Click to Login or Sign Up

Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Kelley to NOBTS grads: Be hope-bearers for a hurting world

By Marilyn Stewart, NOBTS Communications NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary President Chuck Kelley challenged the school’s 2016 graduates to rely on the certainty of God’s love as they bring hope to a hurting world. “His love will never loosen its grip on you,” Kelley said at the May 14 graduation ceremony. “Whatever you go through, remember the love of God always triumphs in the end.” REMAIN COMMITTED Kelley acknowledged some graduates may have turned down other, more lucrative career paths to answer God’s call to theological education and ministry, and but he said they must focus on “the love of God” that drew them to seminary in the first place. Consider the “unspeakable sacrifice” of Christ, Kelley said, adding that while other religions have altars and sacrifices of incense, grain or even animals, only the Christian faith has “God himself as the sacrifice.” Going further, Kelley said the cross of Christ, the “centerpiece of the New Testament,” won salvation and eternal life for any person who comes seeking forgiveness, regardless of past sin and failure. “That is good news,” Kelley said. “God must love us because of what God did for us.” Continuing, Kelley caused an obvious moment of serious … [Read more...]

LBF trustees discuss ‘free money’ and other updates

By Jerry Love, LBF Communications Louisiana Baptist Foundation Board of Trustees met for their second quarterly meeting of the year at the Louisiana Baptist Building, April 26, 2016, with the morning dedicated to meetings by the investment committee and operating committee and the afternoon spent in general session by the entire body to consider committee reports and other business. INVESTMENT COMMITTEE Jim Prince, trustee from Lafayette, chaired the morning investment committee meeting, which included a report by Barbara Bell, certified public accountant and controller for the Foundation. She reviewed the account holdings for the first quarter of the year, stating assets under management as of March 31, 2016, were $167,840,414.05, an increase of approximately $3.4 million since the end of 2015. Bell explained the increase as a result of strong deposit activity. Investment returns for the major components of the LBF portfolio were reviewed by Jim Prince, who gave the following information as the official data calculated for the end of the quarter March 31, 2016: Short Term Fund:  0.55% Annualized Yield Fixed Income Fund:  2.11% Total Return Equity Fund:  -0.51% Total Return The Group Investment Fund which is comprised of … [Read more...]

Hollywood to Haughton, DR volunteers aided Louisianans

By Brian Blackwell & Philip Timothy, Baptist Message For the past 25 years, Liz Landers has cooked for some of Hollywood’s most notable actors. But since late March, Landers’ kitchen has been at First Baptist Church in Haughton, preparing meals for Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers stationed there. A former resident of Slidell, Landers said her house was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and that she feels this was a way she could give back to disaster relief volunteers who helped her restore her home. According to Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief leaders, almost every meal served to the hundreds of volunteers working out of First Baptist Haughton has been planned and prepared by Landers. Landers shared with the Louisiana Baptist Message her day during the flood recovery efforts regularly started at 4:30 a.m. and ended around 7:30 p.m. “When the flooding happened I knew I had to do something,” said Landers, a member of Broadmoor Baptist Church in Shreveport. “I can never repay what they did for me after Katrina but the best I can do is try.” Landers, who prepared her last meal at First Baptist Haughton May 12, is among hundreds of volunteers, many from across the United States, who have helped … [Read more...]

Louisiana Notables

ON THE MOVE James Brantley, wife Letha, Bryan is the new pastor at Mt. Hope Baptist Church, Oakdale. Joe Dunn retires as senior pastor from Bethlehem Baptist Church, Albany. Kimberly, husband Wes, Aguillard is the new Children’s Minister at First Baptist Church, Pineville. Jerry Elgin is the interim pastor at Pilgrim Home Baptist Church, Benton. Ryan Perry resigns as youth pastor at Trinity Heights Baptist Church, Shreveport. Bill Stroud is the new pastor at Caddo Prairie Baptist Church, Hosston. Susan, husband Steve, Brown is the new children’s minister at Eastwood Baptist Church, Haughton. Wayne Dubose is the interim pastor at Cook Baptist Church, Ruston John Lary is the new pastor at Calvary Baptist Church, Shreveport. Ryan Sidhom resigned as youth pastor at First Baptist Church, Vivian. IN REMEMBERANCE Nathan Dyer, 82, died May 10. He was employed with the Louisiana Baptist Convention from Jan. 1, 1981 until his retirement on June 30, 1998. He served as an Associate Maintenance Director at Tall Timbers. Please be in prayer for his family. HOMECOMING Faith Baptist Church, Livingston: 26th Homecoming and a 10th anniversary celebration of Trey Cowell as pastor, May 29 at 10:30 a.m. A reception will follow morning … [Read more...]

