Lee Hughart was happily working as a bivocational pastor and assistant curator of a historic fort in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina swept through and wiped out his home, church and community. SALISBURY, Md. (BP) – Lee Hughart was happily working as a bivocational pastor and assistant curator of a historic fort in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina swept through and wiped out his home, church and community. Hughart and his wife Allison packed their few remaining belongings into their Kia, strapped in their two young children, then-2-year-old Clararuth and six-month-old Roger, and headed to Hughart’s parents’ home in Baltimore. Shortly thereafter, Hughart accepted a position as interim pastor of Harvest Church in Salisbury, Md., and stepped into the midst of another big storm. He quickly found out that the church was in trouble. Harvest was pastor-driven, with just the former pastor, a youth minister and a team of five trustees making almost all of the decisions. When unresolved conflicts grew, the pastor, four trustees, the youth pastor and the church secretary left. Much of the congregation followed. There was a leadership crisis. Hughart knew he had to move slowly and deliberately to help the church pull … [Read more...]

The Cooperative Program undergirds First Baptist Church of North Mobile’s goal that the sun would never set on the church. SARALAND, Ala. (BP) – The Cooperative Program undergirds First Baptist Church of North Mobile’s goal that the sun would never set on the church. This is a church where more than 1,300 people attend Sunday morning worship, where about 175 people last year went on one of 17 overseas missions assignments, and where last year 10.6 percent of undesignated offerings was given to missions through the Cooperative Program. This is a church with a focus on people, a call from God to reach the world, and a commitment to obedience. “I tell people I’m a missionary to rednecks; we look upon that term fondly,” said Ed Litton, pastor of First North Mobile, which is located in a blue-collar suburb of Mobile, Ala. “Our goal is to reach the people who live here for Christ and help them grow and become missional. “We have a growing community and our focus is this immediate mission field, but we try to think globally about everything,” the pastor continued. “We want people to see themselves as missionaries … even their sufferings and difficulties. Everything in their lives are platforms for God to communicate His … [Read more...]

COMINGS AND GOINGS n Samuel K. Blaylock, new as pastor, Northside Baptist, Lafayette. n Mike Miller, new as pastor, First Baptist, Kenner. n Eddie G. Sirven (wife Robin), new as music minister, Trinity Heights Baptist Shreveport from Faith Baptist, Meridian Miss. n Steven Perry, new as pastor, First Baptist, Grand Isle. n Jimmy White, new as music minister, Clark Springs, Eros. n William Fowler resigns Oak Hill Baptist, Bastrop, as pastor. n Jamie Coomer resigns Grace Memorial Baptist, Slidell, as associate pastor, adult education and children’s ministry going to Corinth Baptist, McQuady, Ky. n Jim Mixon, new as music/education minister, South Bossier, Bossier City. n Jason Matlack, new as youth minister, First Baptist, Shreveport. n Henry Richerson, new as associate pastor/education, Emmanuel, Shreveport. n Philip Vernon, new as youth minister, Pilgrim Home Baptist, Benton. n Mike Landry, new as pastor, Bethel Baptist, Jennings. n Carlys Beard, new as pastor, University Baptist, Lake Charles. n Shane Mitchell, new as music and senior adults minister, First Baptist, Bastrop.   ANNIVERSARIES AND CELEBRATIONS  n Frierson Baptist, Frierson celebrates Homecoming 11 a.m. Sunday, July … [Read more...]

The Rev. Stan Statham – “Pastor Stan” – pastor of Franklinton’s Trinity Baptist Church and a leader in the ongoing recovery effort in Washington Parish following Hurricane Katrina, has been selected as the 16th Citizen of the Year for Franklinton and West Washington Parish. The [Bogalusa, La.] Daily News sponsors the award. FRANKLINTON – The Rev. Stan Statham – “Pastor Stan” – pastor of Franklinton’s Trinity Baptist Church and a leader in the ongoing recovery effort in Washington Parish following Hurricane Katrina, has been selected as the 16th Citizen of the Year for Franklinton and West Washington Parish. The [Bogalusa, La.] Daily News sponsors the award. “This is quite a surprise and it is quite an honor,” Statham said after being told of his selection by committee member Aubrey Posey. Statham, who had been at [New Orleans Baptist Seminary] last week, was on the Causeway crossing Lake Pontchartrain when he received the news. In the nearly three years since Katrina, Trinity Baptist has hosted and fed more than 2,000 persons serving in mission groups from Canada as well as all across the United States. And while it is acknowledged that there is a local impact of the work being done out of Trinity, the removed impact – … [Read more...]

Government bureaucracy can’t “fix” America, but the nation’s people can, President Bush told 1,000-plus leaders of faith-based and community groups gathered in Washington to network with each other and hear from various government leaders.  WASHINGTON (BP) – Government bureaucracy can’t “fix” America, but the nation’s people can, President Bush told 1,000-plus leaders of faith-based and community groups gathered in Washington to network with each other and hear from various government leaders. “Groups like yours have harnessed a power that no government bureaucracy can match,” Bush said. “So when I came to Washington, my goal was to ensure that government made you a full partner in our efforts to serve those in need. The results have been uplifting, and that’s what we’re here to talk about today.” Bush was joined by cabinet members and other government leaders at the June 26-27 meeting of public- and private-sector leaders at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington. The White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives hosted the national conference which included about 200 small group workshops as well as several bipartisan plenary sessions. The event served as a “pep talk,” said Karl Ragan, a specialist in … [Read more...]

