Amidst the destruction left by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, a New Orleans-area pastor insists that he also sees revival. Amidst the destruction left by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, a New Orleans-area pastor insists that he also sees revival. Todd Hallman says his members at First Baptist Church of Luling have been revitalized by distributing 20 tractor-trailer loads of supplies and establishing three distribution centers in the area. “There’s excitement, ...” Hallman says. “The church has been transformed into a hospital where people’s needs are met. It has changed our mode of missions. “In this community, the word ‘Baptist’ is not a bad word. Before the storm, it was. We don’t smoke, drink or dance; we’ve been known for what we don’t do. (But) No longer are we Baptists who don’t care about the community.” First Baptist Church’s outreach originated with Hallman and his wife, Tabatha, who took shelter from Katrina in North Carolina.     As the storm hit, the Hallmans spent several days on the phone, arranging a shipment of emergency supplies. Working with Southern Baptists, the couple secured a tractor-trailer of supplies from Highlands Fellowship in Abingdon, Va. When Hallman arrived back at the … [Read more...]

With tears flowing down her cheeks, Judy Hagler gasps as she sees the jumble of pews and sludge left in the Gentilly Baptist Church in New Orleans, the church in which she grew up. With tears flowing down her cheeks, Judy Hagler gasps as she sees the jumble of pews and sludge left in the Gentilly Baptist Church in New Orleans, the church in which she grew up. She had driven from her home in Independence to check on her former community. Long moments of silence and more tears accompany her stories of the past. In 1951, 9-year-old Hagler became the first person baptized in the current Gentilly sanctuary by then-pastor William Fussell. When Fussell resigned the church to return to Alabama, Hagler and her best friend voted against the motion to accept the pastor’s resignation. “They came over and explained to us, ‘He is leaving anyway. We would like to make this unanimous,’” Hagler recounts, smiling. “But we didn’t want him to go.” The grandfather of Hagler’s late husband was one of the people responsible for the church being planted in the Gentilly community as a mission of Valence Street Baptist Church. As a child in the church, Hagler says she learned lessons about God’s love and care from the … [Read more...]

In a meeting delayed by a pair of South Louisiana hurricanes, Louisiana Baptist Convention leaders acknowledged the impact of the storms by proposing a reduced budget for 2006. In a meeting delayed by a pair of South Louisiana hurricanes, Louisiana Baptist Convention leaders acknowledged the impact of the storms by proposing a reduced budget for 2006. LBC Executive Board members also approved employment of Oklahoma Baptist Messenger Editor John Yeats as communications director for the convention, a new position designed to help tell the Louisiana Baptist story more effectively. If a proposed change in the Louisiana Baptist Message structure is approved by messengers at the state convention in November, Yeats also will serve as editor of the newspaper, beginning in 2006. During their meeting last week, board members handled several items of business related to that proposal and also heard an update on ongoing hurricane relief and recovery work. Approval of a $21 million Cooperative Program budget proposal for the new year came without discussion or debate. The proposed goal represents a decline of $1 million (4.5 percent) from the current mark of $22 million. The proposal still must be approved by … [Read more...]

Jerry Chaddick announced earlier this year that he would allow his nomination for Louisiana Baptist Convention president during the upcoming annual meeting at First Baptist Church of West Monroe on Nov. 14-15. Current LBC President Philip Robertson of Deville is completing his second term of service and is ineligible for reelection. Jerry Chaddick announced earlier this year that he would allow his nomination for Louisiana Baptist Convention president during the upcoming annual meeting at First Baptist Church of West Monroe on Nov. 14-15. Current LBC President Philip Robertson of Deville is completing his second term of service and is ineligible for reelection. MESSAGE: Why have you agreed to allow your nomination for convention president? CHADDICK: First of all, thank you for giving me the opportunity to do this interview. I was born in Louisiana, grew up in DeRidder, was a member at Temple Baptist Church. I have been a Louisiana Baptist ever since I was saved at a young age. I love Louisiana, have pastored three churches in Louisiana and my heart is for this state. Now, as an evangelist, I’ve had the opportunity of preaching in nearly 200 of our congregations and have been able to sense the … [Read more...]

