NASHVILLE, Tenn. (LBM) — J.D. Greear has asked the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention to undertake the “necessary steps to determine whether the following churches meet the standards of having a faith and practice which closely identifies with the Convention’s adopted statement of faith.” Greear, SBC president and pastor of The Summit in North Carolina, targeted six Texas congregations, two churches in Georgia and one each in Kentucky and Arkansas that were identified with cover-up behavior in an exposé by the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News relating to convictions, confessions and credible accusations of sex abuse involving 380 Southern Baptists pastors, deacons, staff, ministry leaders and volunteers and 700 victims during a period of two decades. About 220 of the perpetrators were convicted or made plea deals. Greear made his case during the Feb. 18-19 meeting of the SBC Executive Committee in Nashville. The SBC fellowship of churches included about 47,500 congregations with a membership of about 15 million in 41 state conventions as of 2017, the most recent data collected. In 1998, there were about 40,870 churches with more than 15.7 million members. Despite general records of … [Read more...]
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. IN REMEMBERANCE Grace Lee, wife of former Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Director Robert L. Lee, went home to be with the Lord on Jan. 27, 2019. She passed away in her home surrounded by her family holding her hands and singing “Just a Closer Walk with Thee.” She was affectionately referred to through the years as “Amazing Grace” by her husband and friends because of her gracious Christian sprit and servant heart. There will be a memorial service to honor her life on March 1 at 6 p.m. at FBC Pineville. Visitation will be held from 4-6 p.m. in the sanctuary. Following the service, there will be a supper/fellowship in the FBC fellowship hall commemorating the 40 years that Grace helped coordinate and preside over an annual International Fellowship for foreign born persons within the community. The family invites … [Read more...]
A prayer for President Trump
By Steve Horn In our church, First Baptist Church, Lafayette, we have each week a prayer focus called This One Thing. We encourage our entire church to be focused on this one thing of prayer for an entire week. This week, we have asked our church, in the spirit of Presidents’ Day on Monday, to pray for President Trump and Vice-President Pence. Back in December 2016, I had the unique privilege of offering a prayer just before the Louisiana Electoral College formally cast their votes for President. I want to share with you the content of my prayer that day in hopes that you might join me in praying along these lines for President Trump today. Heavenly Father, As the Psalmist declared, “Some trust in chariots and some trust in horses, but we will trust in the name of the Lord, our God.” (Psalm 20:7) We give You thanks today as we should do in all things. We give You thanks for grace upon our nation. We give You thanks for the opportunity to participate in an election. We give You thanks for the election of Donald Trump. And now, oh God, we pray in the spirit of the prophet of old, Zechariah. We pray for favor and union. We pray for unity in our nation and we pray for the favor of God to rest on our nation. … [Read more...]
Pat Trembly honored as Global Maritime Ministries Board Member of the Year
By Message Staff NEW ORLEANS – Global Maritime Ministries recently honored Pat Trembly as its board member of the year. Trembly, who is a member of Metairie Baptist Church, was recognized during the ministry’s annual meeting in early February for her role as board vice president of membership. According to a news release from Global Maritime Ministries, Trembly has helped plan an annual benefit event for the ministry for more than a decade, and recently established a Lighthouse Keepers group to promote the ministry opportunities and to recruit volunteers. Since the early 1960s, Global Maritime Ministries has shared the Gospel through meeting the needs of the international seafarers and the local maritime community in one of the world’s busiest waterways, the Lower Mississippi River. The port ministry held its annual meeting this January as an opportunity for all those that support the ministry on a consistent basis, or those interested in being involved, to hear updates about their work at the port. For more information on serving with Global Maritime Ministries, visit PortMinistry.com. … [Read more...]
New poll: state overwhelmingly supports life
By Louisiana Right to Life NEW ORLEANS – A new poll has found that 70 percent of Louisiana residents consider themselves to be pro-life, and they do not believe taxpayer funds should be used to provide abortion. A survey of 1,180 likely 2019 General Election voters was commissioned by Louisiana Right to Life and conducted Feb. 10 and 11 by the Remington Research Group. The sampling was across all demographics. Question 1: On the issue of abortion, do you consider yourself to be pro-life or pro-choice? On this question, 70 percent of responders said pro-life, while 30 percent said pro-choice. Question 2: Do you think taxpayer funds should be used to provide abortion services? On this question, 71 percent of responders said no, 18 percent said yes and 11 percent were not sure. In Louisiana being pro-life is a non-partisan issue, as shown by overwhelming support in both chambers of the Louisiana Legislature on pro-life votes. In this poll, 87 percent of Republicans, 58 percent of Democrats, and 65 percent identifying as non-partisan identified as pro-life. Interestingly enough, while 67 percent of responders who identified as liberals said they were pro-choice, just 40 percent of those said taxpayer funds should … [Read more...]
