By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer More than 120 students from Baptist Collegiate Ministries throughout the state are forgoing a spring break trip to the beach in order to volunteer for disaster relief work in response to the overwhelming need to help out those impacted by recent flooding in Louisiana. Among the BCMs already committed to participate next week with Louisiana Baptists’ disaster relief operations are University of Louisiana-Monroe, McNeese State University, Northwestern State University and Southeastern Louisiana University. Students at LSU-Alexandria are preparing for spring examinations next week, and members of that BCM will join ongoing recovery efforts later. BCM state missions coordinator Jamey Gilliland said being engaged in missions is a core value of all the BCMs in Louisiana and explained that campus ministers and state BCM leaders focus on getting students a missions experience multiple times throughout the year, including spring break, Christmas time and summer. Gilliland and other campus ministers felt it was important this year to respond to this specific need right in their own backyard, he said. “Often, our missions emphasis is on going to a different context to inspire a … [Read more...]
David Crosby to be SBC president nominee
By David Roach, Baptist Press ST. LOUIS (BP) - Louisiana pastor David Crosby will be nominated for president of the Southern Baptist Convention, fellow Louisiana pastor Fred Luter announced today (March 24). "I have watched David the last 10 years here in New Orleans as he has taken the leadership of all the churches and pastors of our city in helping to rebuild New Orleans, which everybody knows was totally destroyed [in 2005] in Hurricane Katrina," Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, said in an interview, telling Baptist Press of his intention to nominate Crosby during the SBC annual meeting June 14-15 in St. Louis. "I saw how he was able to get a lot of things done to get the city back up and running," Luter said, noting Crosby's "passion for the Body of Christ and for our convention." "I can see that same passion he had for our city leading the Southern Baptist Convention." During the 20 years Crosby has pastored First Baptist Church in New Orleans, the congregation has given between 7 and 15 percent of its undesignated receipts through the Cooperative Program despite a major relocation effort and $3.5 million of damages sustained from Katrina, Luter said. During the fiscal year that … [Read more...]
LC students reflect and remember at “Road Through Gethsemane Prayer Journey;” event continues through 3 p.m. today
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE – With Easter just days away, students, staff and faculty at Louisiana College took a little journey Wednesday. It was a time of reflection and remembrance. On a picturesque Wednesday, students traveled on the self-guided “Road to Gethsemane Prayer Journey” through seven stations, each one focusing on a specific area of prayer. The self-guided prayer journey began by encouraging students and other participants to take a moment and be still in Christ’s presence, remembering his death and glorious resurrection as the greatest moment in history. Other stations included reflections on praise and thanksgiving, confession, intercession for ministers and missionaries, intercession for authorities and the nation and the LC campus. One of the stations even included a presentation of the gospel and an invitation to accept Christ as personal Lord and Savior. By the first hour-and-a-half, the prayer journey had drawn 25 participants. The event continues through 3 p.m., and is open to the public. Thomas Worsham, who recently became director of the LC Baptist Collegiate Ministry which sponsored the prayer journey, said the day allowed students, staff and faculty and any others … [Read more...]
Southern Baptists DR response growing throughout state
HAMMOND (BP) -- When flood victim Lynell Davis walked into the Southern Baptist Incident Command Center at Woodlawn Park Baptist Church, long-time Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteer Marlene Thompson could see that he was distraught. "He looked like he hadn't slept in days," said Thompson of Colyell. "He sat down and was shaking, said he hadn't had food." The volunteers at Woodlawn Park in Hammond provided Davis with food, and then began the process of completing forms for disaster relief team members to clean his flooded home. "He gave me his paperwork and I was able to file his insurance in 15 minutes," Thompson said. "He sat there and wept." Davis told Thompson that he had cried out for God's help all night. "He sent me here, and you were able to help me," Davis said. That evening, he would profess faith in Jesus Christ. With widespread flooding across Louisiana, Davis represents just one homeowner SBDR will help. With an estimated 5,000 homes damaged in Louisiana, Davis' story will likely repeat many more times. "This is growing by the hour," said David Abernathy, the Louisiana Baptist Convention's (LBC) Disaster Relief incident commander. "We're finding a lot of damage in rural parishes, which have … [Read more...]
Rain-weary Louisianans begin cleanup, recovery process
By Philip Timothy, Managing Editor It has been a long two weeks for Louisiana and its residents. Perhaps some of the toughest encountered in more than 25 years. First there was the rain. More than two feet fell in three days in the north central and northeast corner of Louisiana followed by historic flash flooding. After the rain, came the flooding. Rapidly rising floodwaters made roadways impassable, trapping people who had to be rescued, flooded numerous homes, businesses and vehicles and washed away roads and highways. Now begins the cleanup and recovery efforts. With the rain gone temporarily -- severe storms are forecasted for Wednesday and Thursday -- and with some rivers having crested and actually beginning to fall slowly, people’s attention have turned to cleanup and recovery. For the people in the affected areas, they are well aware of what has taken place. But outside the state there has been little or no mention of the severity of the disaster. “There really has been little mentioned about what is going on here,” said Ron Earley, a member of Southern Baptist Convention of Virginia Disaster Relief and a veteran of disaster relief work. “People don’t know or don’t realize the amount of … [Read more...]
