The storm that sent shock waves through Washington Parish continues to make waves more than a year after carelessly spilling towering pines across the parish like so many matches from a box. FRANKLINTON – The storm that sent shock waves through Washington Parish continues to make waves over a year after Katrina tossed towering pines across the parish like a carelessly-spilled box of matches. The current waves, though, are positive and constructive as opposed to the negative and destructive ones of 2005. The people of Washington Parish were blessed by thousands of volunteers who gave up vacations to labor, gave sacrificially of their resources, and gave hours on their knees before the Lord on behalf of their beleaguered brothers, DOM Joe Baugh said. They learned the importance of ministering to those in need in the name of Jesus and that ministry continues as the restored congregations reach out to others. “I’ve never seen such a team effort,” Baugh said concerning the post-Katrina efforts of congregations in Washington Baptist Association and Two Rivers Baptist Association, the two associations Baugh serves. “Several pastors have been going to New Orleans to help out. Other teams have gone to … [Read more...]

As many as 15,000 hurricane evacuees stayed at the Cajun Dome here. LAFAYETTE – As many as 15,000 hurricane evacuees stayed at the Cajun Dome here. A Texas Southern Baptist disaster relief unit was set up at the Dome; relief workers stayed at First Lafayette, which also housed medical personnel who worked at the Dome. (See related article on page 5.) East Bayou had disaster relief units on their property, and ministered to volunteers as well as evacuees. These churches weren’t alone in “being Jesus” to those in need, said Evangeline and Gulf Coast Director of Missions Bert Langley. “We were really kind of in-between the two storms,” Langley said. “Our major role was to help evacuees in both directions and our churches did a superb job of that.” Tom Cole, former pastor at Emmanuel Lafayette, now is a director of missions in Oklahoma. His association sent $60,000 to Evangeline association. “That’s a good story of one association pairing with another, helping to do something,” Langley said. “The thing that stands out to me, in spite of the damage we did have, our churches were still taking in folks with much more damage,” the DOM continued. “That indicates they … [Read more...]

After Hurricane Katrina, residents of Southeast Louisiana needed experienced chain saw crews to remove trees from houses, and Beauregard memorial Baptist Church here was quick to provide such a team.   … [Read more...]

Potpourri WINNFIELD – First church:  Centenary Choir in concert; Oct. 22, 7 p.m.; Lindsey Burns, pastor. DEQUINCY – New Hope church:  “Harvest Stampede” festival; Oct. 28, 3-7 p.m.; Rob Sumrall, pastor. SHREVEPORT – Pinecroft church:  Sam Feazel and family, missionaries to Honduras, guest speakers; Oct. 29, 6 p.m.; Marty J. Wright, pastor. HAUGHTON – First church:  “Judgment House” walk through drama; Oct. 25-26, 6-8 p.m.; Oct. 28-31, 6-8 p.m.; groups of 25 will go through every 15 minutes; $2 donation per ticket; for ticket reservations, call 318-949-2441; Gevan L. Spinney, pastor. SHREVEPORT – Kingston Road church:  Kingdom Bound Quartet in concert; Oct. 28, 6 p.m.; Trey Lewis, pastor. DENHAM SPRINGS – Amite church:  “The Choice” walk through drama presented by the youth; Oct. 25-26, 6:30-9 p.m.; Oct. 27, 6:30-11 p.m.; Oct. 28, 5-11 p.m.; Oct. 29, 4-8 p.m.; free admission on a first-come, first- served basis; Marla Wright, interim youth pastor; Terry Booth, pastor. RUSTON – Temple church:  Sonicflood, a contemporary Christian band, in concert; Oct. 24, 7 p.m.; $10 per ticket; for ticket information, call the church Family Life Center at 318-255-6184; Alan Miller, … [Read more...]

In 1999, the first year Eddie DeHondt served as director of missions for the Northwest Baptist Association, a 300-yard-wide tornado roared from south of Shreveport to north of Benton, flattening homes and trapping people inside buildings with walls that were crumbling around them. SHREVEPORT – In 1999, the first year Eddie DeHondt served as director of missions for the Northwest Baptist Association, a 300-yard-wide tornado roared from south of Shreveport to north of Benton, flattening homes and trapping people inside buildings with walls that were crumbling around them. Louisiana authorities went house to house looking for injured or dead, but decided they would have to bring in backhoes and front end loaders to remove fallen wall panels and roofs, according to news reports from that time. Southern Baptists weren’t as effective in the disaster relief process as they might have been, DeHondt said, “So this time I said to myself, ‘I’m not waiting for anybody to call me or give permission; I’m going to find if anybody wants to help.’ So we put together a plan without the help of the Red Cross or the help of anybody.” He was talking about the association’s response to Katrina evacuees flooding … [Read more...]

