God has moved so dramatically among one Last Frontier people group in South Asia that the Southern Baptist missionaries working among them since 1997 are planning to shift their focus to another people without access to the Gospel. God has moved so dramatically among one Last Frontier people group in South Asia that the Southern Baptist missionaries working among them since 1997 are planning to shift their focus to another people without access to the Gospel. When Marty and Jodi Hunter* decided to accept responsibility for taking the gospel to India’s Lingayat people, other Christian workers didn’t offer them much hope of success. In 1997, researchers could count only 800 Christians and no churches among the Lingayats, a high-caste Hindu group that numbers 15 million. “People discouraged us, saying the people were hard-hearted, that the work would be fruitless,” Hunter says. “Today we’re looking at about 3,000 believers  – most of them people who have come to faith in the past two years.” The number of Lingayat believers is growing so rapidly that Hunter believes they will see 18,000 believers in 1,000 house churches by 2006 – a movement strong enough to be left in the capable hands of local believers … [Read more...]

Margaret Coffey is a faithful member of Unity Baptist Church and “attends” services every week even though she is homebound and lives nearly 100 miles away. Margaret Coffey is a faithful member of Unity Baptist Church and “attends” services every week even though she is homebound and lives nearly 100 miles away. Thanks to remote listening technology offered through LifeWay Christian Resources, Coffey can feel connected to Unity Baptist and a Christian family in spite of her inability to physically go to the Allardt, Tenn., church every week. “She feels like she knows some people in the church,” says Linda Smith, Coffey’s daughter and a Unity Baptist member.     “She feels like they know her and know of her and know me as her daughter. Mom really felt like she was connected.” A number of individuals resort to television or radio broadcasts of worship services when they must attend church from their homes. While these methods offer sermons and worship, they lack the personal connection a  church family provides. Mike Northcutt, pastor of Eastmont Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala., recognized the need to provide worship opportunities for homebound individuals, but his church couldn’t afford to … [Read more...]

Week of December 12, 2005 Potpourri BELLE CHASSE – First church:  Sponsoring “Battered...but still shining the light,” Dec. 17, 5 p.m.; event is to encourage and praise the churches of Plaquemines parish during the difficult times since Hurricane Katrina; admission is free; Richard Strahan, minister of music; Paul Hussey, interim pastor. SHREVEPORT – Trinity Heights church: Don Piper, guest speaking on his book “90 Minutes in Heaven,” Dec. 24, 6 p.m.; public invited; free admission; Billy Crosby, pastor. SHREVEPORT – Calvary church:  “A Very Special Night of Praise” concert presented by Price Harris; Jan. 6, 2006, 7 p.m.; free admission; Rick Edmonds, pastor. Youth DEVILLE – Big Island church: “Gettin’ Ready for a Miracle” children’s musical; Dec. 18, 6 p.m.; Todd Burgess, pastor. Christmas Programs DENHAM SPRINGS – Riverside church: “Start at the Manger, Then Go to the Cross” musical; Dec. 18, 6 p.m.; Live outdoor manger; Dec. 18, 7-8 p.m.; Dec. 21, 7-8 p.m.; Johnny Skinner, interim music minister; Larry A. Hubbard, pastor. SLIDELL – Grace Memorial church:  “Festival of Lights” musical; Dec. 18, 6:15 p.m.; Marty Stone, minister of music; Bob Heustess, pastor. RINGGOLD – First church: “A Carol to … [Read more...]

Joe Williams has encountered plenty of discouragement lately while counseling pastors around the Gulf Coast region, but he has also seen rays of hope. Joe Williams has encountered plenty of discouragement lately while counseling pastors around the Gulf Coast region, but he has also seen rays of hope. One that shone recently involved a young pastor who talked of working 10 to 12 hours a day with area residents, displaced church members and visitors to his church’s feeding site. After this grueling regimen, the pastor described not feeling like much of a husband or father when he got home. He then broke into tears. “Then I asked, ‘What was your best experience?’” said Williams, an FBI chaplain temporarily stationed in New Orleans with the North American Mission Board. “He said, ‘(NAMB President) Bob Reccord called me and asked, ‘How can I pray for you?’ That helps me.’” Well known among Southern Baptists for his efforts after the 1995 bombing in Oklahoma City and the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York, Williams hopes to have other, similar encounters in the near future in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The North American Mission Board (NAMB) sent Williams and SBC chaplain Naomi Paget to the Gulf in … [Read more...]

The tsunami that roared ashore last Dec. 26 invaded the lives of millions of south Asians – stealing loved ones, scarring hearts, destroying homes and communities. (Editor’s note: One year after the massive Asian tsunami killed up to 250,000 people, Southern Baptists continue relief and rebuilding efforts. Missionary writer Goldie Frances – name changed for security reasons – who covered the tsunami’s immediate aftermath in Sri Lanka, recently returned to the south Asian island nation to survey ongoing aid ministries there.) The tsunami that roared ashore last Dec. 26 invaded the lives of millions of south Asians – stealing loved ones, scarring hearts, destroying homes and communities. One year later, the television cameras are gone, but the hurt isn’t. Empty arms and miles of rubble linger to keep the pain fresh. “Every morning they wake up to that reminder,” said Ned Thaxton*, a volunteer working in tsunami relief through the Southern Baptist International Mission Board. The tsunami, set off by a massive earthquake on the ocean floor near the Indonesian island of Sumatra, affected many nations – including the south Asian countries of India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Governments, relief agencies and … [Read more...]

