Ash Creek Baptist Church (ACBC) was established in 1871 in Azle, Texas, in the United States. ACBC sees its primary functions as worship, proclamation, teaching, ministry, including the care for families and individuals within the church and the community who have physical, emotional and spiritual needs, and mission, through mission awareness, involvement and support on the local, state, national and overseas levels.

Its overall aim is to glorify God through service, obedience and worship.

Ask Creek has founded other congregations, including establishing and sponsoring a mission in the Eagle Mountain community of Fort Worth in 1950. This mission has since grown to become Eagle Mountain Baptist church.

The Ask Creek congregation, a Baptist World Alliance Global Impact Church, has focused much on children. Its Pre-Kindergarten Program is dedicated to creating a positive learning experience for children in a loving Christian environment where they engage in age appropriate activities designed to provide educational preparation for kindergarten, enriching social experiences and spiritual foundation building.

The Mother's Day Out Program is a two-day a week early learning program for preschoolers ages 1-5 years old, providing a loving caring atmosphere for children to grow physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually through age appropriate activities.

In Girls in Action, girls in grades in 1-6 learn a biblical worldview with an emphasis on mission learning and missional living, develop leadership skills to serve God and share God's love with others, and grow spiritually in their understanding of God and God's mission, including how they are a part of God's plan.

Royal Ambassadors, a mission discipleship organization for boys in grades 1-6, offers hands-on activities that encourage spiritual growth, games and sports, and mentoring relationships with Royal Ambassadors leaders.

There are programs for youth. Wednesday night "Refuge" events for youth in grades 7-12, provide time and space for youth to share fellowship, participate in activities, and engage in praise. DNOW is a three-day event in which students worship and go through intense Bible study led by a guest group leader. Summer Youth camp is the main activity for this age group. It is an occasion where significant numbers of youth come to faith in Christ.

  

Aleksandar Birvis, former president of the Union of Baptist Churches in Serbia, died on February 1. He was 87 years old.

Birvis was pastor of the Baptist Church in Novi Sad from 1957-1959 and of Belgrade Christian Baptist Church from 1970-2001.

He was professor of Old Testament and church history at the Baptist Theological School in Novi Sad and several other evangelical schools in the former Yugoslavia. From 1989 to 1991 he served as academic dean at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek and in the 2000s at the Novi Sad Faculty of Theology.

He was president of the Union of Baptist Churches and of the Yugoslav Association for Religious Freedom in the early years of the 21st century.

Birvis was a linguist and Bible translator, working with the London Bible Society, Serbian division. His most well known Serbian translation was the rhythmical translation of the Psalms. He also did translation work on Genesis, Lamentations and Hebrews.

He was the author of several books and a great number of articles in Baptist, evangelical and secular magazines.

Birvis earned degrees and diplomas from the University of Belgrade and the Theological Faculty of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Belgrade. In 1991 he received an honorary doctoral degree from the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in the United States

He is a former member of the General Council of the Baptist World Alliance.

Funeral for Birvis was on February 4, in Novi Sad.