By Message Staff
ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Marc Taylor, a member of the Cook Baptist Church in Ruston, will be nominated for second vice president of the Louisiana Baptist Convention during the 2019 annual meeting.
Mike Holloway, pastor of Ouachita Baptist Church in West Monroe, notified the Baptist Message, Oct. 18, of his intention to make the nomination because of Taylor’s deep commitment to Jesus Christ and the LBC. He is a man of integrity and well respected by all of his peers, Holloway noted.
The LBC annual meeting is scheduled to be held in the Alexandria Riverfront Center, Nov. 11-12.
STATEMENT OF SUPPORT
Holloway said he has known Taylor since 2005, when he became pastor of Cook Baptist. Even after Holloway resigned in 2015 to become pastor of Ouachita Baptist, he continued his friendship with Taylor.
“Each year in the LBC we seek qualified and committed laypeople to serve our convention,” Holloway said. “I felt God placed Marc’s name on my heart because he is a committed Louisiana Baptist and a private business owner who has the time to serve our Convention, as he has in the past, as a trustee of Louisiana College. He will do Louisiana Baptists a great job while serving as our second vice president.
“He believes in the inerrancy of the scriptures and the importance of missions and evangelism,” he continued. “He leads teams to New Mexico each Christmas to deliver shoeboxes to the Navajo Nation and to share the Gospel message with the Christmas story. Children are saved every year. Also, each summer he leads teams to Mesa Baptist Church on the Navajo reservation and helps conduct Vacation Bible School, participates in construction projects and helps lead a crusade. It is my privilege to nominate such a trusted and dedicated man to be our second vice president. We need to keep our lay people involved in the daily work of our Convention. He will serve honorably.”
CANDIDATE’S RESPONSE
“I am thankful to the Lord Jesus for providing salvation to me and a lost and dying world through His death, burial, and resurrection,” Taylor said. “The Lord has blessed me beyond measures in a loving wife, great children and a wonderful church home. I thank Him for my church and the people who ministry there. I considered it a privilege to serve my fellow Louisiana Baptists. God has great plans for our state through us going on mission with Him. If elected, I would count it an honor to serve the Lord and Louisiana Baptists in this capacity.”
PERSONAL DATA
Taylor earned his Bachelor of Science from Louisiana Tech University and his Master of Animal Breeding from Louisiana State University. He is the owner of Marc S. Taylor Appraisal in Ruston.
He has served as a Sunday school teacher for more than 35 years, chairman of deacons for three separate terms, a stewardship committee chairperson three times, treasurer since 2011 and chairman of the board of trustees at Cook Baptist.
Likewise, he has served on the Louisiana College Board of Trustees (2006-2010), including chairman (2010-2012).
He and his wife, Berthanne, have been married for 44 years and have three adult children.
BY THE NUMBERS
The database of the Annual Church Profile shows that the Cook Baptist has consistently supported cooperative missions and ministries, contributing nearly 11 percent of undesignated receipts, approximately $123,000 in 2019, through the Cooperative Program, up from nearly 10 percent in 2009.
The congregation also gifted more than $13,297 in 2019 to the Concord Union Baptist Association as well as $12,953 to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, another $23,239 to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and $9,256 to the Georgia Barnette State Mission Offering.
Cook Baptist averaged 332 in worship attendance in 2019 and baptized eight new believers.
Moreover, the congregation has witnessed 141 baptisms since 2009.