COMINGS, GOINGS Byron Beaubouef, new as associate pastor of Unity Baptist, Pineville. B. K. Miller, new as interim pastor of First Baptist, Choudrant. Rick Wedrall, new as Sunday School director at Highland Park, Monroe. Robert Comeaux, new as worship leader at First Baptist, New Orleans. NEEDED Northeast Baptist Association needs pastors at the following churches: Calvary, Fairbanks, Peniel, Sandel Drive, Swartz First. Ministers of Music are needed at Calhoun First, ChristWay, Clark Springs, Edgewood, Emmanuel West Monroe, Lighthouse, Loch Arbor, Monroe First, Mt.Vernon. Youth Ministers are needed at Bethel, Clark Springs, Highland, Highland Park, Lighthouse, New Light, Emmanuel West Monroe, New Chapel Hill. Children’s Ministers are needed at Fairbanks and Mt. Vernon. Jerry Price, director of missions. Full-time church secretary needed at Mt. Vernon Baptist, West Monroe. Call 318.323.0055. Highland Baptist Christian School in New Iberia needs a lower elementary teacher’s aide. Call 364.2273 or email lamothe@hbcsni.org. Day Care workers and enrollment positions are available at Sale Street Baptist. Call 337. 477.3464 REVIVALS AND RELATED EVENTS JENA – First Baptist revival services are set for 10 a.m. and … [Read more...]

Lacking any baptisms in at least a year, Roger Easter was eager to renew his church’s passion for Jesus Christ.  LOUISBURG, Mo. (BP) – Lacking any baptisms in at least a year, Roger Easter was eager to renew his church’s passion for Jesus Christ. It was around February when Easter, pastor of First Baptist Church in Louisburg, Mo., invited two state convention staff members – ministerial services specialist George Roach and worship specialist John Francis – to pray with him about the need for revival in his church and community. Roach had spoken at the Dallas County Baptist Association’s annual meeting last fall and said, “The Missouri Baptist Convention wants to partner in any way we can with any church that has not had a baptism in the past year or several years.” Easter jumped at the chance to take Roach at his word and asked if he was serious. “Of course,” Roach responded. “How can I help you?” and they began to dialogue about the best approach for the church to increase baptisms. “We invited people from the church who could come to pray with us,” Easter recounted. “We had eight men and four ladies join in the prayer time for our church and community.” No one could have imagined what an impact those prayers … [Read more...]

Like “the little engine that could,” it was last fall’s little movie that could, chugging over the mountain of Hollywood releases with an all-volunteer cast and only one camera.  ALBANY, Ga. (BP) – Like “the little engine that could,” it was last fall’s little movie that could, chugging over the mountain of Hollywood releases with an all-volunteer cast and only one camera. “Facing the Giants” eventually ran for 17 weeks in more than 1,000 theaters. It took in $10 million in its first three months, a paltry sum by Hollywood standards. But “Facing the Giants” wasn’t about Hollywood’s standards. Instead, the film championed family values and Christian virtues –  all on a $100,000 budget. The movie chronicles a Christian high school football coach’s struggle to overcome obstacles by trusting and honoring God in all circumstances. While he and his wife face infertility and his football team faces yet another losing season, they learn to believe God for victory. The coach is played by Alex Kendrick, associate pastor of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga. “Most people hear the movie made $10 million at the box office and think we’re rolling in the dough,” said Michael Catt, senior pastor of Sherwood Baptist, whose media … [Read more...]

The number of youth who take their own lives increased by 8 percent in a period of one year, the largest single-year rise in 15 years, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) –  The number of youth who take their own lives increased by 8 percent in a period of one year, the largest single-year rise in 15 years, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Scott Stevens, director of student ministry at LifeWay Church Resources, told Baptist Press it’s not uncommon for youth ministers to hear teenagers voice thoughts of suicide. “Teens face challenges of many kinds, not to mention the pressures of a performance-based existence where often the only time they feel accepted is when they excel in their performance –  in athletics, academics, etc.,” Stevens said. “Unfortunately, teen suicide continues to be a permanent ‘solution’ to what are often painful, but temporary problems.” The study, released in September, found that after a 28.5 percent decrease in suicides among people ages 10-24 from 1990 to 2003, rates jumped 8 percent in 2004. Observers say they’re not sure whether it’s a one-year spike or the start of a trend, according to a … [Read more...]