By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer POUSO ALEGRE, Brazil – A Louisiana Baptist-led mission team took the 2018 statewide Harvest emphasis international, resulting in 3,212 Brazilians repenting for salvation in July. “Numbers matter because they mean people,” said Deanne Denton, a trip coordinator and member of Highland Baptist Church in New Iberia. “Numbers mean changed lives. Numbers on this trip mean churches in that area can take those contacts of people who accepted Christ and follow up with the new believers through the year. That is always amazing to see because the people are very responsive.” Denton was among 130 men and women who were on mission in Pouso Alegre, Brazil, as a part of an evangelism outreach in the country July 6-17. Some remained in Brazil two additional days to see the country. While there, the teams participated in street evangelism, Vacation Bible Schools, drama performances, sports clinics, cooking demonstrations, construction of churches and a school, and conducted medical, dental and eye clinics. The mission group included other volunteers from Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. Denton said there were some ups and downs during the mission trip, but God was in … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer HOUMA – Not long after Clifton Arnold started Kingdom Life Fellowship in September 2016, Sade Harris presented a simple request – a chance to participate in baptism with her three sons. After hearing the complete story, Arnold wholeheartedly granted the request. “Her oldest son shared her birthday, and now she wanted to celebrate her own spiritual birthday with him and the other two siblings,” Arnold said. “Once I heard her request, I thought ‘that is really nice.’” The family was introduced to Jesus within a two-week period in 2016. Harris was attending a baptism class with son, Quentin, when she realized she needed to repent of her sins. She then introduced the other two sons, Ma Khi and Que, to Christ. The baptisms were the first for Kingdom Life Fellowship, which was birthed out of a home-based Bible study with only three people. The Fellowship now has grown to 40 strong, seven of whom have been baptized. Since the service, Harris has become involved in such ministries as the hospitality team. “You just let God take over, and everything falls into place,” Harris said. “It may not be when you want it, but it happens.” … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer HOUMA – NASA’s Clifton Arnold is a rocket scientist with a successful formula for church planting. “You get them in the door with music, you keep them in the house with teaching,” Arnold, who planted Kingdom Life Fellowship in Houma in 2016, told the Baptist Message. “People go to churches where they like their worship style and their teaching is solid.” When he is not preaching at Kingdom Life Fellowship, Arnold manages four NASA rocket propulsion test sites – at Stennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, and Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, Ohio. While working on projects to reach the planets and the stars, he uses opportunities to discuss creation and Heaven with those he meets in the space industry. “It’s really amazing that they parallel and feed into one another,” Arnold said. “People are interested in what God has to say about the rest of the universe, and, sometimes you don’t have an answer and you say, ‘Well when I see Him, I’ll ask Him. But right now, the Bible tells me this,’ and that’s the way I approach it.” GBO FOCUS Arnold is thankful for God’s … [Read more...]

