Click to Login or Sign Up

Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Cluster revivals challenge churches to reach area

By Brian Blackwell. Message Staff Writer WINNSBORO – Churches in Deer Creek Baptist Association held prayer meetings and individual times of prayer leading up to their first-ever simultaneous cluster revivals, which took place February 17-22. The multi-pronged effort featured inspiring messages at a different church each evening by Gevan Spinney, pastor of the First Baptist Church, Haughton, in the southern half of churches and Rubin Weaver, pastor of Antioch Baptist Church, Farmerville, in the northern half of churches. By the end of the revivals, several repented to turn to Christ and many more repented to restore fellowship with Him. “We focused not only on evangelistic services but preaching to and challenging the church for the church to be all it could be and go outside the church doors into the community,” said Eddie Rhymes, director of missions for Deer Creek Association. “Our churches were challenged to move beyond our buildings and out into our communities.” In the past, churches in Deer Creek Association held cluster revivals at different locations, but never two revival services taking place at different churches on the same evening. This year, associational leadership opted to change up its outreach … [Read more...]

Louisiana Notables

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 Wesley Coleman is the new student pastor at Swartz First Baptist Church, Monroe. Jimmy Pitson has resigned as pastor of Clark Springs, Eros. Caleb (wife Katrina) Richardson is the new children’s minister at Woodridge Baptist Church, Shreveport. Doug Allen retiring as pastor at First Baptist Church, Blanchard. Brandon Lewis is the new Louisiana Baptists youth strategist. HOMECOMING Cotile Baptist Church, Boyce: Homecoming, March 17, 11 a.m. There will be dinner on the grounds following the service. Evangelist: Ryan Perry. Pastor: Johnny Miller. Airline Baptist Church, Metairie: 65th anniversary, March 24, 10:30 a.m-2 p.m. The church address is 421 N Lester Ave, Metairie, LA  70003. For more information, call Tiffany at 504.756.7024. Pastor: Eric Benoy. REVIVAL Louisiana College, … [Read more...]

Are you miserable?

By Steve Horn I ran across an article that ranked states according to the “Most Miserable” and “Least Miserable.” To my surprise, Louisiana was ranked second as “most miserable.” That’s funny, because a few years ago Lafayette was touted as the “Happiest City in America.” So, which is it? Are we indeed the happiest city in the most miserable state? Or, are all of these things in the eye of the beholder? I mean, after all, what other states can you, at certain times of the year, eat boudin for breakfast, a shrimp poboy for lunch, boiled crawfish for dinner, and have king cake for dessert? Now, I know that I am biased and have limited experience living in other states, but I love the state in which I live. Besides, the same report claims North Dakota tops the well-being list. No offense to North Dakotans, but really? The report does cause me to think about a few things that even have some spiritual significance. Things are rarely as bad as they seem. Yes, to somebody, Louisiana might look miserable, but to many more of us, we are full of faith, full of life, and consider Louisiana paradise. In life, what might seem bad, upon reflection is not all that bad. Conversely, things are rarely as good as they seem. Just … [Read more...]

Kids learn ‘to plug into missions’ at M-NOW

By Holly Jo Linzay, Regional Reporter WOODWORTH – Giggles bubbled up from the cluster of children gathered around the youth throwing a block party at an Alexandria apart­ment complex. Jump ropes twirled, little art­ists colored with chalk on the sidewalk and a rous­ing game of kickball took place on the nearby field. The day of fun was all part of M-NOW, a ministry opportunity for teens in grades 7-12. M-NOW, a two-day re­treat hosted by the Louisi­ana Baptists women’s mis­sions and ministry team, stands for Missions Now. The weekend was designed to engage students in mis­sion action and witnessing so that they may discover similar needs in the con­text of their own com­munities. About 75 youth, youth leaders and program staff from seven churches across the state partici­pated in M-NOW on Feb. 15-16 at the Tall Timbers Conference Center. “M-NOW has been an amazing experience,” Ra­chael Smith, a 16-year-old with First Baptist Church of Tullos, said with a big grin on her face. “It’s something I will remember forever,” Smith said, adding that coming together with other like-minded youth has made it easier for her to share her faith in a community outreach setting. Matthew Jambois, a senior with Lakeshore Baptist … [Read more...]

Louisiana Baptist women get R.E.A.L.

By Holly Jo Linzay PINEVILLE – About 300 women gathered for a two-day conference simply to soak in the presence of the Lord and to dwell in the Word as a respite from the world’s interruptions, organizers told the Baptist Message. The R.E.A.L. women’s conference, which stands for Relationships, Em­brace, Authenticity and Love, took place Feb. 22-23 at First Baptist Church in Pineville. The theme of the event was “Still My Soul” based on the scripture Psalm 46:10. Janie Wise, women’s mission and ministry strategist for Louisiana Baptists and coordina­tor for the event, said participants were offered 15 breakout sessions to engage in diverse topics such as spiritual growth, discipleship, personal development, overcoming sexual sins, finding your identity in Christ, worship and making connections in a multicultural world. They were treated to a number of gifted speakers in these small groups and in the general sessions, she said. NICKI KOZIARZ “How’s your soul?” asked Nicki Koziarz. “That is the most important question we can engage you in this weekend. What will it take for it to be ‘well’ with your soul?” Koziarz, who served as the keynote speaker for R.E.A.L., is a best-selling author and speaker with … [Read more...]

