The New Orleans city map in Travis Scruggs’ office at First Baptist Church in New Orleans tells a story of love, hope and hard work in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.         NEW ORLEANS (BP) – The New Orleans city map in Travis Scruggs’ office at FirstBaptistChurch in New Orleans tells a story of love, hope and hard work in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.       Hundreds of brightly colored push pins cover the map. When First Baptist started its home recovery ministry in November 2005, Scruggs, affectionately known as the “disaster pastor,” would place a pin on the map each time volunteers finished gutting a home. As the months passed he had to stop as neighborhoods on the map literally filled up with pins.       With the help of 13,000 volunteers pouring into the area from 48 states and Canada, the church has gutted 1,007 homes. This labor of love saves homeowners thousands of dollars and in the process, the volunteers provide a living illustration and verbal witness of the Gospel.       While not all relief workers fully understand the pain of losing their home, Scruggs does. A master’s degree student at … [Read more...]

Southern Baptist missionaries Carl and Kay Garvin are in stable condition after two robbers attacked them Feb. 23 in Tanzania. NAIROBI, Kenya (BP)--Southern Baptist missionaries Carl and Kay Garvin are in stable condition after two robbers attacked them Feb. 23 in Tanzania.   The two Arkansas natives were airlifted to Nairobi, Kenya, where Carl, 60, underwent surgery for a broken arm and lacerations. He also will have surgery to repair ligament damage to his knee. Kay, 56, was shot in the chest. The bullet entered close to her heart, missing the aorta by half an inch. It went through the lung and nestled against the skin on her back. The surgeon will make an incision to remove the bullet.   "She’s a walking, talking miracle," Carl said from his hospital bed. Despite being shot in the chest, Kay had no damage to her heart or lung.   "We are both living miracles," Kay said, squeezing Carl’s hand. "God was with us throughout the entire ordeal."   A nurse for 30 years, Carl immediately applied pressure to the chest wound and treated Kay, an action that medical consultants say probably saved her life.   He also wrapped his arm and applied pressure to stop his own bleeding.   … [Read more...]

Multiple states are considering proposals to privatize their lotteries, which proves that education benefits have yielded to concerns over how much money they can produce for government, a leading anti-gambling activist says.         SPOKANE, Wash. (BP) – Multiple states are considering proposals to privatize their lotteries, which proves that education benefits have yielded to concerns over how much money they can produce for government, a leading anti-gambling activist says.   Tom Grey, executive director of the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling, sees an immediate threat of expanded gambling as companies that spend billions of dollars acquiring lotteries seek to recoup that investment.   Two of the leading gaming companies, he noted, are based in Greece and Italy.   "Obviously the evolving practice of this is it no longer has anything to do with the future of children," said Grey, referring to various pro-education statements that were used to advance the creation of lotteries in many of the 42 states that have them. "It has to do with state control of gambling being rented to foreign companies."   Grey said Illinois, Indiana and Texas are the "hot spots" for such proposals, … [Read more...]

This surge in giving through the Cooperative Program can be seen as nothing less than God’s extended blessing upon the work of Southern Baptists to extend the Gospel to the world," said SBC Executive Committee President and Chief Executive Officer Morris H. Chapman. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – With year-to-date contributions through the Southern Baptist Convention’s Cooperative Program now 6.05 percent ahead of the same time frame in 2006, SBC Executive Committee President and Chief Executive Officer Morris H. Chapman noted, "This surge in giving through the Cooperative Program can be seen as nothing less than God’s extended blessing upon the work of Southern Baptists to extend the Gospel to the world.   "I think what we are seeing from Southern Baptists is a resurgence of attention to cooperation among us," Chapman said. "It is too early to tell, and the Cooperative Program is just one indicator of the health of our convention, but an important one.   "We need to see continued focus on cooperation if the convention is to grow spiritually, and I believe that revival among Southern Baptists is essential if we are to see revival in America," Chapman said.   As of Feb. 28, the year-to-date total of $87,085,551.85 for Cooperative … [Read more...]

LifeWay Glorieta Conference Center is offering a two-week Wilderness Adventure this summer for youth 15-18 years old. SANTA FE, N.M. – LifeWay Glorieta Conference Center is offering a two-week Wilderness Adventure this summer for youth 15-18 years old.   The program will include expedition backpacking, rock climbing, challenge course elements, horseback trail riding, paintball, and whitewater rafting in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.   "This is an opportunity to make life-long memories filled with lessons of leadership, growth and character," said Jim Strickland, program manager for Glorieta Conference Centers.   "Wilderness Adventure is a relationship-packed adventure of travel, fun, breath-taking views, spiritual discipleship and personal challenges," Strickland said.   Interwoven throughout the activities will be lessons that pertain to today’s students, focused on leadership, communication, relationships and good health. Godly encouragement and a spiritual emphasis will accompany every aspect of the program.   Wilderness Adventure will accept 20 males and females for each program. The students will be supervised, Strickland said, by well-trained, experienced and thoroughly screened staff members following the same … [Read more...]