Church start revitalizes founding congregation

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer WEST MONROE -- Good Hope Baptist Church of West Monroe was an integral partner in founding Fair Park Baptist Church in 1949, but as the years passed the West Monroe congregation declined. Still, even with few in number, the people of Good Hope desired to see the Gospel spread in their community. Through the leading of the Holy Spirit and the vision and direction of Fair Park’s Pastor Waymond Warren, Fair Park set out to help their founding church. For about a year, Fair Park sent members to lead music and preach on a weekly basis at Good Hope. But after a while the smaller congregation expressed a desire for stability in the pulpit. At that time, Good Hope moved their services from 11 a.m. to 8 a.m. to allow Fair Park Pastor Warren and Minister of Worship Darris Waren to lead services at Good Hope and have time to return to Fair Park, about 2 miles from Good Hope, for the 10 a.m. worship there. Fair Park also helped with outreach activities -- such as a fall festival, a live nativity at Christmas and a community parade -- to bring others from the community onto the Good Hope campus. As time passed, the two congregations began to feel like one church, and that led to a vote to merge … [Read more...]

Passion for the Word ignites at state Bible Drill

By Holly Jo Linzay, Regional reporter PINEVILLE – Excitement soared as contenders in the state Bible Drill competition lined up, listened as a Scripture reference was called out, furiously flipped pages in their Bibles and stepped forward ready to respond. “You can see a passion for the Word in these students’ competing, and seeing that fires up my spirit,” said Jennifer Thomas, who was attending the State Tournament for Youth and High School Bible Drill & Speakers’ Tournament for the first time. This year’s event was held April 30 at First Baptist Church in Pineville. The Bible Drill competition is part of a discipleship program designed to assist youth in developing useful skills and knowledge of the Bible. During the tournament, participants compete in tests of their knowledge about the books of the Bible, basic Scripture references, different approaches to the plan of salvation and Scripture references relating to key beliefs and doctrinal convictions. Chloe Whitehead, a ninth-grade student from First Baptist Church in Gonzales, has competed for the last six years in the Bible Drill tournament. “It’s been a fun way to learn the Scripture and to have the answers for different questions that even I have had growing up,” … [Read more...]

Steve Gaines: ‘We’ve got to be soul winners’

By Will Hall, Message Editor MEMPHIS – Describing what his presidential priorities might mean for the Southern Baptist Convention, Steve Gaines emphasized during an exclusive interview the need to pray for revival in our churches and a spiritual awakening in our country, and an equally critical need to train to be soul winners again. Moreover, Gaines said there is a stewardship problem among Southern Baptists – starting with personal budgeting, and he made the point that “the Cooperative Program is by far the very best way to support Southern Baptist missions,” not societal giving. In that regard, Gaines said there needs to be greater emphasis on the value of local associations and state conventions in order to have healthy and growing national programs and entities. Finally, on the issue of Calvinism, Gaines said he believes “anybody can be saved” and that although there is room in the SBC tent for different beliefs, “I do not believe that Calvinism should be taught as the optimal exclusive theological position in our schools, whether our seminaries or our colleges.” DELIBERATE SOUL WINNING “We've got to win souls,” Gaines, pastor of the historic Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tennessee, a suburb of Memphis, told the … [Read more...]

David Crosby: Cooperation in missions, compassion through ministries

By Will Hall, Message Editor NEW ORLEANS – David Crosby, pastor of the First Baptist Church in New Orleans, shared with the Louisiana Baptist Message some of his thoughts about what his possible election as president of the Southern Baptist Convention might mean for the denomination, emphasizing that “the work we do together is about the Great Commission and the Great Commandment.” Speaking by phone, Crosby said on that point “We’ve got to do both proclamation and incarnation.  I think the Gospel requires behavior as well as words.” He added he would work with our national entities to underscore compassion ministries as a way to unleash churches to reach the lost. Crosby also expressed “alarm” about the multi-year trend of designated giving -- the focus on independent work instead of cooperative ministries -- outpacing gifts through the Cooperative Program. Likewise, he expressed grave concern about the “almost accidental” downsizing of the International Mission Board, asking “Why didn’t we have a conversation about this?” instead of “just being blindsided by it.” Regarding the impact of Calvinism on the Convention, Crosby said Southern Baptists always before have been able to live together “with some tensions but in relative … [Read more...]

J.D. Greear: (declined to interview)

By Will Hall, Message Editor Despite making an appointment for a phone interview and after a substantive conversation, J.D. Greear declined to participate in a live question and answer session with the Louisiana Baptist Message about his run for the presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention. During the exchange, Greear made several special requests, some that were acceptable and one that was not. He asked for questions to be submitted in writing. The Message declined to grant this privilege because the two other candidates for SBC president -- Steve Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, and David Crosby, pastor of First Baptist Church in New Orleans, Louisiana -- agreed to the live format, which requires the interviewee to be thinking on his feet and avoids getting typed responses ‘written by committee.’ For the record, to start their respective interviews, Gaines and Crosby each were asked to reflect on the axiom “keep the main thing the main thing” and then explain what the “main thing” would be in his presidency. Follow-up questions essentially were the same for both but were asked naturally during the respective conversations. Greear would have been treated the same. Greear also asked to … [Read more...]