Virginia school board seeks to shut down parents criticizing pro-LGBT policies
Churches begin 2018 with emphasis on prayer
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer Louisiana Baptist churches around the state are starting the year off by humbling themselves before God through a variety of prayer efforts. Among those efforts were churches gathering for the Northwest Louisiana Baptist Association’s third annual “Call to Prayer” Jan. 28 6 p.m. at Cypress Baptist Church, Benton. Hundreds of members from the association’s 117 churches came together to pray for law enforcement, the persecuted church, government officials, missionaries serving around the world, pastors and other church leaders. Pastors and other church staff led various times of prayer. Hosted by Cypress Baptist Church, Benton, the Jan. 28 gathering brought together Christians of various ages and ethnicities to pray for law enforcement, the persecuted church, missionaries serving around the world, pastors and other church leaders. Just like the previous gatherings at First Baptist Church, Bossier City, and Summer Grove Baptist Church, Shreveport, this event was marked by prayer from the worship center stage, in small groups around the room and by individuals who pleaded with God for revival in their community, state and nation. FIRST BOSSIER One church in the association … [Read more...]
Rolling Hills’ thrift store opens door for ministry in Monroe
By Message Staff MONROE – Rolling Hills Ministries has opened its new thrift store in Monroe, setting the stage for the store to be used as a tool to show Christ’s love to the people of northeast Louisiana. The thrift store that serves also as a compassion center located at 5339 Desiard Street opened Jan. 2. Among the items sold inside the store are household items, clothing and furniture. “Rolling Hills has seen God work through many ways to provide this step of faith,” said David Abernathy, executive director of Rolling Hills Ministries. “The ministry wants to add value to Monroe by serving those in need, and assure them that God loves them and desires to help them through the life situations that they are experiencing.” The $1.8 million, 15,600 sq. ft. store is the fourth Rolling Hills Minisitries has opened. The other three are located in Arcadia, Bossier City and Ruston. Like the other stores, the Monroe location accepts drop off items, and picks up donations such as furniture and other large items. Money made through the thrift store will support Rolling Hills Ministries’ compassion ministries such as the partnership with Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home starting in March. Women in the community – … [Read more...]
How to tell you’ve the joy of your salvation
By Joe McKeever “Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation” –Psalm 51:12. Just because salvation is for eternity, anchored forever in the faithfulness of God, does not mean you cannot lose the closeness and fellowship with our wonderful Lord. A married couple can lose their joy and intimacy for a season, although the marriage is still valid and intact. God’s faithfulness does not wax hot and cold depending on what we do or how we felt when we woke up this morning. He does not undo our salvation when we weaken and falter. The blessings upon us are conditional to our faithfulness and may dry up, but the relationship never varies. Forever, we are His and He is ours. My children may be in or out of my favor at given times, but they are still mine. Just because the Lord brings us into His forever family (through faith in Christ, by His precious blood, as a result of His grace) and promises to “never leave thee nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5) does not mean we cannot lose the joy of that relationship. We can. And many have. Try not to lose yours. Jesus promises us His joy (John 15:11 and 17:13) and fullness of joy (15:11 and 16:24). He promises that no one can steal our joy from us (John 16:22). Jesus sees joy as … [Read more...]
CEC challenges students to focus on next things in life
By Message Staff ALEXANDRIA - Students were challenged to take the next step in life Feb. 2-3 at the 2018 Collegiate Evangelism Conference. The conference featured messages by Rahul Agarwal, the director of men and married couples at Gwinnett Church, a campus of the non-denominational North Point Community Church in Atlanta, Ga., and worship led by the House Band, a group comprised of former Baptist Collegiate Ministry members from around the state. Students also participated in seminars and a late-night time of fellowship. Agarwal’s messages and the various seminars were centered around the theme of CEC – Next. The Baptist Message will publish an expanded story on CEC later. … [Read more...]