More than 130 teens from several states got more than they anticipated when they converged on Vietnamese Hope Baptist Church in mid-July for their annual summer camp. BATON ROUGE – More than 130 teens from several states got more than they anticipated when they converged on Vietnamese Hope Baptist Church in mid-July for their annual summer camp. A study on hermeneutics, discussion on how to get off drugs and small group devotional times were among several activities designed to help strengthen the faith of participants. Sports was another draw. “We just want to see kids turning, preparing, fighting the sin in their lives so they can pursue godliness; that’s it,” said Vinh Duong, youth leader at Vietnamese Hope Baptist Church and organizer for this year’s summer camp. Mid-South Vietnamese youth camps – first over Thanksgiving and now also each summer – have been annual events since 1997, said Doug Kellum of the Vietnamese Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., that started them because it was a too-great distance to go to Atlanta or Dallas each year to participate in national Vietnamese events. The location changes each year, as determined by consensus among youth workers at the four churches that informally have become a … [Read more...]

“The measure of a man’s character is what he would do if he knew he never would be found out,” Thomas Babington Macaulay said. The 19th-century English statesman understood that who we are in private – what we do when no one is looking – is who we really are. “The measure of a man’s character is what he would do if he knew he never would be found out,” Thomas Babington Macaulay said. The 19th-century English statesman understood that who we are in private – what we do when no one is looking – is who we really are. Macaulay’s wisdom is not only, as the Brits would say, ‘spot on,’ it is also time-tested. If you really want insight into a man’s character, disregard his public persona – his carefully crafted image – and pay attention to his behind-the-scenes behavior. A case in point is Jesse Jackson. The so-called civil rights leader has once again been caught using language unbecoming a leader, especially a leader that covets the title of “reverend.” It seems that while on a break during a recent appearance on the Fox News Channel, Jackson thought his microphone was off and that he was engaged in a private conversation. As a result of this presumed privacy, he whispered to another guest that he did not like the way Barack … [Read more...]

Let voters assemble facts for themselves I was disappointed that the Baptist Message would publish “Southern Baptist Pastors and Evangelicals backing McCain” (issue date). Polls change daily and I would hope voters would assemble facts for themselves and not depend on others. Southern Baptists would have been better served by knowing the resolutions from the Southern Baptist Convention and the discussions over the proposals. Shirley Williams New Orleans Writer prefers old hymns to new music Why has the Baptist Hymnal slipped into antiquity? We used to be known as a singing religion, but now we seem to be a chanting congregation. We now sing repeated phrases praising the Lord or stating His worthiness to the sound of guitars and the beat of drums. Does this serve the function that the “old” hymns did? Does it challenge us to visit the unsaved like “I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go?” Does it allow us to give thanks for our salvation like “Saved, Saved?” Does it make us want to dress like church is some place special like “Give of the Best to the Master?” There is nothing in this new music to comfort you when troubled or lift your spirit when downhearted. It does not ease the pain or carry you through the horrors of … [Read more...]

The Spanish Parliament’s move to grant rights previously reserved for human beings to chimpanzees and other apes is a victory for those seeking to minimize the uniqueness of humanity, a bioethics specialist says. MADRID, Spain (BP) – The Spanish Parliament’s move to grant rights previously reserved for human beings to chimpanzees and other apes is a victory for those seeking to minimize the uniqueness of humanity, a bioethics specialist says. An environmental committee in Spain’s legislature approved a resolution June 25 calling for the government to abide by the Great Apes Project, a 15-year-old campaign to grant the right to life, freedom and no torture to chimps, gorillas, orangutans and bonobos. The measure has the support of a majority of members of Parliament and is expected to become law, according to Reuters News Service. The Great Apes Project (GAP) is the brainchild of philosophers Peter Singer, a controversial ethics professor at Princeton University, and Paola Cavalieri, who founded it in 1993, Reuters reported. GAP’s goal is not just to improve conditions for apes but “to demote human beings from the uniquely valuable species and into merely another animal in the forest,” Wesley Smith wrote on his weblog. … [Read more...]

In a first for any state, Louisiana has adopted an academic freedom law giving teachers greater protection and freedom in teaching the strengths and weaknesses of Darwinian evolution, something supporters of academic freedom in science call a significant step forward. BATON ROUGE (BP) – In a first for any state, Louisiana has adopted an academic freedom law giving teachers greater protection and freedom in teaching the strengths and weaknesses of Darwinian evolution, something supporters of academic freedom in science call a significant step forward. Gov. Bobby Jindal, a Republican, signed the Louisiana Science Education Act after it unanimously passed the state Senate 36-0 and was approved by the House by a vote of 94-3. The law allows “open and objective discussion of scientific theories being studied, including but not limited to, evolution, the origins of life, global warming and human cloning.” A statement on Jindal’s website June 26 said he had signed it along with dozens of other bills. Robert Crowther, a spokesman for the Seattle-based Discovery Institute, cited two reasons the law is needed. “First, around the country, science teachers are being harassed, intimidated and sometimes fired for trying to present … [Read more...]