More than 250 people were on hand for the inaugural outdoor expo at the Family Life Center at First Baptist Church in Pollock where Nick Taylor is pastor. “Most of the people who attended are from the community and not from our church,” Taylor said. “As a matter of fact, most of our church is here working the event, so this is a tremendous turnout considering all that is going on this weekend (such as the LSU-Kentucky football game on TV, the fly-in at Buhlow Lake, and hunting season).” The event featured Don Barron, a Texas whitetail guide for Christian Hunters and Anglers Association, as well as various outdoor vendors, a booth featuring personnel from the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, door prizes, and a meal from Outlaws Barbecue. Decision cards were passed out at the end of the event.   … [Read more...]

Kingsville Baptist of Pineville in conjunction with Connect Ministries of Tennessee stepped outside its walls to host a 3-on-3 basketball tournament and Family FunZone in the parking lot of the old Wal-Mart in Pineville. The event, only the second to be held in the state, drew 19 teams (76 players)  and 700 people to the FunZone, and provided a tremendous outreach for the local church. More than 180 members of the church served as volunteers and workers for the day-long event.   … [Read more...]

BATON ROUGE – The J. D. Perry family of Jefferson Baptist is on the mission field in Novosibirsk, Siberia, where he will be teaching business seminars, and other family members are to conduct English as a Second Language classes at a local school. HODGE – The preschool of Hodge Baptist is conducting its annual fundraiser sale of specialty meats and food products with proceeds to go toward classroom materials and playground equipment. Purchases may be made through Oct. 25. Norris Curry is pastor. PINEVILLE – Theatre Louisiana College presents “The Miracle Worker” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 18-20, and at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for students. For tickets call 318.487.7495. Tabitha Huffman is artistic director of Theatre Louisiana College. HODGE – The Jackson Baptist Association community choir recently presented portions of “Experiencing God: the Musical” at the association’s annual meeting at Hodge Baptist. The musical in its entirety was presented Oct. 15 at Ebenezer Baptist, Jonesboro. FERRIDAY – Delta Baptist Association’s annual meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18, at First Baptist. Wayne Gray is pastor. Ken Gilmore is director of … [Read more...]

COMINGS, GOINGS Chad (wife Jamie) Thibodeaux, new as pastor of Vatican Mission. Bernabe’ (wife Elisa) Tasayco, new as pastor of Lafayette Spanish Mission. Jonathan Jenkins, new as pastor of Calumet, Patterson. Rodney Jackson, new as pastor of Aimoch Baptist, Olla from First,  Breaux  Bridge. Todd (wife Kathy) Rogers, new as worship leader and music director of Baptist  Temple, Alexandria. Doug Self resigned as interim music director of Kingston Road Baptist,  Shreveport. Luke Hand, new as music and youth pastor of Northside Baptist, Denham Springs. NEEDED  Evangeline Baptist Association needs pastors at the following churches: Bayou L’Ourse, Cypremort Point, First Patterson, Community Lafayette, First Breaux Bridge, Northside Lafayette, Jenkins Memorial St. Martinville. Part-time youth minister needed at Oak Grove Baptist, Winnsboro. Cory Bruce, pastor. Call 318.435.6737. CONCERTS SULPHUR – First Baptist is to present Redeemed and The Mike Speck Trio at 6:30 p.m., Oct. 27, and 10:10 a.m., Oct. 28. No admission; love offering taken. David Holder, pastor. FERRIDAY - First Baptist is set to host Benjy Huffman in piano concert tribute to Bill and Gloria Gaither at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28. Wayne … [Read more...]

New leadership seminars, celebration rallies, renewal and student weekend events, podcasts and a revamped website are among the new resources under development as part of the Acts 1:8 Challenge.  ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) – New leadership seminars, celebration rallies, renewal and student weekend events, podcasts and a revamped website are among the new resources under development as part of the Acts 1:8 Challenge. More than 3,200 Southern Baptist churches have committed to an intentional and comprehensive Acts 1:8 missions strategy since the initiative was launched in 2004 by cooperating Southern Baptist associations, state conventions, the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and the International Mission Board (IMB). “Acts 1:8 is an organic, evolving initiative,” said Tim Yarbrough, director of church relations and Acts 1:8 Challenge coordinator at NAMB in Alpharetta, Ga. “It’s not a program, it’s a passion.” “While we’re happy to have 3,200 Baptist churches registered for Acts 1:8,” Yarbrough noted, “there are thousands of others who have not made a formal commitment to be strategic in their mission efforts.” In Louisiana, 166 churches to date have declared themselves to be Acts 1:8 churches. Yarbrough emphasized that … [Read more...]