Like many churches on the economically-depressed Western Slope of Colorado, Trinity Baptist struggled to make ends meet.       GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (BP) – Like many churches on the economically-depressed Western Slope of Colorado, Trinity Baptist struggled to make ends meet.   Located on Orchard Mesa, the high, desert end of town that despite its name does not have the groves of regionally famous peach trees dappling the rest of Grand Valley, Trinity ministers in an area of blue-collar and often transient workers.   But the church’s finances changed when its longtime pastor, Larry Mallett, was elected in 2001 to a position on the Colorado Baptist Convention’s executive board.   "We’ve always given to the Cooperative Program – it’s the best program out there – but we haven’t always given 10 percent," Mallett said. "When I went on the executive board and saw all that we were doing with that money just in our state alone, I thought we needed to be giving 10 percent.   "In the past, we had problems paying our bills, but since we started giving 10 percent to the Cooperative Program – we’ve not had that problem."   The Cooperative Program is Southern Baptists’ chosen way of combining the efforts and resources of local … [Read more...]

Despite the Lou Gehrig’s disease that attacked her last summer, Marilyn McClaskey’s voice still resonates with her commitment to Southern Baptists and the Cooperative Program. GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Despite the Lou Gehrig’s disease that attacked her last summer, Marilyn McClaskey’s voice still resonates with her commitment to Southern Baptists and the Cooperative Program.   Only now it’s a keyboard’s voice. No longer able to control the muscles in her voicebox, McClaskey uses an electronic voicebox to talk about God and the denomination she and her husband, Darrell, have been serving on the Western Slope for the last 40 years.   "They’re soldiers of the cross," said their pastor at Trinity Baptist, Larry Mallett. "Darrell, I just love that brother. They’ve been through [a lot] but have been faithful to the Lord and hung in there."   As church strengtheners the McClaskeys have served multiple roles in multiple churches – keeping churches alive between pastors, birthing churches with seasoned and unseasoned pastors, building churches struggling to be healthy.   "The reason Southern Baptists have been blessed is because of the missions emphasis through the Cooperative Program," Marilyn says. "I hear from [non-SBC] … [Read more...]

After losing 60 percent of its trees to Katrina, then housing a constant flow of disaster relief teams from across the nation, Living Waters Baptist Assembly in Tangipahoa Parish hasn’t had much time or opportunity for sprucing itself up, but all that has changed since Keith Maddox, transitional director for the camp, came on board.         ROBERT – After losing 60 percent of its trees to Katrina, then housing a constant flow of disaster relief teams from across the nation, Living Waters Baptist Assembly in Tangipahoa Parish hasn’t had much time or opportunity for sprucing itself up, but all that has changed since Keith Maddox, transitional director for the camp, came on board.       Governed and supported by seven Louisiana Baptist Associations – New Orleans, Chappapeela, Eastern Louisiana, St. Tammany, La Tangi, Two Rivers, and Washington – the camp sits halfway between Robert and Loranger, La., Maddox said.       “The camp is now putting on a full program for children,” Maddox said at the recent executive committee meeting of the Baptist Association of Greater New Orleans. “We have been booked for about the last three weeks. There is a lot … [Read more...]

People across the state have been asking Dick DeBusk about the upcoming Prayer for Spiritual Awakening set for March 22-23 at Kingsville Baptist.         PINEVILLE – People across the state have been asking Dick DeBusk about the upcoming Prayer for Spiritual Awakening set for March 22-23 at Kingsville Baptist.       “When I go throughout the state, people say we talk about prayer all the time, but we don’t do it,” said DeBusk, prayer strategist for the Louisiana Baptist Convention. “We need to practice prayer; that’s what this prayertime is. That’s what people are hungry for; they want to be involved in prayer.       “Prayer is labor,” DeBusk continued. “It is a labor, and it produces results.”       Churches across the state attest to that.       Hebron Baptist, where Joe Alain is pastor, baptized nine people who came forward one recent Sunday.       “Our community is exploding and ripe for a mighty move of God,” Alain said, crediting undergirding prayer for softening hearts.       Marilyn Barranco leads the intercessory prayer ministry … [Read more...]

In one of his lectures on revival, Charles Finney made some observations concerning when a revival of religion is needed.         In one of his lectures on revival, Charles Finney made the following observations concerning when a revival of religion is needed.       When there is a want of brotherly love and Christian confidence among professors of religion, then a revival is needed.       When there are dissensions, and jealousies, and evil speakings among professors of religion, then there is great need of a revival… Religion cannot prosper with such things in the church, and nothing can put an end to them like a revival.       When there is a worldly spirit in the church. It is manifest that the church is sunk down into a low and backslidden state, when you see Christians conform to the world…       When the church finds its members falling into gross and scandalous sins, then it is time for the church to awake and cry to God for a Revival of Religion.       When there is a spirit of controversy in the church or in the land, a revival is needful. The … [Read more...]