Louisiana Life March Central draws 5,600
By Message Staff ALEXANDRIA/PINEVILLE - More than 5,600 turned out for the third annual Louisiana Life March Central Saturday, Feb. 3. Men and women, young and old, from various denominations and races joined together to make the journey from the Louisiana College campus in Pineville to the amphitheater in downtown Alexandria. Speakers included several Louisiana Baptists, such as Brian Gunter, pastor of First Baptist Church, Pollock, and U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham, a member of Alto Baptist Church. Also speaking to the crowd was Baptist Message Editor Will Hall, his wife, Catherine, and their son, Jacob. The Louisiana Life Marches are a chance for different denominations, ages and ethnic and racial backgrounds to march together and pray to declare their opposition to the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in 1973. The theme for this year’s marches was “Every Life Deserves A Lifetime.” The Baptist Message will publish an expanded story later on this Life March and the North and South marches held in late January. https://youtu.be/sAnxOQlhyIg … [Read more...]
Ten youth accept Christ during 2018 ECON student night
By Message Staff PINEVILLE – During an evening session of the 2018 Evangelism Conference, Brent Crowe urged hundreds of adults and youth to make sure redemption through Christ was part of their life story. “When Jesus calls us to tell a story in our life that has redemption as the theme and the redeemer Jesus as the central character, He not only bids us to tell the story but He provides us all the resources that are necessary so that theme will be true in our lives,” said Crowe, vice president of Student Leadership University in Orlando, Fla. “If redemption is not the theme of the story we are telling in our life, then our story is not worth telling.” Crowe spoke Jan. 22 to a packed crowd in the worship center at First Baptist Church, Pineville, while hundreds of youth watched from their home churches via a livestream broadcast during student night at ECON. At the invitation, three students came forward to declare Christ the Lord of lives, four repented to restore fellowship with Christ, two responded to the Holy Spirit’s call to vocational ministry and one made an undisclosed spiritual commitment. Student night also featured the testimony of Kayla Sasser, a member of the youth group at Philadelphia Baptist Church, … [Read more...]
Friends, colleagues offer praise, prayers for retiring Wayne Jenkins
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA – Those who worked with Wayne Jenkins during his 27-year tenure with the Louisiana Baptist Convention all agree he will be missed, but they are excited to see what the Lord has planned in the days ahead following his Jan. 31 retirement as evangelism and church growth director. “I am so thankful for Wayne Jenkins' friendship and ministry across the years,” Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Director David Hankins told the Baptist Message. “He has been the premier director of evangelism for a long time. His own commitment personally to soul-winning and his ability to teach and inspire churches to be evangelistic has advanced the Lord’s work remarkably. I pray that Wayne and Martha will be blessed greatly as they enter a new era of service.” Keith Manuel, who has assumed Jenkins’ role Feb. 1, echoed the thought. “Wayne’s ministry has taken the message of Jesus from the bayous to the piney woods of Louisiana, as well as to the remotest parts of the Amazon and the largest cities of Brazil,” Manuel said. “His heart beats for men and women to hear the gospel, no matter the personal sacrifice he has to make to see the task to completion. Thousands of men and … [Read more...]
Jenkins to still lead evangelism effort in Brazil
By Message Staff PINEVILLE – Wayne Jenkins may have retired as evangelism and church growth director for Louisiana Baptists, but his involvement with the annual mission trip to Brazil will continue. During his remarks Jan. 23 at the 2018 state Evangelism Conference, Keith Manuel, who assumed Jenkins’ role Feb. 1, announced that Jenkins still will lead teams from Louisiana and other states as he has in the past 33 trips there. His son-in-law, David Denton, pastor of Highland Baptist Church, New Iberia, will assist Jenkins as associate director for the trip, on a volunteer basis. Since Jenkins took his first mission group to Brazil, he and his team members have seen more than 100,000 people come to Christ and 65 church buildings constructed. Manuel is excited for the future impact Jenkins will make on the people of Brazil. “They are cooperating with Southern Baptist missionaries on the field in Brazil and the local churches to plant those churches,” Manuel said. “They’re not just throwing something together and saying good luck. They have a solid foundation basis for the work that is going on.” … [Read more...]
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