By Baptist Message staff BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – In his inaugural address, Jan. 7, Gov. Jeff Landry issued a call for unity and reminded citizens about the state's rich culture and the can-do spirit of the state’s people that have combined to make Louisiana great. He also vowed to address issues like violent crime and “unsuitable subject matter” in schools. Originally scheduled for Jan. 8, the inauguration ceremony was held the day before because of inclement weather concerns. He officially became the state’s 57th governor Jan. 8 at noon. “It is here that we come together, so that their lives are governed evenhandedly,” Landry said. “So that their hard-earned money is spent judiciously; so that their institutions are compelled to serve them, and not disenfranchise them; so that their government fulfills the missions contrived by them; and so that their children are promised the perpetual legacy of opportunity. The place is here, the time is now, and the challenge is ours.” Landry vowed to help fulfill the promise of those who elected him. “Our people seek government that reflects their values,” he said. “They demand that our children be afforded an education that reflects those wholesome principles, and not an … [Read more...]

By Don F. Mabry and Ed Jelks ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) -- The Louisiana Baptist Mission Builder program started with the Lord calling Ed Jelks to build mission church buildings, and to stop building barns, as a bi-vocational pastor. Ed was attending Home Mission Week at Ridgecrest, North Carolina, when he sought out Leon Hyatt, director of the Cooperative Missions Department of the Louisiana Baptist Convention. Ed did not know it, but the Louisiana Baptist Missions Team had been praying for, and discussing the need for somebody to direct a program to construct buildings for mission churches in Louisiana. Ed Jelks and Leon Hyatt discussed how such a program could be started, then went and found Don Mabry on the front porch of the auditorium at Ridgecrest. They discussed with him what they had been talking about and the dreams that they had, and wanted to know if such a thing could be done. Don’s reaction was, “Well, we do not have any budget, and it has never been approved by the Convention’s administration or the Executive Board of the LBC. But, yes, there is a need, and with some more discussion and planning, it could be done.” In November 1979, the Louisiana Baptist Executive Board Missions Committee approved the Mission … [Read more...]