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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Fire destroys Camp Living Waters maintenance building

By Message Staff LORANGER - A fire Monday, April 23, destroyed the maintenance building at Camp Living Waters in Loranger, but camp staff are thankful no one was injured. Camp Director Scott Mercer told the Baptist Message the fire, believed to be electrical, started around 1 p.m. Monday. Responding to the fire was the Loranger and 8th Ward Volunteer Fire Departments. A total of 14 firemen from six trucks battled the blaze until it was extinguished. Among the most expensive items lost in the fire were a tractor, two zero turn lawn mowers and golf cart, worth more than $60,000. The fire also destroyed Mercer's personal camper. He is waiting to find out what items insurance will cover. "Prayer is the beginning of the process as we wait to hear from insurance," Mercer said. "Then people can begin to pray for us as we recuperate our losses and rebuild. Pray for wisdom of where to start and how we can do this process in a way that honors and glorifies our Lord. "When you think of the shop it’s not just a building,” he continued. "It is the contents of the building that takes its toll. "So our immediate needs will be for those bigger items," he continued. "Grass doesn't stop growing and camp season is just a few … [Read more...]

FUGE celebrates 40 years of ministry to students

By LifeWay Christian Resources Staff NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Randy Parks remembers the music, the games, and the wacky events from the first summer he attended Centrifuge in 1979. But most of all, he remembers the clear message of the gospel and the strong conviction that a life following Christ was exciting and worth living. That summer at Glorieta, New Mexico, when Parks was only a high school junior, laid the foundation for his future as a hospital chaplain. “Centrifuge changed the direction of my life,” said Parks, now a chaplain at Newton Medical Center in Newton, New Jersey. “It was there I answered what I believed to be a call to follow God in the path of Christian ministry. “Since that time, I have lived out that calling through the local church, in university chaplaincy and for many years now as a health care chaplain.” Parks credits his summers at Centrifuge for helping him develop a regular quiet time and sparking a passion for evangelism. “It changed my life forever.” Parks is not alone. Since 1979, LifeWay’s FUGE Camps have seen God work in the lives of more than 1.7 million students and adults across the nation. This summer more than 55,000 students and adults will attend a FUGE Camp. That includes more … [Read more...]

Army chaplain fights charge of unlawful discrimination

WASHINGTON, DC—First Liberty Institute today sent a letter to the U.S. Army urging it to reverse an investigator’s decision and recommendation that First Liberty client, Army Chaplain Scott Squires, be disciplined for following both Army regulations and the religious tenets of his endorsing denomination. Earlier this year, an Army investigator concluded that Chaplain Squires discriminated because his chaplain endorsing agency, the North American Mission Board (NAMB) of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), forbids its chaplains from facilitating marriage retreats that include same-sex couples.  Doing so would violate “The Baptist Faith and Message” adopted by the SBC, and could result in a chaplain losing their endorsement.  The Army requires its chaplains to adhere to their endorsers’ rules and religious tenets. “Chaplain Squires should not have his career ruined for following the rules of both his faith and the Army,” said Mike Berry, Deputy General Counsel and Director of Military Affairs at First Liberty. “Federal law protects Chaplain Squires and prohibits the military from punishing any chaplain who acts in accordance with their religious tenets.  We urge the Army to follow the law, just as Chaplain Squires did.  … [Read more...]

State DR teams answer needs, minister to victims following deadly weekend storms

By Message Staff An outbreak of tornadoes left death and destruction in its path Friday, April 13, and Saturday, April 14, as tornadoes touched down in Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Lincoln and Union parishes, according to the National Weather Service. Louisiana Disaster Relief teams wasted no time responding in the wake of the storms. “Storms are a reality in Louisiana and we have volunteers ready and willing to help when needed,” Gibbie McMillan, state disaster relief director for Louisiana Baptists said. “Many ask why and the answer is so we can share the good news of the gospel.  It seems like God uses the storm to get our attention and then we are called to respond with help healing and hope.” McMillan said the tornado outbreak is a reminder of how valuable volunteers are for responding with Christ’s love in disastrous situations. DEADLY STORM Besides uprooting trees, causing structural damage and knocking out power to more than 76,000 SWEPCO customers in a three Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana, the powerful storm claimed the life of 20-month-old Carli Ortiz, who was killed early Saturday when a tree feel on the recreational vehicle in which she was sleeping in the Hill Crest Mobile Home & RV Park in … [Read more...]

