Archives for June 2017
Otto Warmbier’s father thanks Trump administration
Amazon is buying Whole Foods for $13.7 billion
Crusade in Red River nets souls for Christ
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer COUSHATTA – Before she attended a Red River Association Crusade in late May, Molly Pickett admits her life was filled with anger toward God. But hearing a Gospel message by evangelist Sam Moore during one of seven evening services of the crusade changed Pickett, and also transformed two of her children. All three of the new believers were baptized at Martin Baptist Church in Coushatta, Sunday, June 4. “I was anxious at first but I decided to give my life to Christ,” said Pickett, whose husband encouraged her to attend. “I was so tired of living with the anger and anxiety, and I was not only surprised that my children accepted Jesus as their Savior that night, but also relieved. Now, I am feeling a sense of calm in all areas of my life.” CRUSADE CONVERTS Pickett and her children were among 19 people who professed Christ as Lord and committed their lives to Him, and were obedient in believer’s baptism at Martin Baptist Church and other churches in the area as a result of the Red River Association Crusade. Richard Kaufman, pastor of Martin Baptist Church, was one of the organizers of the crusade. Preparation included a prayer walk at the Red River Parish Fairgrounds and … [Read more...]
Burney’s 50-years at First Lafayette a rare feat
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer LAFAYETTE – You would think someone who has 50 years of memories and relationships accrued while serving on the staff at First Baptist Church in Lafayette would have plenty to tell. But recently Luther Burney was left speechless when asked to recall how he managed to serve for a half decade at one church. “You have to live long enough first,” Burney joked with the Baptist Message shortly after a reception honoring his service to First Baptist Lafayette. “We are in the people business and I love the people. And they in turn have loved me and have let me work here.” Family, friends and others from the community gathered in the church’s fellowship hall April 30 to recognize Burney, who came to the church April 9, 1967 as a music and youth minister. ENCOURAGED TO BE AN INNOVATOR When he first got there, Burney was encouraged by the support of Pastor Perry Sanders who told him to pursue new ideas. “I respected Perry and he respected me,” Burney said. “I was always trying to do new things. Perry said as long as I could pay for it, I had the freedom to do what I felt led to do, and I ran with that.” As the years passed, Burney added new programs that became quite popular in … [Read more...]
Regarding and respecting church leaders for their work
By Justin Langford, Louisiana College ALEXANDRIA (LBM) -- If you are reading this article right now, I have no doubt that you have been impacted tremendously by the ministry of a particular pastor or minister. Maybe it was a pastor who instilled in you a love for the gospel at a young age. Or maybe it was a youth minister who invested in your life, taught you the basics of the gospel, and who played an instrumental part in your decision for salvation. Or perhaps you were in college and the ministries of the local church and BCM challenged you to grow stronger in the faith. All of us, whether church member or staff person, have a rich heritage of faith. Deep reflection on this heritage should bring us to a place of gratitude for those who have served well in discharging their duties as a minister of the gospel. Paul describes the minister’s duty plainly to Timothy in this way: “But as for you, be serious about everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:5, HCSB). Pastors have a high calling and responsibility to shepherd the flock of God. As biblical scholar Gregory K. Beale put it, they are “the doctrinal and ethical guardians of the church.” To … [Read more...]
Revival meeting altered Jerry Whitman’s flight plan for life
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer DOWNSVILLE – As a teenager, Jerry Whitman’s main passion in life was aviation. He dreamed of one day flying an aircraft as a full-time job, and Whitman was on track to fulfilling his dream until a revival meeting in 1970. It was there God showed Whitman He wanted him to go on a different flightpath – one which would lead him to pastor Holmesville Baptist Church in Downsville for 40 years. For his service to the Concord Union Baptist Association church, the long-time pastor was recently honored in a surprise celebration service that included a video tribute from Whitman’s friends, presentations by Director of Missions Barry Joyner, Lincoln Parish District Attorney John Belton and an inspirational message by NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore. “That Sunday I was thinking the service would go on as planned like any other time, but when I walked into the worship center I saw a plethora of people, including the astronaut in the suit, and knew something was up,” Whitman said of the April 23 service. “Our church has blessed me and my family so much and this was an example of how they care for us. I was blown away by all they put into this for me. I’m not worthy of it.” A native of … [Read more...]
Alt-right resolution & evangelism draw focus at SBC
By David Roach, Baptist Press PHOENIX (BP) – Appointment of a task force to study how Southern Baptists can be more effective in evangelism and a resolution decrying “alt-right white supremacy” were among highlights of the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting June 13-14 in Phoenix. In addition, messengers honored 15-term registration secretary Jim Wells with a resolution of appreciation after hearing a report he is in the advanced stages of cancer. Attendees of the SBC Pastors’ Conference preceding the annual meeting elected Florida pastor H.B. Charles as the conference’s first black president. The unofficial total of 5,018 registered messengers, down from 7,321 last year, expanded representation on the Executive Committee to include four states or defined territories which had not previously qualified for representation under Bylaw 30. Southern Baptists also gave the EC authority to sell the SBC Building in Nashville and received a multimillion-dollar gift through the Cooperative Program from the Florida Baptist Convention stemming from the sale of its building in Jacksonville. When registered guests, exhibitors and others were included, the count of those at the annual meeting was tallied, as of June 15, at … [Read more...]
SBC’s Harvest crusade results in 3,398 salvation decisions
By Staff, Baptist Message PHOENIX—Because of hearing the Gospel during a crusade service held June 11 in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention’s 2017 Annual Meeting, 2,904 persons made salvation decisions at the live event, and another 494 declared Christ as Lord while watching the service online. A crowd of about 38,000 individuals gathered in the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, while an unknown number of persons assembled at 3,000 host sites to watch via the internet. A CROSS EVENT Although a multi-denominational endeavor, the crusade largely was a cooperative effort between Harvest America and Southern Baptists’ North American Mission Board, which scheduled the mass evangelistic appeal as the final event for Crossover, the annual outreach program conducted before the SBC annual meeting, held June 13-14 in Phoenix, Arizona. The evening service started with prayer for the nation and included worship by music performed by NEEDTOBREATHE, Trip Lee, MercyMe, Jordin Sparks, Phil Wickham and Brennley Brown. But the emphasis for the evening was a Gospel message from Greg Laurie. Laurie is pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, which has campuses in California and Hawaii. He also is … [Read more...]
Kelley: NOBTS centennial to focus on Gospel and missions
By Marilyn Stewart, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary communications PHOENIX (BP) - New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary President Chuck Kelley greeted convention delegates with a good news/bad news scenario in his seminary presentation at the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting Wednesday, June 14. "Are you ready for some good news?" Kelley asked. "Today, we are 100 years old at NOBTS." Centennial events launch Oct. 3 with special activities and emphases on campus and at extension centers continuing throughout the year. But the NOBTS 100th birthday celebration must not be like any other celebration, Kelley said, "because of the present state of the Southern Baptist Convention." Kelley referenced findings by the NOBTS Leavell Center for Church Growth and Evangelism on the continued decline in baptisms in Southern Baptist churches. Presenting a chart of the findings to messengers, Kelley called the statistics "stunning." Kelley said church plants are "absolutely essential" but the drop in baptisms demands Southern Baptists' attention, with the NOBTS centennial being no exception. "We need to celebrate in a way that will strengthen our seminary and our churches," Kelley said, issuing a challenge … [Read more...]
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