for something new.  Debbie came from her time with the Lord and shared with Johnny the word given to her. It was the same as Johnny had received! They knew something new was coming but did not know what it was to be. The word “assignment”, kept coming up and gradually the Lord revealed His plans to form Assignment International Ministries or AIM. https://assignmentinternationalministries.com/ Join us for the If My People Will Pray Multi-City Prayer Rally on October 1, 2023, from 5:00 PM-7:00 PM, at the Wright Center at Samford University for one hour of worship followed by one hour of prayer. Learn more at https://ifmypeoplewillpray.net  

In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Dr. Rod Marshall, President and CEO of Alabama Baptist Children's Home and children's Ministries. Dr. Marshal has degrees from Samford, UAB, and Regent and has served as for 28 years at ABCH. ABCH was established in 1891 as a traditional orphanage, but in the last 20-25 years has become Alabama's largest foster care provider.  One out of ten children in foster care in the State of Alabama are provided for by ABCH. Dr. Marshall said that when asked what keeps him up at night, it is that he doesn't know what has happened to the other nine children out of ten that are not cared for by ABCH.  The number one need of ABCH is financial. The State provides $16 per day for each child in foster care and ABCH is responsible for raising the other $40 a day they need to give a child quality care.  As Christians, not everyone is called to be a foster parent, but everyone is called to do something for fatherless children. Rod calls upon churches to adopt foster families and come along beside them to help them as they answer the call to foster parenting.  To learn more about becoming a foster parent or how you can help, please call the ABCH office at (205)982-1112. 

In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Mary Teel, a Journeyman for the International Mission board (IMB), shares her experience of being called as a missionary to Uganda and her step of faith in following Jesus and trusting Him to lead her and guide her as she shares the Gospel across the world. 

In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Brandon Knight, Pastor of Victory City Birmingham. They discuss many topics including church planting, co-vocational ministry, family life, discipleship and the pastoral ministry.  Pastor Brandon Knight is the husband to Christie and the father to Alex, Elliot, Sara-Brooke and Benjamin. He is a graduate of Samford University and has a Masters of Arts in Spirituality and Formation from Regent University. Brandon serves at the pastor of Victory City Birmingham, now located at the former First Baptist Church of Tarrant, and as the Director of Spiritual Formation at Restoration Academy.     

Michael Adler has served as Worship Pastor for over three decades in the local church. He currently heads the Worship Arts Ministry at Shades Mountain Baptist Church in Birmingham where he has served for 22 years. With professional credits including Promise Keepers, the Billy Graham Association, TRUTH, LIFEWAY, the southern Baptist convention and others, he is also a published composer and arranger. Michael has served in an advisory capacity and guest teacher for several Christian universities and seminaries in the areas of worship leadership and the local church. He also serves with San Diego based Slingshot Group as a worship leadership staffing and coaching associate.  Outside of the promise of eternal life, Michael considers his greatest gift to be his wife, Linda, a professional vocal coach whom he met while recording daily television shows and specials with the Oral Roberts television ministry in the 80s. Together they have four sons and a growing list of wonderful daughters-in-law and live on eight acres called Shady Lane just outside of Birmingham. 

In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Eddie Vines, a former District Judge who holds a Master's Degree in Christian Apologetics from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Eddie is the founder and president of Faith Fortress Ministries. As the Faith Fortress founder, Eddie Vines, served as a District Judge in Alabama where he became increasingly concerned about the erosion of values in our society as well as the negative influence American popular culture is having on the world.  A chance encounter with a telemarketer in 2006 (Eddie being called by Achui Shimray) has led Faith Fortress to establish a ministry presence among the Naga Tribes of Northeast India. Whereas Americans once exported the gospel to unreached peoples such as the Nagas, we now send them Hollywood and Hip Hop and the unfortunate result is the moral breakdown of such people groups. With workshops, training, personal discipleship, evangelism, and much prayer, Faith Fortress seeks to engage reach the world for Jesus and strengthen the existing church, one believer at a time. Learn more about Faith Fortress Ministries at faithfortress.org. 

Don Setser is a Certified Public Accountant who specializes in helping churches and ministers with their accounting needs and tax preparation. In this Undivided Birmingham podcast, Mr. Setser discusses circumstances that are unique to pastors in properly preparing their tax forms. Mr. Setser has expertise in such areas as: Ministerial income tax preparation Christian financial planning/consulting Church financial statement development and analysis Church by-law and policy/procedure drafts Human Resource and payroll assistance Non-profit organization application prep to the IRS Seminar and Conference speaking If you would like to use Mr. Setser's services, you may contact him at 251-689-5740. 

