Rapid urbanization is transforming residents of Livingston Parish – and the 39 churches of this association – from a rural mindset to that of an urban mindset, said David Brown, director of missions. EASTERN LOUISIANA BAPTIST ASSOCIATION – Rapid urbanization is transforming residents of Livingston Parish – and the 39 churches of this association – from a rural mindset to that of an urban mindset, said David Brown, director of missions. The second-fastest growing association in the state – St. Tammany, further east, is first – Eastern Louisiana Baptist Association (ELBA) is east of Baton Rouge. It encompasses Livingston Parish, the population of which, since 1980, has grown by 95 percent, the DOM said. “Part of the challenge is helping rural congregations adjust to a more urbanized population,” Brown said. To that end, the association conducts training and conferences to help churches understand the cultural characteristics of an urban population and to identify ways they can connect to that population. One reason for the area’s growth spurt is its public schools, which have ranked very high over the last few years, Brown said. Good schools attract more families  which, in turn, fuel growth in business … [Read more...]

Nestled in a pine forest down a dirt road sits Macedonia Baptist Church. Built in 1898, it’s the oldest Baptist church building in Livingston Parish. HOLDEN – Nestled in a pine forest down a dirt road sits Macedonia Baptist Church. Built in 1898, it’s the oldest Baptist church building in Livingston Parish. The congregation, organized under the shade of a magnolia tree in May 1856, still conducts weekly services in the old structure. "We’ve had six professions of faith since January," said Pastor Roger Dunlap. "I’ll tell you anything you need to know about the old building. But Macedonia Church is not about that old building. The focus of our ministry is on Jesus Christ." The results are telling. Regular Sunday school attendance has grown under Dunlap’s leadership from about 10 to about 50 – no mean feat in an area as rural as this – and worship attendance sees about 30 more than that. "We’re pulling in people all the time from the area," Dunlap said. This year, workers expect more than 75 children for vacation Bible school. The church also has a big reputation, Dunlap said. "This old church is known everywhere I go," he added, noting that it’s not uncommon for him to meet strangers with some … [Read more...]

Though some ministry moments never seem to come to fruition – at least to human eyes – others come full circle, bringing satisfaction and encouragement. WALKER – Though some ministry moments never seem to come to fruition – at least to human eyes – others come full circle, bringing satisfaction and encouragement. At least that was the case with David Brown, director of missions for the Eastern Louisiana Baptist Association. Early on in his ministry he counseled a young woman named Judy; then she seemed to disappear. "When she left she said, ‘I know what I need to do,’" Brown said. "She never explained. I never got follow-up information, so I couldn’t contact her to see how she was doing." Judy remained a mystery. Brown, in his first pastorate when he met Judy, was involved with Evangelism Explosion training and was trying to implement that into the life of his church. Some months after counseling Judy, Brown counseled a couple getting married. Though he encouraged them to get involved with church, as with Judy, nothing seemed to happen. Then, a few months later, the second woman showed up in church, the DOM said. That Sunday afternoon, Brown and his minister of music visited the second woman in her … [Read more...]

A crowd of 1,500 people, including three former presidents, gathered in Charlotte, N.C., May 31 to dedicate the Billy Graham Library, something the evangelist called CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BP) – A crowd of 1,500 people, including three former presidents, gathered in Charlotte, N.C., May 31 to dedicate the Billy Graham Library, something the evangelist called "just a building" and an instrument to share the Gospel. The 40,000-square-foot, $27 million facility sits on 63 acres just four miles from the farm where Graham grew up. It will open to the public June 5 for 90-minute self-guided tours with no cost for admission. "I feel like I’ve been attending my own funeral with all these speeches," Graham, 88, said during the dedication. "I know they all meant it. But I feel terribly small and humbled by it all, and I feel I don’t deserve it because it’s been a whole team of people that have worked together, prayed together, traveled together, believed God was going to do wonderful things together." Graham had asked former President George H.W. Bush to deliver the 12-minute keynote address for the dedication, while former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter spoke for about five minutes each. President George W. … [Read more...]

Editor’s note: An expanded version of this article appears on Editor’s note: An expanded version of this article appears on www.baptistmessage.com SOUTHLAKE, Texas (BP) – Bob Stith officially assumed the role of Southern Baptists’ National Strategist for Gender Issues June 1, leaving the pastorate of Carroll Baptist Church in Southlake, Texas. It was Stith who, in 2001, introduced a motion at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting for the SBC to “establish a task force to inform, educate, and encourage our people to be proactive and redemptive in reaching out to those who struggle with unwanted same-sex attractions.” That task force now will serve as an advisory group to Stith, who is expected to develop workshops and conferences for training local church staff as well as resources for pastors, churches, SBC seminary students and others to aid in their outreach to the homosexual community. LifeWay Christian Resources is providing start-up funding for the ministry, including Stith’s position. James T. Draper Jr., immediate past president of LifeWay, said it was extremely important for the person selected to direct the ministry to have a pastoral background. “As a pastor he dealt with … [Read more...]