VIDEO: Long days, nights don’t deter East Leesville Baptist member from sharing God’s love during disaster
Late nights and long days have been the norm lately for Lisa Muth. A member of East Leesville Baptist Church in Leesville, Muth has been helping at the incident command center at her church since last week. On Monday evening, she did not leave the church until 9 pm. The prior week, Muth left at 6 pm. Muth said despite the long days, all of the disaster relief volunteers are thankful for the opportunity to serve the people of Louisiana. “That’s our mission first, (to put) Christ first,” Muth said. “These people’s lives and homes may be in ruins now, but without Christ they will go to hell. That’s a blessing to share that. Teams are doing that now.” https://youtu.be/nWFyuy6rx8E … [Read more...]
Ten things that might surprise you about GuideStone’s Supreme Court case
By O.S. Hawkins DALLAS — The U.S. Supreme Court will hear GuideStone’s Supreme Court case on Wednesday, March 23 — right before Easter. The High Court will have to decide whether the government can force GuideStone to provide drugs that can be easily obtained through the government’s own health care exchanges. How did we get to this place? For nearly 100 years, GuideStone has provided generous, Christ-centered health and retirement benefits to Baptist ministries. Today those benefits include more than ten different contraceptive methods that are consistent with GuideStone’s commitment to pro-life principles. But for the government, that is not enough. The government wants to force Baptist ministries to turn their values-driven GuideStone health care plan into a vehicle for delivering deadly, abortion-causing drugs like the “morning-after pill” and even the “week-after pill.” The government won’t require ministries to pay for the drugs, and for that reason it claims it has given ministries an “opt-out.” But truthfully, it is an “opt-in,” because the government would still use GuideStone’s plan to deliver these drugs to the staff and families of Baptist ministries — including their daughters as young as 10. Was … [Read more...]
Supreme Court challenge has been years in the making; GuideStone litigation a ‘reluctant’ step in multifaceted attempt to address grievances
By Roy Hayhurst, GuideStone Financial Resources DALLAS — On March 23, attorneys for GuideStone Financial Resources, Reaching Souls International and Truett-McConnell College, along with more than 30 other ministry organizations, will present oral arguments in the ministries’ litigation against a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ mandate that would require these ministries to participate in the government’s efforts to provide abortion-causing drugs and devices through their health programs or face crippling penalties. The high court is being asked to determine whether the government can compel the ministries to participate in providing access to these drugs and devices that it could easily provide — without violating the conscience of the ministries — through its own health care exchanges. The case will be among the first argued without Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in February. History “GuideStone began working alongside many large and historic denominational health plans when the Obama Administration first signaled that comprehensive health care insurance reform was a top legislative priority,” said Harold R. Loftin, Jr., GuideStone’s general counsel. “We recognized that the unique nature of church … [Read more...]
VIDEO: Disaster Relief pouring in from all over country, including Virginia
Ron Earley, who is from Virginia and drove 22 hours over two days to get to Louisiana, has been a part of numerous responses to disaster since he began serving as a Southern Baptist Disaster Relief team member in 2005. From the flooding disasters from Katrina to Maine to Colorado, Earley, who just starting his five day shift, said he has noticed something that’s unusual compared to most disasters in which he has responded. “A lot of times in disaster, neighbors won’t pull together,” said Earley, a member of the Southern Baptist Convention of Virginia Disaster Relief team. “They will wait for help to come in. It hasn’t been the case here. Neighbors are helping neighbors and I am amazed how people are pulling together here.” Early has been joined by other SBC volunteers of Virginia as well as volunteers from Louisiana, Tennessee and Illinois helping victims in the surrounding area. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBNf_HdNZRg … [Read more...]
Disaster relief efforts continue in full force throughout the state
By Message Staff Help is rolling into Louisiana. Almost two weeks after storms dumped more than two feet of rain in areas of the state and caused the worst flooding seen in Louisiana in more than 25 years, units from 12 states have arrived to lend a helping hand. One such Southern Baptist Disaster Relief team from Arkansas along with a couple of disaster relief team members from First Baptist Church in Pineville spent Tuesday morning preparing 850 meals for those affected by the flooding in central Louisiana. Stationed at Horseshoe Drive Baptist Church in Alexandria, the team is working through March 28 there. Ed Whitson, a member of the Arkansas Baptist Disaster Relief team from Arkadelphia, Ark., told the Baptist Message this is their passion and mission to those hurting after the flooding. "As Baptists, this is part of our mission," Whitson said, "to serve in any place in need and get the word out about our Savior." Jamie Stansell, a member at First Pineville, was helping the team from Arkansas prepare a meal of salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, green beans and rolls. He enjoyed meeting the team from Arkansas and serving those in his own area who had been affected by the flooding. "I've been trained before … [Read more...]
