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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Army recommends chaplain be charged with ‘dereliction of duty’ for rescheduling marriage retreat

By First Liberty Institute communications BRAGG, NC—First Liberty Institute has responded to new charges against its client, Chaplain Scott Squires, by an Army investigator—acting under the command of MG Kurt Sonntag—recommending that the chaplain be found guilty of “dereliction of duty” for taking three business days to reschedule a marriage retreat he was prohibited from facilitating. “The United States Army, acting under the command of Major General Sonntag, is threatening to punish one of its chaplains because he followed the rules,” said Mike Berry, Deputy General Counsel and Director of Military Affairs to First Liberty. “The Army, or Congress, must hold Major General Sonntag accountable for allowing this aggressive anti-religious hostility against its military chaplains to occur under his command.” The investigation follows a complaint that Chaplain Squires discriminated against a same-sex couple when he quickly rescheduled a marriage retreat his chaplain endorsing agency, the North American Mission Board (NAMB) of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), prevents its chaplains from facilitating. Despite Department of Defense (DOD) regulations that require chaplains to adhere to their endorsers’ rules and religious … [Read more...]

Unity leads to spiritual growth for black, white congregations

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer BATON ROUGE – Manuel Pigee boldly prayed in 2015, asking God to lead United Believers Baptist Church to a rebirth at a new property. After three years of fasting and praying, God presented the steadily growing African-American congregation with the opportunity to move into a facility utilized by Oakcrest Baptist Church, a predominantly Anglo congregation, whose Sunday morning worship attendance was in steady decline. Since United Believers Baptist Church said, “Yes,” in January to sharing the campus, the congregation has seen God move in more ways than they ever imagined. “When I became pastor of the church, I said to them I want you to know I am praying God would do something no one could take credit for -- that God would get the glory,” he said. “The way He opened the door and solidified this partnership has generated a great spirit of joy and peace. We are overwhelmed by God’s grace.” BACKGROUND United Believers Baptist Church was formed after Hurricane Katrina forced Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans to meet at three separate locations, including the Baton Rouge campus. Within a year, many members of the Franklin Avenue congregation returned to New … [Read more...]

Mortician discovers Life in Belarus

By Will Hall, Message Editor MINSK, Belarus (LBM) – Albert and Olga Melnichuck are typical Belarusians in their experiences with the deep despair that grips the people of this former republic of the former Soviet Union, but also in their life-changing  transformation after encountering the Gospel. The middle-aged Belokonevs were caught in an ever tightening downward spiral in life, according to Andrew Ryzhkov, founder of the Byelorussian Mission ministry, who told their story to the Baptist Message. “He was a drunk because of a stressful job, always dealing with death, and the economy went down,” Ryzhkov described. “His wife was constantly complaining and their marriage was falling apart. “But in the  midst of all this turmoil, they came to the local church during our team’s most recent visit, and received Bibles we were distributing [Good and Evil Illustrated Bible], and they became curious,” he observed. Ryzhkov said the couple reached out to him and his wife, Inna, and asked to meet at a coffee shop to answer their questions. “We began meeting them, and they were asking about some of the things they were reading in their Bibles. We explained the stories and shared how these pointed to Christ, and we shared … [Read more...]

Immigrant pastor hopes to ‘see green’ soon

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer MADISONVILLE –Romanian Andrei Parvu and American Ethan Todd have grown in their individual faith in God and in their friendship with each other as they have faced hardships from the red tape encountered in attempting to obtain governmental approval for Parvu to serve as pastor of the First Baptist Church in Madisonville. “It’s been hard, especially at the beginning,” said Parvu, who has briefly transitioned from pastor to volunteer until he officially obtains a green card that will allow him to return to his former role. “The fact that God initiated this process gave me the confidence and assurance I needed to know that He who begins a good work for us here at First Madisonville, He will be the one to bring it to completion. “I knew the Lord would provide for us,” said Parvu. “I have people who ask ‘How do you make it without receiving compensation.’ It’s been a journey of faith, but the Lord never forsook us.” Parvu became pastor of FBC Madisonville in January 2017, soon after he graduated with a Master of Divinity degree from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services allow international students, classified as F-1, to work for … [Read more...]

Be the change agent

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith. -1 John 5:4 I don’t know what it’s like in your house, but my wife and I always disagree about the temperature of the room. Cathe likes it warm, and I like it cool. Sometimes I find myself breaking out in a sweat, so I’ll walk over to the thermostat and see that it’s set at 78. Then I’ll ask Cathe why she set it that high. “I was cold,” she says. So I return it to an appropriate setting, like 70. She likes it warmer. I want it cooler. We go back to the thermostat again and again, because it controls the warmth or coolness of the room. Unlike a thermometer, which goes up and down with the temperature, a thermostat influences its surroundings. A thermostat controls the temperature around it. With that in mind, are you a thermostat or a thermometer? Let me put it another way: Are you changing the culture, or is the culture changing you? Are you changing the world, or is the world changing you? The Bible tells us the stories of great men and women who served God and, in effect, changed their world. These people were not perfect. In fact, they were far from it. They failed often. But they had faith in a … [Read more...]

John Storey named LBC DR volunteer of the year

By Message Staff BOSSIER CITY – Retired Air Force Lt. Col. John Storey has never shied away from responding to a disaster, whether it be the great 2016 flood in south Louisiana or the 2017 hurricanes that devastated east Texas and Puerto Rico. Since August 2016, Storey has responded to three disasters and volunteered with five organizations, including with the Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief for eight months. For his devotion, Storey has earned recognition as the 2018 Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief Volunteer of the Year. “I am very lucky that I am at a stage in life where I can devote so much of my time and energy on helping others who are less fortunate,” Storey told the Baptist Message. “It also helps that my wife supports me and understands my desire to give back as much as I can while I am still young enough and healthy enough to do so. “God has allowed me the opportunity to serve with many people of different religions,” he said. “Whether it be Catholics, Baptists, Protestants, Lutherans or Methodists, we all are committed to serving God and helping others,” he continued. “When I was presented this award, I didn’t feel qualified to have earned it. There were many more people who spent more time with the SBC … [Read more...]

Louisiana Baptists in D.C. lead religious liberty efforts

By Message Staff WASHINGTON – Representatives Ralph Abraham, M.D, and Mike Johnson are two co-sponsors of H.R. 6633, the Turkey International Financial Institutions Act, that directs U.S. representatives at international financial institutions to oppose loans to Turkey, pending the release of U.S. citizens and consular staff. Abraham is a member of the First Baptist Church in Alto, and Johnson is a member of the First Baptist Church in Bossier City. The bill is in response to Turkey’s wrongful imprisonment of North Carolina pastor Andrew Brunson, who has served in Turkey for 23 years as a missionary. He has been held captive by the Turkish government for nearly two years where he has reportedly been subjected to deplorable conditions and denied legal counsel. “Too many Christian missionaries face persecution world-wide for practicing their faith,” Abraham said in a press release. “It’s time for President Erdogan to release Pastor Brunson and any Americans he’s holding and allow them to come home, or his nation should face the consequences. Saying these sanctions “will hit them where they hurt,” Abraham urged Erdogan to avoid the sanctions and simply do the right thing “and let these people come home.” There were … [Read more...]