Dean quits after university bans Chick-fil-A

By Will Hall, Message Editor NEW JERSEY—Cynthia Newman, dean of the College of Business at Rider University, resigned her position to protest the school’s seeming denouncement of Christian values in banning Chick-fil-A from the campus. In a 2017 survey students voted to allow one of the popular fast-food restaurants to open on campus. But administrators nixed the idea, saying Chick-fil-A opposed “the LGBTQ+ community,” FoxNews.com reported. The founder of the restaurant chain and his family are Christians and it is as well known for closing on Sundays as it is for its chicken sandwiches. The corporate website states the business exists “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come into contact with.” Newman told Campus Reform she is a “very committed Christian” and that her views mirror Chick-fil-A’s. Consequently, when Rider denounced Chick-fil-A, she said she “felt like I had been punched in the stomach. “I really felt it very personally,” she said. The university released talking points to staff to control what they said to anyone who criticized the decision to ban Chick-fil-A, and Newman said that was unacceptable. “I am not … [Read more...]

SBTS, elders rule among Greear’s nominees

By Will Hall, Message Editor Raleigh, N.C. (LBM)—J.D. Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, N.C., and president of the Southern Baptist Convention, has named the 68 members of the Committee on Committees. Greear praised the diverse makeup of the committee, highlighting groups he said were underrepresented in the past that are well-represented by his nominees, noting the large number of women and racial minorities in the group along with other profile characteristics. But Greear did not share any information about the possible theological leanings of his nominees -- an issue of ongoing discussion in many Southern Baptist circles, and a significant one during his campaign for SBC president. However, the Baptist Message looked at public sources of information, including church web pages and online documents, Facebook, LinkedIn, self-posted biographies and personal websites and found two distinct characteristics among Greear’s nominees:  a large number of ties to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and, a higher percentage of elder-rule/elder-led church structures or other Reformed theology associations than estimated for the rest of the SBC. BY THE NUMBERS With regard to female representation, … [Read more...]

Dealing with church conflict

By Stewart Holloway One of the nastiest tools in the Enemy’s arsenal is church conflict. Such conflict brings a lot of heartache and can stifle a church’s ministry for years - or even stop it all together. In some ways, church conflict is inevitable – the enemy will come against your church. However, church conflict does not have to be destructive. If you are prepared in advance, you can handle it appropriately. Therefore, I want briefly to share some principles for handling conflict in the church from 1 Corinthians 1:10-17. If there is no conflict happening in your church right now, consider this preventative maintenance. If there is conflict in your church, well, you can use this today! Key leaders can save the church from destruction. Chloe was that person in Corinth. She was a merchant lady in whose home the Church at Corinth likely met. Chloe wrote Paul asking him questions about some problems that had developed. DO not think of Chloe as a gossiping bitty. She was a concerned church leader. People like her are in every church. They may or may not have the leadership positions, but they can rise up as key leaders in difficult times. These saints of God are wise enough to see problems and find help. They are wise … [Read more...]

God’s grace is our hope

By Jeff Ginn In the early 1900s Los Angeles, California was rapidly growing. To supply the city with needed water, a massive, concrete dam was built in the mountains above the city. The St. Francis Dam was finished in 1926. Once the reservoir filled, the seemingly indestructible dam held back more than twelve billion gallons of water. Almost immediately upon its completion, cracks began to appear in the massive wall. Fissures widened. Seepage grew. The engineers and architects were aware of these issues, but they felt that these faults were in keeping with a dam of this size. They further believed that there was time to correct the problems. But two-and-a-half minutes before midnight on March 12, 1928, the St. Francis Dam catastrophically failed. Hundreds of lives were lost as a wall of water and debris swept down the St. Francisquito Canyon. It remains the second greatest loss-of-life disaster in California history behind only the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. Small fissures and cracks should not be ignored. Left unattended, they widen. They threaten the integrity of the very structure they populate. What’s true for concrete structures is equally true for our lives. Small cracks in our character cannot … [Read more...]

Luter urges LC students to develop spiritual discipline of faith

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE – Fred Luter challenged students to develop spiritual discipline of faith during Louisiana College's weekly chapel service Thursday, February 28. "It doesn't matter what ministry you are a part of, you must have this trait," said Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans and former Southern Baptist Convention president. "If you intend to live victoriously in this life, if you intend to live more than you lose in this life, if you intend to be an overcomer in this life, you must have this quality. "The reason why faith is so critical is because as long as you have blood running in your arteries and veins, as long as you are living in this world, you and I will be confronted with situations that require us to put our faith into action," he continued. Drawing from Hebrews 11, Luter said God tested the biblical character Abraham to see if he was willing to be obedient and offer his son as a sacrifice. Much like he put Abraham's faith to the test, Luter said God does the same for every believer. "God does not only want to hear obedience from our mouths, He wants to see obedience in our lives," he said. "Anybody can talk about faith, anybody can … [Read more...]