At the 50th anniversary of the Louisiana Baptist Church Music Conference, two new scholarships were initiated. The new scholarships are in addition to the two scholarships that already exist in honor of B. B. McKinney and Carroll Lowe. The goal of the scholarship program is to assist undergraduates at Louisiana College and graduates at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary with training for church musicians. SHREVEPORT – At the 50th anniversary of the Louisiana Baptist Church Music Conference, two new scholarships were initiated. The new scholarships are in addition to the two scholarships that already exist in honor of B. B. McKinney and Carroll Lowe. The goal of the scholarship program is to assist undergraduates at Louisiana College and graduates at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary with training for church musicians. The annual Louisiana Baptist Church Music Conference was held Aug. 3-4 at Summer Grove Baptist Church in Shreveport.  The event celebrated 50 years of Louisiana Baptist church music ministry and was the opportunity to announce the scholarships funded by the Louisiana Baptist Singing Ministers and Women of Louisiana.   In addition to the new scholarships, former LBC Church Music State Director … [Read more...]

Hoping to head off what they call “intimidation tactics” by liberal interest groups, several leading Christian organizations have jointly issued a letter to pastors across America, explaining what churches can and cannot legally do during an election season.  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – Hoping to head off what they call “intimidation tactics” by liberal interest groups, several leading Christian organizations have jointly issued a letter to pastors across America, explaining what churches can and cannot legally do during an election season. The eight-page letter is being released more than a year before Americans vote on a new president, with the goal of answering questions that always arise concerning the church’s role in politics. Posted online at www.telladf.org, the letter was signed by two legal organizations – the Alliance Defense Fund and the James Madison Center for Free Speech – as well as Focus on the Family, Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America. Nearly every presidential election season includes news stories about left-wing interest groups urging the government to revoke various churches’ tax-exempt status. “The Jeffersonian ‘wall of separation’ doctrine has been twisted in an attempt to … [Read more...]

”People working together are stronger than any individual could be,” says Larry Wynn, pastor for 29 years at Hebron Baptist Church, where about 4,400 adults – plus their children – gather for Sunday morning worship.  DACULA, Ga. (BP)--”People working together are stronger than any individual could be,” says Larry Wynn, pastor for 29 years at Hebron Baptist Church, where about 4,400 adults – plus their children – gather for Sunday morning worship. At its size, Hebron could “adopt” one of the new work states in the Southern Baptist Convention or a Third World nation and make a significant impact, Wynn acknowledged. Instead, Hebron chooses to maintain its Cooperative Program commitment. “It’s just such a well-rounded ministry,” Wynn said of Southern Baptists’ unified effort to share the Gospel worldwide. “Through the Cooperative Program, we support more than 10,000 missionaries around the world, plus schools, medical programs and so much more. To me, the Cooperative Program is a no-brainer.” Hebron Baptist Church is among the top 20 churches in the Southern Baptist Convention both for number of people baptized last year and for the amount the church gives through the Cooperative Program. The Atlanta-area church has … [Read more...]

The hardest part about witnessing is turning a casual conversation into a spiritual one. Someone I once heard called it, “Going from golf to God.”  ALEXANDRIA (BP) – The hardest part about witnessing is turning a casual conversation into a spiritual one. Someone I once heard called it, “Going from golf to God.” As an obedient follower of Christ, I should want to have these kinds of conversations. The key is to think about ways to do so in advance. It’s not incredibly difficult, but like a high school boy learning how to ask a girl to a movie, it helps to plan ahead. Let me share with you a new way I am learning to do this. It’s based on three questions that I learned from an evangelism strategy called CROSS Training. Question number one is an ice-breaking question. “What is the most important thing I need to know about you today?” I asked a young lady this question the other day and she told me she got engaged over the weekend. I had a great time listening to her recount this wonderful event and she loved telling it. I particularly like to use these questions in a restaurant. After I get the answer to the first question, I tell the person helping me, “I’ve got another question to ask you. I don’t know if you can … [Read more...]

The hours are long, and the work is hard, but for bivocational pastors, it is their calling. STATEWIDE –  The hours are long, and the work is hard, but for bivocational pastors, it is their calling. And there is a growing demand for bivos as many smaller churches – consisting of 125 members or less –  do not have the numbers or the finances to be able to afford a full-time pastor. In Louisiana, there are 1,600 Baptist churches, of which 1,200 are considered to be ‘smaller’ churches. More than half  (900) of those churches have bivocational pastors leading them. “It is amazing number,” said Gary Mitchell, bivocational/smaller church strategist for the Louisiana Baptist Convention. “And we have some very amazing men here in Louisiana doing the work of God. “In the Southern Baptist Convention, there are 44,000 churches and 24,000 bivocational pastors,” Mitchell said. Jesus was not a fully compensated pastor, nor a denominational employee. The Apostle Paul, a tent maker, was also bivocational. God has shown he uses bivocationals ministers to effectively do his work. Statistics show bivocationals have, on an average, a higher baptism rate than full-time pastors (4.3 to 3.9) and, on average, have a higher enrollment … [Read more...]