By Holly Jo Linzay, Regional Reporter MANGHAM – Pastor Doyle L. Adams knew at age 19 God’s call on his life was irrevocable. “My belief is that God called me, and He called me for a lifetime,” said Adams, who at age 79, does not have any plans to retire from the pulpit. For the last 60 years, Adams, the pastor of Lone Cherry Baptist Church in Mangham, has established a history of faithful preaching and caring pastoring, and recently was  honored for his long-time service in both, with a special plaque from the Louisiana Baptist Pastoral Leadership team and special recognition by the Richland Baptist Association. Bill Robertson, Louisiana Baptists pastoral leadership director, said he has known Adams for more than 40 years. “Bro. Doyle Adams is a wonderful, faithful servant of the Lord, and he has quite a legacy. Churches have prospered under his leadership, and he is still going strong,” Robertson said, adding Adams has sacrificed and sown into some smaller churches that had been without a pastor. With more than six decades of min istry under his [Bible] belt, Adams has experienced his share of successes and challenges on a number of levels. But, he said, regardless he was doing what God called him to … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE – Ten years after the passage of the Louisiana Science Education Act, one of the law’s most outspoken advocates is celebrating how the legislation gave the state’s science teachers the right to present the scientific strengths and weaknesses of evolutionary theory. “If the science teacher is going to be a good teacher, they are going to want their students to think critically, to be able to analyze the information they are being presented,” Louisiana College Biology Professor Wade Warren said in a podcast interview with the Discovery Institute that aired June 28. “At the very least, the Louisiana Science Education Act gives the science classroom the opportunity to be more objective. And I am in favor of that. “Let the students read the data. Let them decide for themselves,” he said. “But there is no way they are going to be able to do that if they are only presented the strengths of a particular model and not the weaknesses.” The Louisiana Science Education Act was passed by the state legislature and signed into law by Governor Bobby Jindal in June 2008. The act allows public school teachers to utilize information that may not be available in textbooks to … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer BATON ROUGE – The handful of people who remained at Park Forest Baptist Church in Baton Rouge after the great flood of 2016 asked for help to revitalize their dying congregation. The Church at Addis enthusiastically stepped in and a true revival has ensued for the once-ailing Park Forest. “Our mission statement is pretty simplistic – serving God by serving others,” said Thomas Shepard, pastor of the Church at Addis. “We are going out and doing what we can to reach our community.” DISCIPLESHIP BY SOCIAL MEDIA Since taking over what is now the Church at Park Forest in September, attendance at its Sunday morning worship services has increased from nine to 35. Shepard attributes much of the growth to the discipleship method used at the Church at Addis. Through social media, a member invites his or her friends to log onto Facebook to participate in studies about parenting, marriage and finances. Once the users complete the sessions, members then invite the friends to another study at the Church at Addis. By using this approach, the Church at Addis has grown from 12 people when Shepard took over -- what was then First Baptist Church in Addis -- in 2010 to 650 at its worship … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message BOSSIER CITY – David Bailey, the special agent who risked his life saving House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana during a shooting while practicing at the annual Congressional Baseball Game for Charity, will share his testimony during a worship service at First Baptist Bossier City Aug. 26. Bailey, who was also injured in the incident June 14, 2017, received the Medal of Valor, the highest civilian medal awarded by the president of the United States. He will speak during the 10:30 a.m. worship service as part of the church’s “Honor Our Heroes Sunday.” Active military, police, firemen and first responders will be honored during the services and at a breakfast reception at 9:15 a.m. and lunch at 12:15 p.m. Ernie Haase and Signature Sound will provide special music. Former Air Force Staff Sgt. Spencer Stone also will share his testimony. Stone garnered international headlines in 2015 when he and his childhood friends thwarted a major terrorist attack on a Paris-bound train. French President Francois Hollande presented Stone with the nation’s highest decoration, the Legion of Honor. He later was awarded the Airman’s Medal and a Purple Heart, and was featured in the film 15:17 … [Read more...]

EDITOR’S NOTE: Do you have a Revival, Homecoming, a new pastor, a community outreach or a concert? The Baptist Message would love to share your church news with the rest of the state. It is very easy to do, just send in your information (who, what, where and when) to philip@baptistmessage.com or call 318.449.4345. To get your event in the paper, please submit your information three weeks prior to the event. ON THE MOVE Marty, wife Joy, Williams is the new pastor at First Baptist Church, Zwolle. Connie Smith has retired as pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church, Dubach. David Sandez has resigned as the Hispanic Ministry Missionary for the Concord Union Baptist Association and as Pastor of Nazareth Hispanic Mission, Bernice and Filadelfia Hispanic Mission, Simsboro. B. K. Miller will be the interim pastor at Liberty Baptist Church, Marion (beginning the first Sunday in September.) Dave Ketchand is the new associate pastor at Old Zion Hill Baptist Church, Independence. HOMECOMING Bethel Baptist Church, Colfax: Homecoming Sunday, August 26, 9:45 a.m. – Sunday School; 10:45 a.m. – Worship Service; Noon – Homecoming dinner. Speaker: Charles Hutzler. Pastor: Carl Gulde. Christian Fellowship Cathedral, New Orleans: … [Read more...]