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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

EDITORIAL: Biden pulls a Hillary, ignores Louisiana’s storm victims

By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – It’s a presidential election year, Louisiana has suffered another devastating natural disaster, and as Yogi Berra has said, “It's déjà vu all over again." In 2016, presidential candidate Donald Trump came to Louisiana just days after the August floods (at that time, the worst natural disaster in the nation since Hurricane Sandy hit the United States four years earlier), and he even made a personal donation to the relief effort. However, his opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continued with her fundraising soirees in the tony Hamptons of New York, sending a social media note, instead, that she was “closely monitoring” the situation. Her campaign promised she would visit the victims “at a time when the presence of a political campaign will not disrupt the response.” But Louisianans are still waiting. Now President Trump, running for reelection, has again prioritized getting help to the state, visiting just two days after Hurricane Laura’s landfall. Meanwhile, his opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, has issued a statement saying, “we will come back and we will be there to help you build back better.” Biden had campaigned in … [Read more...]

2020 Commission update: Create mentoring and ministry networks

By Baptist Message staff ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Baptists are in the final year of implementing the President’s 2020 Commission Report, an initiative undertaken during the leadership of Waylon Bailey, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Covington, and the LBC president in 2012-2013. The 2020 recommendations were crafted collaboratively by a commission of 400 Louisiana Baptist leaders, staff members and laypeople, working in 20 subcommittees of 20 members each. Ten “key actions in reaching our state” – known as KAIROS – were developed to engage two audiences – the next generation and every people group. These measures for improving the spiritual health and growth of the state were adopted by messengers at the 2013 Louisiana Baptist Convention Annual Meeting. This article is the ninth in a series published by the Baptist Message to report what successes have been achieved toward the ambitious goals of the statewide initiative, as well as to note what objectives remain to be done. KAIROS EIGHT Create mentoring and ministry networks. Since 2012, the number of networks and fellowships has grown from two to 10, according to James Jenkins, director of church planting for Louisiana Baptists. Using ethnic … [Read more...]

Governor anounces Phase 3 for opening the economy

By Baptist Message staff BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – Louisiana officially has headed into the next phase of reopening the state’s economy -- with the exception of New Orleans. Gov. John Bel Edwards, during a news conference Friday, said while the mask mandate will remain in place in Phase 3, businesses and churches will be allowed to operate at 75 percent capacity, an increase from 50 percent under Phase 2 that expired earlier in the day. The new order will remain in effect until it expires Oct. 9. Under the new guidance issued jointly from the Governor's office with the state fire marshal and the Department of Health, indoor social gatherings like weddings and birthday parties can operate at 50 percent capacity, up to 250 people, and sporting event venues can open at 25 percent capacity. Nursing home visits still are not allowed in Phase 3, although the LDH soon will start a pilot program for some nursing homes in parishes which experience no new cases of COVID-19 for two weeks. Parishes without high case numbers also will be included in the trial run. “We have seen some improvement in decreased COVID-like illness, new COVID cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks, as our strong mitigation measures are working,” Edwards … [Read more...]