Bill Robertson announced earlier this year that he would allow his nomination for Louisiana Baptist Convention president during the upcoming annual meeting at First Baptist Church of West Monroe on Nov. 14-15. Current LBC President Philip Robertson of Deville is completing his second term of service and is ineligible for reelection. Bill Robertson announced earlier this year that he would allow his nomination for Louisiana Baptist Convention president during the upcoming annual meeting at First Baptist Church of West Monroe on Nov. 14-15. Current LBC President Philip Robertson of Deville is completing his second term of service and is ineligible for reelection. MESSAGE: Why have you agreed to allow your nomination for convention president? ROBERTSON: Because I believe it’s time for a change in the philosophy of leadership. We need to be more inclusive and open our arms to all Louisiana Baptists. MESSAGE: If you are elected, what will be your primary focus as convention president? ROBERTSON: To try to bring unity to the convention. To get us back focusing on the Lordship of Christ, evangelism and reaching this state. Our baptisms have been down as a whole across the Southern Baptist Convention, and … [Read more...]

As an earthquake brutally shook under his feet, Awal Khan left his goats in the mountains and rushed home, only to find his house a mass of rubble. As an earthquake brutally shook under his feet, Awal Khan left his goats in the mountains and rushed home, only to find his house a mass of rubble. His wife and 12-year-old daughter had been inside. “The walls and roof of the house caved in on them,” Khan said. “I took them and buried them. I dragged them out, and now, they are in the cemetery.” A Southern Baptist disaster relief assessment team found Khan standing on the edge of a road situated high above the town where his home once stood. Reaching the town was not easy. Living in it right now is even harder. Shelter, food and medical care are scarce in this town, which had served as a supply hub for area villages. “Southern Baptist workers have assessed many of the affected areas and are responding,” said Philip Monroe (not his real name), a Southern Baptist disaster relief specialist serving in Asia. “The vast majority of the seriously-affected areas are accessible only by helicopter, long walks on foot or long, dangerous drives in vehicles.” Khan’s town is one of several hard-to-reach sites where … [Read more...]

Members from Watson Chapel Baptist Church in Madisonville, Tenn., are living up to their state’s nickname, the Volunteer State. Members from Watson Chapel Baptist Church in Madisonville, Tenn., are living up to their state’s nickname, the Volunteer State. Even after a member of their chainsaw crew was pinned by a tree, almost paralyzing him, the church was willing to send a team of youth and adults to return to Louisiana the following week. The team was led by youth pastor Russ Cooper. Members stayed at First Baptist Church of Ponchatoula and drove every morning to New Orleans to distribute food, water, ice and cleaning supplies at Calvary Baptist Church and at a non-church site. By giving out Bibles at both sites, doors for ministry opened, workers report. One woman began to cry after receiving a Bible. Through her tears, she asked for another Bible for her mother because the hurricanes destroyed both of their Bibles left in their homes. Volunteer worker Tina Dalton said she was moved by the love and kindness of the people she helped. “People didn’t take any more than they needed,” she notes. “They didn’t want to be wasteful. I kept saying take more, but they would say, ‘No, No, someone else … [Read more...]

Peter Perl’s apprehension grew the minute he saw the roommate list for his trip to the Middle East. Peter Perl’s apprehension grew the minute he saw the roommate list for his trip to the Middle East. For three weeks, the newspaper journalist for The Washington Post would be rooming with a Southern Baptist seminary student – and he was uneasy. He admits wondering what it would be like to live for three weeks with someone who might try to save his soul. Still, for 23 nights, he bunked with Matthew Cates, a student at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. And looking back, he admits he learned one thing about Southern Baptists he had least suspected – their desire to spread the grace of God is born out of a genuine love for people. Perl and Cates were fellow travelers on an annual summer trip called the Middle East Travel Seminary, a pilgrimage to notable Middle Eastern sites. The group was an eclectic blend of 20 spiritual sojourners, including conservative and liberal Protestant seminary students and practitioners of the Jewish faith. Perl wrote of his experience and his relationship with Cates in a lengthy first-person article that ran in the Aug. 21 edition of The Washington Post under the headline … [Read more...]