Mission Dignity helps more than 2,700 individuals every year with extra money needed for housing, food, and vital medications. It also ensures a well-deserved dignity, independence, and often, the ability to continue serving the Lord. Churches and believers across the nation join together for their annual one-day giving event to support retired Southern Baptist ministers, workers, and their widows in critical financial need through the ministry of Mission Dignity.  How can our Undivided Birmingham listeners make a difference in the life of one of God's servants? Go to missiondignity.org to donate. 100% of your gifts will go directly to help these dear servants in their financial need, thanks to an endowment that covers all administrative expenses. 

In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Mike Lazenby, who is a church mobilization strategist for the International Mission Board (IMB). Mike shares how the local church can shape the hearts of its people to have a heart for the nations and get involved in international missions. By supporting the IMB Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, anyone can be involved in the work of taking the Gospel to the nations. What makes this offering so unique is that every dollar donated goes directly overseas to support the work of the  missionaries and none of it stays in the States.  If you have any questions regarding the work of the International Mission Board, contact them at info@imb.org. 

In this episode of UnDivided Birmingham, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Rob Paul, lead pastor, and Bill Sears, executive pastor of Huffman Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL. The two leaders share their insights and experiences about partnering together for the Great Commission and the importance of developing on-site and off-site partnerships to align with so you can reach your church's neighborhood and community. 

In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Annel Robayna, Director of Hispanic Mobilization at the International Mission Board, and David Inestroza, who develops and resources Hispanic worship leaders in Alabama. Annel Robayna recently became the Director of Hispanic Mobilization at the International Mission Board after serving as an Intercultural Missionary at the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. Annel describes himself as a Christian, husband, father, son, brother, friend, musician, and church planter. David Inestroza helps provide the Hispanic Baptist Churches of Alabama with resources in the areas of worship ministries, music, and media, as well as the developing a network of Hispanic worship leaders and organizing worship clinics and conferences throughout the year. 

In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Jacob Simmons, pastor of Hope Community Church and Jeff Hindman, music minister of Hope Community Church.  Hope Community Church was established through the church revitalization process of Church Adoption. McElwain Baptist Church a once thriving church with thousands of members, had been faithfully serving its community for 125 years. Over the years, the church roll declined to 350 members with only 100 people in worship attendance. As Pastor Jacob Simmons states, "McElwain Baptist Church was a declining church, but not a dying church."  As a way to help the church revitalize, Shades Mountain Baptist Church, adopted McElwain Baptist and began a new work by establishing Hope Community Baptist Church.  In this interview, Pastor Jacob Simmons and Jeff Hindman share their story of God working in this wonderful partnership of two churches. 

In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Andy Blake, the executive director of WorkFaith Birmingham, a ministry with a mission to empower lives through work and faith.  Andy Blake has served as a Church Planter in New York City, as well as a pastor. He now leads WorkFaith Birmingham and has a heart to see God transform the lives of people with challenges in seeking employment. WorkFaith Birmingham workshops help people discover their gifts, talents, and skills, as well as teaching them how to interview with prospective employers through mock interview sessions with actual HR volunteers.  Andy said it's very rewarding to him to see someone come into a workshop on day one with all of their insecurities and challenges and then two weeks later see them transformed with confidence in their mock interview sessions. Many clients have been hired by companies that partner with WorkFaith Birmingham.  Learn more about WorkFaith Birmingham at workfaithbhm.org. 

In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Eli Smith, Birmingham Police Officer and Pastor of House of Miracles Church, about best practices for keeping your church and congregation safe and secure against intruders who seek to do harm.  Pastor Eli's #1 tip is to lock your car doors and remove all valuables from your vehicle. Also, make sure you lock your office doors and have a sign-in system in place for visitors. That way you have a record of who is in your  building at all times. Another great tip is always let people know where you are going. This is a good thing to do for various reasons but is especially helpful should you have a medical emergency while out of the office.  Pastor Eli shares so many important tips in this podcast. We hope you enjoy listening and please subscribe!

In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Maureen Hallman, who works in Community Engagement on the ABCH Development Team and Katie Hobbs, Project Specialist for the ABCH Development team. Maureen and Katie share about the important Kingdom work being done at ABCH through their ministry to foster children and foster families. Maureen gave us three ways that churches can engage with ABCH: 1. Prayer is first and foremost. 2. Service through volunteer work in various areas from babysitting for foster families, to gardening and cleaning the kitchen. 3. Giving of financial donations and time. 