Week of December 19, 2005 LC lawsuit filed A lawsuit has been filed against Louisiana College, the college’s president and certain members of its board of trustees by four of the college’s present professors and one retired professor who had previously settled a suit against Leon Hyatt and what was then The Louisiana Conservative Resurgency, a forerunner of LIFe. The settlement of the suit included certain terms the college and individuals agreed to, but some of which the defendants say have been violated by the school and individual trustees. A suit is a claim made in court for damages or relief against the defendants. The allegations must be proven in a court of law. A trial date has not been set. Louisiana College president told the Alexandria Daily Town Talk when asked about the suit, “We will not be bullied.” Silent Night controversy An elementary school in Wisconsin allegedly has written new lyrics for “Silent Night” for its winter program, stripping away all references to Christ and replacing them with winter weather themes. The conservative legal group Liberty Counsel says that Ridgeway Elementary School – located approximately 30 miles west of Madison – is asking students to memorize “Cold in the … [Read more...]

Louisiana College trustees received and discussed a report concerning its accreditation before its regularly scheduled December meeting but according to school officials, did not discuss it during its official board meeting. By Brian Blackwell LBM Newswriter Louisiana College trustees received and discussed a report concerning its accreditation before its regularly scheduled December meeting but according to school officials, did not discuss it during its official board meeting. Trustees also received a draft of an updated faculty handbook and took other actions related to the business of the school during the board meeting. The faculty handbook committee is working to update the periodical. A final draft of the handbook will be released during Louisiana College’s March board meeting. The committee was formed after a consultant suggested the move. A committee comprised of four trustees, two faculty members and two administrators was formed to create the new handbook. Trustees discussed the business during a closed door meeting. The Baptist Message was asked to leave the meeting and was told the reason was because members of the accreditation review committee had suggested that no members of the … [Read more...]

It is a different kind of star. It is a different kind of star. A young couple bought their first home in New Orleans. Their joy was heightened by the news that a baby was on her way. The mother, Robin, had served in the Peace Corps in the African country of Chad. The people with whom she worked fell in love with her and gave her the African name of Seraya, which means “star.” So, the parents named the baby Seraya. There was no way they could know the hurricane brewing in the Atlantic would add another dimension to their lives. Their new nest was in a part of New Orleans that was devastated by Katrina. The waters came quickly and all they had managed to gather for their home was lost, including all the clothes and other accouterments of a greatly loved infant. Their dreams of their home and life in New Orleans were blown away like pieces of paper in a whirlwind. So, they moved to her parents’ home. It was not what they had dreamed, but it was a place to begin again. But her parents home is in Lake Charles, and their temporary home became more temporary as the winds and waters of Rita drove them out, again. Still, they were not without friends. One of our daughters, Maggie, lives and teaches … [Read more...]

The earthquake that rocked South Asia Oct. 8 has created a unique opportunity for sharing the Gospel, and more followers of Jesus need to go and help, a volunteer in the region noted. The earthquake that rocked South Asia Oct. 8 has created a unique opportunity for sharing the Gospel, and more followers of Jesus need to go and help, a volunteer in the region noted. “We must go. This is the hour when the door is open – for such a time as this,” volunteer Liz Fendley* said. “I don’t know how long this window of opportunity will be open in this area. We need to help these people, show them His love, care for them and build those vital relationships – and pray that the Lord will move in their hearts. “Women who have been hidden for years, we are now getting access to,” continued Fendley, who recently joined a team of five serving in Pakistan. “We are able to build relationships with them and show them how much God loves them. I think this is an incredible opportunity.” Volunteers can make a lasting impact on the lives they touch for the glory of God, Southern Baptist worker Aleta Ballinger* said. They witness to the unsaved and mentor young believers. And they bless Southern Baptist workers with whom they … [Read more...]

It’s Christmas — and for Protestants, that means it’s time for the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, to make her annual cameo appearance in creche sets, carols and children’s bathrobed Christmas pageants. It’s Christmas — and for Protestants, that means it’s time for the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, to make her annual cameo appearance in creche sets, carols and children’s bathrobed Christmas pageants. But for some Protestant theologians and activists, the season also presents a time to take a fresh look at the role of Mary in the life of the church and to recover her presence for a more vital faith and spirituality. A host of books, essays and magazines are doing just that. These Protestant thinkers and writers see a recovery of Mary as in keeping with historic Reformation views. “Martin Luther had a very high view of Mary,” says Southern Baptist Timothy George, dean of the evangelical Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Ala., “and a loving devotion to Mary, in a way. “(Luther) refers to her as the place where God did his handiwork on earth,” George adds. George made his comments in an interview for the PBS show, “Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly,” to be broadcast this weekend (check local … [Read more...]