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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Baptist Community Ministries to highlight faith-based impact of National Nurses Week

By Baptist Message staff NEW ORLEANS (LBM) – The live-saving ministry of nurses through church ministries will be highlighted during National Nurses Week, May 6-12. Baptist Community Ministries is among the organizations that will recognize the contributions of all nurses, including those in the faith community as part of their congregational wellness division. Among the events scheduled is BCM’s annual symposium, May 20. All nurses will be invited to attend the free event (though seating is limited) and will receive six continuing nursing professional development credits. Vendors and massage therapists will be on hand at the event. “We believe and know that the church is the healing place,” BCM Vice President of Congregational Wellness Frances Hawkins told the Baptist Message. “We are focusing in on what we can do to make sure this healing occurs. Our ability to be vessels in the community to focus on spiritual, emotional and physical needs of people in the community helps that healing occur .” BCM has trained nearly 250 nurses and has 85 active nurse-led church ministries. These nurses not only may work a full-time job, but they volunteer 20 hours of their time each month to ministry in one or more of 138 churches … [Read more...]

LBC Executive Board highlights evangelism, Louisiana Send Network

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer WOODWORTH, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Baptist Executive Director Steve Horn, on the heels of a pair of evangelistic events preceding the 2023 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in New Orleans, encouraged Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Board members during their May 2 meeting to create a culture of evangelism. Additionally, board members approved Send Network Louisiana, a church planting partnership with the North American Mission Board. CULTURE OF EVANGELISM Horn said for a culture of evangelism to take place, Louisiana Baptists must believe: every person is an evangelist, every person can be saved, in being sensitive to the Holy Spirit, every scripture points to Jesus, in progressing every decision towards discipleship, every decision is celebrated but we cannot settle, and the community must be saturated with the Gospel. “Louisiana is known for its culture,” Horn said in his report to board members. “Sometimes it’s a good thing and sometimes it’s not. What if it would be known of us and said of us that we would be known first and foremost for having a culture of evangelism.” Horn told board members he is encouraged that churches have signed up to … [Read more...]

SBC EC trustees vote down Wellman as president, CEO

By Baptist Message staff DALLAS (LBM) – Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee trustees, during a special called meeting May 1, voted not to elect Jared Wellman as the next president and CEO. According to news reports, only 30 of the 81 trustees at the meeting inside the Grand Hyatt DFW hotel cast their ballots for Wellman. Wellman, pastor of Tate Springs Baptist Church, Arlington, Texas, took to Twitter after the meeting to thank Southern Baptists for the opportunity to serve as a trustee of the EC. He recently served as EC chairman and a member of the search committee. “Our lives are in the hands of a sovereign God,” he wrote. “We’re called simply to be faithful and put our ‘yes’ on the table (Gen 22). My prayers are with the EC. I’ll always cherish getting to serve.” David Sons, EC chairman and a member of the previous search committee, said in a news conference after the meeting that a new search committee will be formed. According to the Baptist Paper, the new search committee members are: Corey Cain of Tennessee, Neal Hughes of Alabama, Drew Landry of Virginia, Nick Sandefur of Kentucky, Sarah Rogers of South Carolina and Nancy Spaulding of Michigan. Sons will serve as an ex-officio voting member … [Read more...]