In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Mary Splawn, wife of Senior Pastor Wayne Splawn and Minister of Connections, at Mountain Brook Baptist Church.  Mary shares about her call to ministry at the age of 14 years old and the different events in her life that led Mary and her husband, Wayne, to Mountain Brook Baptist Church. Mary and Wayne began serving as youth ministers 14 years ago at MBBC. Wayne Splawn became senior pastor of MBCC in January of 2022. In her role as the pastor's wife and Minister of Connections, Mary works with women's ministries, oversees the gym facility, and produces a church podcast with a Bible reading plan for church members. In her podcast called the Bible Reading Podcast, Mary reads through the church's Bible reading plan each day to equip church members who are auditory learners as well as church members who are just extremely busy and a podcast fits well into their schedules. 

In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Kevin Moore, the Area Director of Mission Increase Central Alabama. One of the key roles Kevin plays in the Central Alabama region is strengthening and building capacity in nonprofit organizations. He views the nonprofit sector (in many ways) as the delivery system for the “goods and services” of Christ's Kingdom by aiding the mobilization of the Church in the context of the community.  Kevin advises Christian non-profit ministries about fundraising best practices in order to help them make the greatest impact for God's kingdom. His advice is to focus on building relationships with potential donors and to not think about what you can get from them but to think about what you can do for them. Christian non-profits help churches to mobilize into the community by meeting needs and making the name of Jesus known.   

In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Susan Bates, the founder of an audio Bible ministry called Your Working Copy.  Susan Bates is passionate about God's Word and accepted a call from God in the 1980s to distribute his Word to "the least of these" through audio devices that have solar panels that can be recharged by the sun. Susan believes this includes people who are unable to read the printed Word due to various reasons such as physical disabilities, learning disabilities, or those who have no access to electrical power due to homelessness.  Susan Bates has a bachelors degree and masters degree from the University of Alabama. She has worked in the field of engineering, taught in the classroom from kindergarten to the university level, and been involved in the Girl Scouts USA organization. God has used her varied gifts and talents to carry out the mission of Your Working Copy. Learn more about how you can support the mission of Your Working Copy by visiting their website at yourworkingcopy.org.

In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Dr. Rick Lance, Executive Director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. Dr. Lance shares about his early years growing up in Birmingham and his first interview with ALSBOM for the position of executive director. He also shares his vision for the State Board of Missions; One Mission, the Great Commission - One Program, the Cooperative Program.   

In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Nic Seaborn, Pastor of Shades Crest Baptist Church, in Hoover, AL. Pastor Seaborn shares how he is able to balance being the pastor of a growing congregation as well as a husband to his wife, Rachel, and father to two young children ages two and four. He commends his church for being a loving congregation that is dedicated to ministry and missions locally as well as to the uttermost ends of the earth. Shades Crest is a church that has lots of diversity across the board, but even though there is not a lot of uniformity, there is unity in the midst of diversity. 

In this episode, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Buddy Champion, pastor of First Baptist Church Trussville, and President of the  Alabama Baptist State Convention. Pastor Buddy shares his thoughts about the challenges of COVID, the faithfulness of his church members who have continued to give and serve through the pandemic, and finding ways to draw those who have fallen through the cracks back into the church. Pastor Buddy believes evangelism is as important as discipleship and we should always be sharing the Gospel with others. He has served as Pastor of FBC Trussville for fifteen years and has been in ministry since 1990. He has been married to his wife Lynn for 30+ years and they have four daughters.   

In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Rev. Chris Duncan about his experiences with bi-vocational ministry. Rev. Duncan serves as pastor of The Cross at Clay, a church located in Clay, AL, in the Greater Birmingham area and is also a professional banker. 

In this episode, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Dr. Wayne Splawn about his call to Senior Minister of Mountain Brook Baptist Church. Wayne and his wife Mary began serving side-by-side on staff at MBBC as student ministers in 2008, with Mary working with the 7th-9th grades and Wayne working with the 10th to 12th grades. Wayne was called to become Senior Minister of MBBC in January 0f 2022.

