First Baptist Covington passed out $10,000 checks to 20 churches in Greater New Orleans last week. NEW ORLEANS – First Baptist Covington passed out $10,000 checks to 20 churches in Greater New Orleans last week. First Covington members raised the $200,000 by adding 10 percent to their tithes and offerings each week over the last year; if someone planned to give $40, they wrote the check for $44; the extra went to a special fund. “Our church has been tremendously blessed, and that’s why we want to give,” said Waylon Bailey, pastor since 1989 of the church where about 1,600 people gather each Sunday to worship. The checks are going to churches that are striving to thrive despite the devastation wrought by last year’s hurricanes, the pastor said. “To us this is a lot of money, but to them it’s just a drop in the bucket for their needs,” Bailey said. He should know. First Covington, on the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain, lost the roof to its worship center, and had major damage to that building’s contents, when Katrina keelhauled most of a 100-square-mile region Aug. 29, 2005. And even while the church was dealing with that damage, it was ministering to the thousands of people who heard … [Read more...]

Though a Christian since World War II when he’d been led to Christ on a battlefield at age 19, Leslie Paul had never been baptized, said his daughter, Cindy Pardue. PINEVILLE—Though a Christian since World War II when he’d been led to Christ on a battlefield at age 19, Leslie Paul had never been baptized, said his daughter, Cindy Pardue. “He met and married my mother, who was Catholic,” Pardue said. After his wife passed away in 1999, Paul began reading his Bible and started going back to church at Pineville Grace Baptist, where his daughters attend. “He went a few times and visited with Bro. Leon,” Pardue said. “Shortly after going, he got really weak and had to stop going in March.” Paul, who turned 80 that same month, kept urgently telling his children that he needed to be baptized. “We were real concerned, because he was weak and because he’d lost most of his hearing in the war,” Pardue said. “His doctor had told him that if he got any water in his ears, he’d lose the rest of his hearing, but he was determined.” First, Paul’s family situation and later his poor health prevented the baptism from occuring sooner, Pastor Leon Hyatt said. However, one day, Paul sent word … [Read more...]

Hebron Baptist Church here has been praying for a revival for more than 10 years, and last month, God’s first answer to that prayer came in the form perhaps 40 decisions leading to 13 baptisms that stemmed from Hebron’s recent annual revival. DENHAM SPRINGS—Hebron Baptist Church here has been praying for a revival for more than 10 years, and last month, God’s first answer to that prayer came in the form  perhaps 40 decisions leading to 13 baptisms that stemmed from Hebron’s recent annual revival. “Thirteen sounds like a lot, but it’s just a drop in the bucket,” said Connie Wheat, a prayer warrior at Hebron who converted from Catholicism more than 20 years ago. “I don’t do squat other than pray,” she said.  “I’ve just been praying so [hard] for [a revival]. Simply just to see God move in a mightier way. The spirit was incredibly wonderful, which came from several of us asking God to do that.” Wheat, who said she’d make herself a cot at church and just stay there and worship, approaches God about all things. “I can remember being reprimanded [by the nuns] for wanting to boldly go and ask God for something.  I can remember starting out a regular prayer, ‘Our Father who art in heaven’ and … [Read more...]

Most everything has a downside. While oversized SUVs provide comfort and a measure of safety, they only get a few miles per gallon. The convenience of a backyard pool is offset by perpetual daily maintenance. Flying may be the quickest and most efficient way to travel but it comes with delays, probing security checks and overpriced food. Most everything has a downside. While oversized SUVs provide comfort and a measure of safety, they only get a few miles per gallon. The convenience of a backyard pool is offset by perpetual daily maintenance. Flying may be the quickest and most efficient way to travel but it comes with delays, probing security checks and overpriced food. Even the Internet, with all of its positive contributions to the world, has a downside. The World Wide Web is a medium that has become saturated with pornography, gambling, predators and scammers. While electronic mail has made communication more efficient and cost-effective, it also has made it much easier to spread gossip. Add weblogs and Internet forums to the mix and the Internet has become a virtual hothouse in which rumor, hearsay and outright lies thrive. For the uninitiated weblogs, also known as blogs, are online journals where … [Read more...]

One of the services of the Louisiana Baptist Foundation is to keep Louisiana Baptists informed about tax laws in regard to charitable giving. The Louisiana Baptist Foundation exists to help you be a good steward of God’s resources. As a good steward you should “render unto Caesar” – only – what is required for you to render and not more. One of the services of the Louisiana Baptist Foundation is to keep Louisiana Baptists informed about tax laws in regard to charitable giving. The Louisiana Baptist Foundation exists to help you be a good steward of God’s resources. As a good steward you should “render unto Caesar”  – only – what is required for you to render and not more. In the year you turn 70 ½, and each year thereafter, you are required to take a minimum distribution from your Individual Retirement Account (IRA) and pay income tax on those distributions. Congress recently passed the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA ‘06), which primarily affects pension plans but also contains a change that affects charitable giving from IRA’s. Through the PPA ’06, President Bush and Congress have provided a tax break on your IRA distributions when they are directed to a church or a charity. This break is … [Read more...]