Keith and Peggy Perkins, along with nine relatives, evacuate New Orleans ahead of Katrina, and find that home is where you make it. HAYNESVILLE – Much has been written and discussed about Hurricane Katrina and its impact on the lives of people in New Orleans and what has been or has not been done for them. This story is about a family, all natives of New Orleans, who lived in New Orleans East. A family who heeded the warnings. A family who stayed together, even bringing elderly relatives with them, and a family who now, after a year of pain and frustration, are pulling their lives together in the hills of north Louisiana with the same faith in God that sustained them as natives of New Orleans. During the hectic days after Katrina, First Baptist Church of Haynesville and the Bienville and Webster-Claiborne Associations were concerned with the immediate needs of people all around us who needed help of all kinds – food, clothing, shelter, money, and expectant mothers needing doctors.  Those were days when everyone wanted to help these poor, hurting people in some way, and most everyone did. Haynesville is a community of 2,700 located in the center of north Louisiana on Highway 79, three miles … [Read more...]

Gil Arthur, senior pastor at East Leesville Baptist Church in the Vernon Association and a National Guard chaplain, was called up on acive duty Aug. 28, 2005 and remained on duty until mid November '05. LEESVILLE--Gil Arthur, senior pastor at East Leesville Baptist Church in the Vernon Association and a National Guard chaplain, was called up on active duty Aug. 28, 2005 and remained on duty until mid November ‘05. “It was three of the toughest months I’ve faced in my life, but it was incredible,” Arthur said. Arthur’s unit was stationed at the Intermediate Staging Base (ISB) owned by Fort Polk at England Air Park in Alexandria, about 50 miles from his home. “My duty was to receive incoming chaplains, assign them to various places where units were serving in the South all over the hurricane-ravaged area, orient them before they went South, and then get them down there,” he said.  “Units came from Michigan, Main, Puerto Rico, Ohio, all over the nation.  We had 17,000 [soldiers] set foot at the ISB, plus that many more we sent directly South who didn’t come through the ISB.” In addition, Arthur ministered to his own unit, conducting prayer services every morning and every evening for … [Read more...]

An evangelistic thrust here just before the mid-November annual meeting of the Lousiana Baptist Convention will in some cases harvest seeds that were sown when Southern Baptists raced to assist in Hurricane Rita disaster relief and recovery, leaders say. LAKE CHARLES – An evangelistic thrust here just before the mid-November annual meeting of the Louisiana Baptist Convention will in some cases harvest seeds that were sown when Southern Baptists raced to assist in Hurricane Rita disaster relief and recovery, leaders say. In other cases seeds will be sown in ground cultivated by the work of those Southern Baptist disaster relief volunteers. “People have responded well to Baptists as we have helped meet their need,” said Wayne Jenkins, LBC evangelism team leader. “This is a great opportunity for Louisiana Baptists to make an impact.” The “opportunity” is Crossover Lake Charles, an evangelistic thrust designed to build on the impact Southern Baptists made in the area over the last year. Set to take place in the days before the annual meeting of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, volunteers across the state are needed to help local churches, said J.P. Miles, director of missions for Carey Baptist … [Read more...]

First Baptist Covington passed out $10,000 checks to 20 churches in Greater New Orleans last week. NEW ORLEANS – First Baptist Covington passed out $10,000 checks to 20 churches in Greater New Orleans last week. First Covington members raised the $200,000 by adding 10 percent to their tithes and offerings each week over the last year; if someone planned to give $40, they wrote the check for $44; the extra went to a special fund. “Our church has been tremendously blessed, and that’s why we want to give,” said Waylon Bailey, pastor since 1989 of the church where about 1,600 people gather each Sunday to worship. The checks are going to churches that are striving to thrive despite the devastation wrought by last year’s hurricanes, the pastor said. “To us this is a lot of money, but to them it’s just a drop in the bucket for their needs,” Bailey said. He should know. First Covington, on the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain, lost the roof to its worship center, and had major damage to that building’s contents, when Katrina keelhauled most of a 100-square-mile region Aug. 29, 2005. And even while the church was dealing with that damage, it was ministering to the thousands of people who heard … [Read more...]

Though a Christian since World War II when he’d been led to Christ on a battlefield at age 19, Leslie Paul had never been baptized, said his daughter, Cindy Pardue. PINEVILLE—Though a Christian since World War II when he’d been led to Christ on a battlefield at age 19, Leslie Paul had never been baptized, said his daughter, Cindy Pardue. “He met and married my mother, who was Catholic,” Pardue said. After his wife passed away in 1999, Paul began reading his Bible and started going back to church at Pineville Grace Baptist, where his daughters attend. “He went a few times and visited with Bro. Leon,” Pardue said. “Shortly after going, he got really weak and had to stop going in March.” Paul, who turned 80 that same month, kept urgently telling his children that he needed to be baptized. “We were real concerned, because he was weak and because he’d lost most of his hearing in the war,” Pardue said. “His doctor had told him that if he got any water in his ears, he’d lose the rest of his hearing, but he was determined.” First, Paul’s family situation and later his poor health prevented the baptism from occuring sooner, Pastor Leon Hyatt said. However, one day, Paul sent word … [Read more...]