In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Dr. Chris Crain interviews father and son duo Edwin and Andrew Jenkins about their Christian book study series, Lifelift, a book study about discovering your spiritual gifts and understanding your calling from God.  Follow the link below to find out more and order a free Lifelift workbook (a shipping charge will be applied at checkout).  https://www.jenkins.tv/free

In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Dr. Morris Johnson, pastor of Integrity Baptist Church in Hueytown, AL, and Vice-Moderator of the Birmingham Metro Baptist Association. Dr. Johnson shares his experience of God calling him and his wife Derry to plant a new church, Integrity Baptist Church, after being a long-time pastor of two established churches. Dr. Johnson's wise advice is "If God calls you, God will prepare the way. Rely on Him. Know it's not your work, but His work." Bro. Morris says that pastoring Integrity Baptist Church is a family endeavor that he shares with his wife Derry as they stand shoulder-to-shoulder working together. Derry Johnson is an accomplished woman in her own right. A former RN and now practicing lawyer with her own law firm, Derry is also the first African-American female to be the Chair of a Board in a SBC entity as she serves as Chairwoman of the Board for Alabama Baptist Children's Home. 

In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Rev. Jacky Connell, pastor of Eden Westside Baptist Church in Pell City, AL. Rev. Connell has served as Senior Pastor of Eden Westside for 35 years and in this podcast, he discusses pastoral longevity and leading church staff. 

Eli Smith is a church planter, pastor, and police officer for the City of Birmingham. Pastor Eli grew up in the community of East Lake in East Birmingham. He and his wife Chundra, also a Birmingham police officer and now retired, are the parents of five children. In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Pastor Eli shares an acronym God gave him for the East Lake community surrounding his church plant, House of Miracles. The acronym is CPR.  C - Christ P - Pray continuously R - Revitalization and resources  Pastor Eli says it takes both hands to push before life comes back and partners are the handiwork of God. He has established an Engage East Lake Team at House of Miracles and together they are moving the church into the next generation. Formerly Lake Highland Baptist Church and located in an old historic building made from stones, House of Miracles is a new church plant, a new entity, with a new voice but the same message of God's gospel of grace and salvation to all who will believe. 

Dr. Reginald Calvert speaks with Dr. Chris Crain about his 23 years in ministry as the pastor of New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church.

In this episode of the Undivided Birmingham podcast, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Joi Wasill, Executive Director of Decisions, Choices, and Options, a non-profit that teaches sexual risk avoidance, formerly known as abstinence, to middle school and high school students across Tennessee and Alabama.  Decisions, Choices, and Options, Inc (DCO) began serving the youth of Middle Tennessee in 2002 with dynamic and engaging sexual risk avoidance prevention education programs in local school classrooms and community organizations. From their humble beginnings in one local school system, they currently serve public and private school as well as after-school, homeschool and community organizations in thirteen counties of Tennessee, eight counties of Alabama, and through multiple partnering agencies across the South East. Reaching over 18,500 youth and students ages 11-19 each school year, DCO effectively impacts the future of those they are privileged to serve by equipping them with necessary skills to achieve optimal health and successful life outcomes. Learn more about the mission of DCO at decisionschoicesandoptions.com.

In this episode, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Greg Davis, President and CEO of Alabama Citizens Action Program (ALCAP) and American Character Builders.  ALCAP is an interdenominational ministry that, working together with the churches of Alabama, serves as “Alabama's moral compass.” They are a resource for churches, organizations and interested individuals who desire to make Alabama a safer state for every citizen. An ethical, moral and responsible lifestyle based on biblical standards is an attainable goal that will benefit the entire state. They are especially dedicated to protecting our children from the dangers associated with immoral behaviors and the temptations they face in life. They strive, through legislation, consultation and the American Character Builders educational programs, to provide young people, parents, and churches with the resources they need in order to make wise decisions in life. 

In this episode of Undivided Birmingham, Dr. Danny Wood, Pastor Emeritus of Shades Mountain Baptist Church shares how God led him in preparation for retirement as Senior Pastor of Shades Mountain Baptist Church and how important it is to have a strategic plan in place for the benefit of the church body and future leadership.  

Dr. Chris Crain interviews Rachel Moore and Carol Gargus of Discovery Club, along with Michael Ethridge, BMBA Director of Operations.

Dr. Chris Crain interviews Dr. Cecilia Walker, Brookwood Baptist Health Executive Director of Chaplaincy and CPE.

In this episode, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Dr. John E. King, Jr. about the importance of self-care in ministry.

In this episode, Dr. Chris Crain interviews Marisa Taylor, BMBA Church Resource Specialist. Marisa works closely with the BMBA churches to help resource them for community ministry, partnership, and missions.