Donald M. (Mac) Brunson, pastor of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., has announced his intention to nominate James W. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP) – Donald M. (Mac) Brunson, pastor of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., has announced his intention to nominate James W. "Jim" Richards, executive director of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, for first vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention. In a June 1 news release, Brunson said Richards "has led SBTC to do denomination right. With a leaner staff and a focused mission, this convention has done a lot to show the way." Richards is the founding executive director of the eight-year-old state convention and a member of First Baptist Church in Fort Worth. "The SBTC has proved its commitment to a focused mission by helping start over 350 churches during its short lifetime," said Brunson, who pastored First Baptist Church in Dallas, which is affiliated with the SBTC, from 1999-2006. "The convention devotes more money for church planting than for any other budget item," Brunson continued. "Dr. Richards has been the leader in keeping that vision in place." Richards, a Louisiana native, pastored in that state for 21 years – … [Read more...]

Cleveland Indians pitcher Paul Byrd knows what it’s like to be hunted. That’s exactly how he describes his conversion. EDITORS’ NOTE: BP Sports columnist Tim Ellsworth recently visited Florida to do a series of stories on spring training as baseball players get ready to begin a new season. WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (BP) – Cleveland Indians pitcher Paul Byrd knows what it’s like to be hunted. That’s exactly how he describes his conversion. “I came to know the Lord at Louisiana State University,” Byrd said. “I had a guy who was our chapel leader who was affiliated with Campus Crusade for Christ. He was the first time I heard what I call the hardcore version of the Gospel – the exclusiveness of Jesus.” But the first time he heard the message, Byrd thought he was listening to someone from a cult convey a message that sounded ridiculous and extreme. “I had a religious background,” Byrd said. “I just never really read the Bible a lot. From that point on, it was like Jesus just kind of started to hunt me down in my heart. I couldn’t get away from it.” Byrd started reading the Bible and discovered for himself the exclusive claims Christ made – that He alone is the only way to salvation. That there is no … [Read more...]

The chapel at Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home brings new meaning to the term “church family.” MONROE – The chapel at Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home brings new meaning to the term “church family.” Each Wednesday all the residents of the 10 cottages on the 110-acre campus gather in a just-the-right-size chapel with Corinthian columns, gentle sea-green walls, stained glass that illustrates in simple images the life of Jesus Christ, and a sloping floor that gives the sense of bowing before the Lord, who is depicted at the front, in the largest stained glass window – Jesus with the children. “Children should have a place of refuge, and we’re that place,” said Julie Cupples, LBCH communications director. The Children’s Home is “to provide love, care and a positive Christian witness for children and families in need,” according to the LBCH mission statement. “It’s a biblically-based ministry,” said Executive Director Perry Hancock during a recent presentation to new Ambassadors, people assigned to be the local ‘go-to’ person in their association for people with questions about the Children’s Home. “We value the people we minister to. We believe God sends them to us.” Members in Southern Baptist … [Read more...]

This year’s SBC Pastors’ Conference will feature great preaching, but it also will include something many Southern Baptists may not have seen – key leaders opening up to tell how Christ brought them through low moments of their lives. SAN ANTONIO (BP) – This year’s SBC Pastors’ Conference will feature great preaching, but it also will include something many Southern Baptists may not have seen – key leaders opening up to tell how Christ brought them through low moments of their lives. Pastors’ Conference President Hayes Wicker has asked four current or former entity presidents to give personal testimonies in San Antonio about the “valleys” in their Christian walk. For instance, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. will speak about his time in intensive care last year with a life-threatening pulmonary emboli. Also scheduled to give personal testimonies during the June 10-ll conference are GuideStone Financial Resources’ O.S. Hawkins, former LifeWay Christian Resources President James T. Draper Jr. and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Paige Patterson. “These men are really baring their hearts in a way that is not normally done,” said Wicker, pastor of First … [Read more...]

Cleaning supplies and bath towels are among the top non-edible needs each spring at the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home. MONROE – Cleaning supplies and bath towels are among the top non-edible needs each spring at the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home. “These come in, but in smaller amounts [than food], during the Fall Food Roundup,” said Darrell Washam, LBCH director of development and public relations, when he was showing a group of interested Louisianians around the Children’s Home. “We never have enough cleaning supplies.” Shelves getting bare in the commissary, where consumables are stored until needed, showed every kind – but in small amounts – of push-pump cleaning product imaginable, such as Kaboom, 409, Comet, Windex, and several other surface cleaners, floor cleaners, tile cleaners and other types of cleaning products. The Children’s Home for at least two reasons is particular about the type of bath and hand towels it receives. They request white or beige towels from WalMart. Colored towels and thick, plush high dollar towels don’t work. Same-color towels cut down on sibling squabbling. High dollar towels take longer to dry;  WalMart towels are easier for the kids to … [Read more...]