Pursue Christ, pursue contentment
By Steve Horn I read somewhere this week that our society suffers from “inextinguishable discontent.” We are on a perpetual quest for more or better. We want a better job, a better boss, a better wage, or a better retirement plan. We want a better marriage or a better spouse. We want a better car, a better house, and a better wardrobe. Some of us just want a better golf swing. And, we live for “what’s next.” We find ourselves wishing for next weekend, or our next vacation, or our next phase of life. All the while in this quest for better and next, we miss today. We miss now. And we miss contentment. And, we learn from Paul that this is not the life worthy of the call of Christ. Consider the text. In comparison, though, Paul addressed the Philippians that he had learned the “secret to contentment.” Just as is the case with joy, true contentment is found in Christ. Joy and contentment seem to run on parallel tracks. Since Paul used that word, “learned,” we ask the question of the text, “What had he learned? The Connection Between Circumstances and Contentment Here’s the simple lesson: There really is no connection between circumstances and contentment. Look at the phrases of this text: whatever circumstances (v. 11); … [Read more...]
NFL veteran & wife make ultrasound gift to New Orleans
By Tom Strode, Baptist Press NEW ORLEANS (BP) - Southern Baptists celebrated the power of partnership with a veteran National Football League player and his family in dedicating a new ultrasound machine in a New Orleans health center. Benjamin and Kirsten Watson, along with their five children, joined in the dedication of the new addition to the ministry of Baptist Community Health Services (BCHS). The Watsons donated the ultrasound machine in the fall through the Psalm 139 Project, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission's ministry to help place such technology in pregnancy resource centers across the country. The machine serves women in crisis pregnancies as well as others with medical needs at BCHS' Andrew P. Sanchez Center in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. The nonprofit ministry provides health care through four centers in underserved areas of the city. The churches of the New Orleans Baptist Association, with the help of the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board, launched BCHS in 2014. Speakers at the Feb. 10 ceremony at the Sanchez Center pointed to the cooperation demonstrated by the ultrasound machine's placement. "It's been great to see how the Lord has used the passions of the Watson … [Read more...]
Happy Valentine’s Day
By Waylon Bailey Happy Valentine’s Day! When I think of Valentine’s Day, I often think of a number of passages of Scripture, passages which speak of the love of God and the love of a man and a woman. Of all of these passages, my favorite is 1 Corinthians 13. This wasn’t written for a marriage although it fits marriage beautifully. It was written for the church. It was written about how believers relate to one another. Love is patient and is kind; love does not envy. Love does not brag, is not proud, does not behave itself inappropriately, does not seek its own way, is not irritable, does not keep a record of wrongs; does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. The next phrase may be the best of all, “Love never fails.” It doesn’t mean that love is never defeated. Rather, it means that love doesn’t quit. Love can be counted on. It won’t quit, and it won’t give up. The word for love is the Greek word, Agape. Agape is not a feeling; it is an action. It always seeks the absolute best for another person. When we love as God loves, we look for the needs of others. We seek to do to others as we want done to us. We love … [Read more...]
Even a ‘little’ pot changes teen brains
By Message Staff A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience has found evidence “suggesting structural brain and cognitive effects” from as few as “one or two instances of cannabis use in adolescence.” The report contextualized the importance of the findings by noting that “almost 35 [percent] of American 10th graders have reported using cannabis” suggesting that a crisis is looming due to the “long term neurocognitive effects” on these youth. The findings are significant as well because of the ready availability of pot in the United States. Ten states plus the District of Columbia have legalized adult recreational marijuana use, and New York and New Jersey are on that path. Also medical marijuana (which spans pot smoking to cannabis edibles and artisan cannabidiol oils) is legal in 33 states and the District of Columbia, including restricted use in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. … [Read more...]
PEW: Active religious people more likely to be ‘very happy’
By Message Staff In a survey of 26 countries, Pew Research Center found that people who regularly attend worship services are more likely to be happy as well as civically engaged than those who are not religiously active. This group also was less likely to smoke or drink, however, Pew did not link this tendency to greater health outcomes. Regarding happiness, religiously active people in 19 countries were more likely to be “very happy” than their fellow countrymen. Pew said “the gaps are striking” in a number of these countries, including an 11 percentage point difference in the United States (36 percent of the actively religious described themselves as “very happy,” compared with 25 percent of the inactively religious and 25 percent of the unaffiliated). Pew said their findings were “consistent with prior studies,” adding that actively religious people in the United States are more likely to “vote in national elections” and are “more engaged in community life in the sense that they belong to at least one nonreligious organization.” As for physical health, Pew nuanced that its findings “are more complicated.” Religiously active people are less likely to use alcohol or tobacco, but “they aren’t significantly … [Read more...]