Fixing its focus on historic New Testament and Baptist doctrine to guide students in the tasks of world missions and evangelism, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary will not knowingly endorse contemporary charismatic practices such as a private prayer language nor hire professors who advocate the practice, according to a statement issued by trustees Oct. 17. FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)--Fixing its focus on historic New Testament and Baptist doctrine to guide students in the tasks of world missions and evangelism, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary will not knowingly endorse contemporary charismatic practices such as a private prayer language nor hire professors who advocate the practice, according to a statement issued by trustees Oct. 17. Earlier this semester one of the seminary’s new trustees preached a chapel message in which he defended the practice of a private prayer language. In an Aug. 29 sermon, Texas pastor Dwight McKissic, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, took issue with the International Mission Board policy refusing to appoint missionary candidates who engage in the contemporary neo-charismatic practice. SWBTS President Paige Patterson, in the midst of what he told … [Read more...]

In a five-page letter Oct. 16, Texas pastor Dwight McKissic set forth his opposition to a planned vote by SWBTS trustees to disassociate the institution from Pentecostal/charismatic doctrines and practices such as a private prayer language. FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)--In a five-page letter Oct. 16, Texas pastor Dwight McKissic set forth his opposition to a planned vote by SWBTS trustees to disassociate the institution from Pentecostal/charismatic doctrines and practices such as a private prayer language. “My conscience and biblical convictions necessitate that I vote against our president’s recommendation,” McKissic, a new trustee, wrote in reference to SWBTS President Paige Patterson. When trustees voted Oct. 17, McKissic registered the lone opposing vote to the SWBTS stance. McKissic stated in the letter that he intends to maintain his friendship with Patterson, expressing ongoing appreciation for the Southern Baptist Convention’s conservative resurgence of which Patterson was a part. But, he asserted, the stance recommended by Patterson and the trustees’ executive committee will tell “potential faculty, administrators, students, donors, and the entire Southern Baptist family ... … [Read more...]

For the first time since the Baptist Golf Fellowship organized 25 years ago, golfers gathered in the Monroe area to test the waters of a different course. MONROE – For the first time since the Baptist Golf Fellowship organized 25 years ago, golfers gathered in the Monroe area to test the waters of a different course. Frenchman’s Bend Golf and Country Club was the setting for the recently-held fall tournament. Medalist play took place Monday and a four-man scramble on Tuesday. Churches from many parts of the state sent clergy and laymen curious to check out a new course. Kelly Boggs, Wayne Taylor, Bob Braly, Bill Penny, Robert Spicer and Jerry Love of the golf committee were in charge of arrangements for the two-day event. The first day of play ended with an awards banquet at North Monroe  Baptist Church. Perry Hancock of Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home and Rick Byargeon of Louisiana College gave “infomercials” at the banquet prior to trophy and door prize presentations. Gift certificates from the pro-shop were the mainstay of prizes given by the Baptist Message and Louisiana Baptist Foundation, sponsors of the tournament. Mike Thompson of West Monroe presented … [Read more...]

This time, when it comes to Southern accents, Hollywood gets it right. ALBANY — This time, when it comes to Southern accents, Hollywood gets it right. But that’s not as much due to the credit of a Hollywood studio focusing on stereotypical speech patterns as much as it is to the Deep South producers who made the critically-acclaimed Facing The Giants. In fact, not only are those real Southern accents behind the voices of the actors, those are real flesh-and-blood Southerners – not professional actors – who stepped up to the plate –  gridiron – to bring the feel-good faith-based movie to the silver screen. The national rollout in late September of the football-themed movie produced by Sherwood Productions, the media arm of Sherwood Baptist Church involved 435 screens nationwide, including several in Louisiana. The success had Hollywood watching closely, and in its aftermath, Twentieth Century Fox announced the launch of its movie distribution label targeting the Christian community. The fact that a south Georgia church made a feature-length film, using one camera and an all-volunteer cast – for $100,000 – is a miracle in itself. For that movie to catch the attention of Hollywood and … [Read more...]

Filmed on a shoestring budget using volunteers from a Southern Baptist church, the inspirational movie Facing the Giants racked up enough success in its first two weekends that one major newspaper labeled it “miraculous.” ALBANY, Ga. (BP)--Filmed on a shoestring budget using volunteers from a Southern Baptist church, the inspirational movie Facing the Giants racked up enough success in its first two weekends that one major newspaper labeled it “miraculous.” The squeaky-clean PG movie passed the $3 million gross mark Oct. 12, which already makes it a success story for a film that cost only $100,000 to make. And while $3 million is mere change by Hollywood standards, the movie has more than held its own in the theaters where it has been shown. It finished 12th among all movies on opening weekend, but an amazing fifth on an average-per-screen tally ($3,046) among the Top 20 movies, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. In its second weekend, Facing the Giants ended up 14th among all movies and was ninth on a per-screen average ($2,407) among Top 20 movies, according to the website. By comparison, MGM’s “School for Scoundrels” cost $35 million to make and finished fourth on opening weekend while … [Read more...]