By Message Staff WOODWORTH (LBM) – The Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Board voted unanimously to elect Steve Horn as the 19th executive director of the organization during the entity’s spring meeting at the Tall Timbers Baptist Conference Center in Woodworth, May 7. There are 86 members of the Executive Board, but attendance numbers were not immediately available. He was nominated by a search committee comprised of board members and led by Waylon Bailey, president of the Executive Board and the senior pastor of the First Baptist Church in Covington. Horn will succeed David Hankins, who retires as executive director June 30. “I am honored and humbled to be selected to lead Louisiana Baptists in our cooperative efforts at this crucial time,” Horn said. “I want to thank the search committee and entire Executive Board for their confidence in me. I look forward to earning the trust of all Louisiana Baptists. I am ready to go to work listening and learning. “My prayer for Louisiana is as the Apostle Paul said about his people – ‘My heart’s desire and prayer to God concerning them is for their salvation.’” “Dr. Steve Horn is uniquely qualified and equipped to lead Louisiana Baptists at this time,’ Bailey told … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer LAKE CHARLES – The sale of facilities that formerly belonged to a struggling Anglo church in Lake Charles has breathed new life into an African- American congregation in the city. The property, located at 3007 Enterprise Boulevard and which used to house the once-thriving Boulevard Baptist Church, was sold Feb. 22 to Mount Olive Baptist Church. At one time Boulevard Baptist Church had as many as 1,320 members, according to Annual Church Profile statistics. But as the demographics of the neighborhood changed, attendance steadily declined, with fewer than 15 members attending in late 2017. Rather than close the doors, Boulevard Baptist chose to sell the property to Carey Baptist Association the following year. The association continued to allow the congregation to worship in the facilities while a new buyer was found. Meanwhile, Mt. Olive Baptist was praying about its vision for the future when the Holy Spirit orchestrated a conversation in October 2017 between Carey Association Director of Missions Bruce Baker and Pastor Braylon Harris about a possible relocation to Boulevard Baptist’s property. Instead of focusing on adding onto its existing facilities at its 37-acre property, … [Read more...]