TRUSTEES: NOBTS announces multi-ethic initiative

By Gary D. Meyers, NOBTS Communications NEW ORLEANS -- New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary announced a multi-ethnic initiative designed to diversify the seminary community and a tuition cap plan during its spring trustee meeting on April 12. Trustees approved a $23.4 million dollar budget, four new master of arts in missiology specializations, new undergraduate training sites and faculty promotions. In addition, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission President Russell Moore was named visiting professor of theology and ethics, and Liberty University apologist Gary Habermas was named as visiting professor of apologetics. NOBTS President Chuck Kelley introduced the multi-ethnic initiative, which he calls "Different Voices," during the presidential report. The goal of the initiative is the increase in minority representation in every layer of the seminary community -- students, staff and faculty. Initial plans include workshops for minority students seeking a ministry in Southern Baptist Convention academics and a doctoral fellowship for minority students. As the plan was developed, Kelley met with minority students to share ideas and receive feedback. Kelley said the group wholeheartedly endorsed the name of the … [Read more...]

J.D. GREEAR: In his own words

By Will Hall, Message Editor ALEXANDRIA (LBM) — J.D. Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Durham, North Carolina, is a candidate for president of the Southern Baptist Convention for a second time. During his lunch visit to the First Baptist Church in Bossier City Feb. 27, the Baptist Message offered to interview him live but he declined, saying he does not typically give live interviews to newspapers. The Baptist Message subsequently learned he had granted an in-person interview the day before with the TEXAN, the newspaper of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. Greear offered to allow the Baptist Message to submit questions for his consideration and reply via email. The offer was declined because the Baptist Message typically asks questions for this type of article live in order to evince an authentic response, to allow for a follow up inquiry as appropriate, and to avoid receiving an answer by committee. However, to give voice to Greear’s position on issues important to Louisiana Baptists, the Baptist Message has researched his blogs, video interviews and other such public sources to share his own words with our readers. MUSLIMS, CHRISTIANS WORSHIP THE SAME GOD Excerpt from a September 30, 2010 … [Read more...]

Youth movement stirs growth at Northside

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer MONTGOMERY – Micheal Young once spent his free time enjoying the ways of the world, but a visit to a youth meeting at Northside Baptist Church in Montgomery transformed the high schooler into a Christ-follower on fire for the Lord. “I went for a girl at first, but when I got to the church the Lord spoke to me,” said Young, who was baptized the Sunday after his conversion in October. “Before I started going to church, I would get into mischief every weekend and bully people. Now, the Lord has touched me and I have a testimony of a person who has given up the bad ways of his past life to live a reborn life.” The change in Young’s life even inspired his brothers, Aaron and Jacob, and his cousin, Jeremiah, to repent of their sins and turn their lives over to Christ in the ensuing months. “My family and I talked and shed a bunch of tears,” Young said. “It feels great knowing I am able to help someone get out of a bad situation by offering them real hope found in Jesus.” Baptisms of students like Young have not been the exception but the norm recently at Northside Baptist Church. Since 2016, 78 new converts – many who are youth – have stirred the baptistery waters there. The … [Read more...]

Baptism service ignites revival at New Hope

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer MONROE – The front lawn of New Hope Baptist Church in Monroe was the scene for a special baptism service last August that served as a visible witness for friends and family, and also for motorists who passed by. One by one, each of the nine new believers stepped into a horse trough filled with cold water on a hot summer Sunday afternoon, to publicly restate his or her individual faith in Christ by being baptized. “Everyone was gathered together, singing praises to the Lord for all the things He did that day,” said Gray, winner of the 2017 Exemplary Bi-vocational Pastor of the Year for the North region. “It was really cool for people to pass by and see what was going on -- to see entire generations baptized together, from age 10 to 65, was something I never will forget.” The baptism service signifies a personal revival New Hope Baptist has experienced since Gray’s arrival in April 2017. When Gray became pastor of New Hope Baptist, the Sunday morning worship service attendance averaged 30 and baptisms were a rarity, according to church records. Eleven months later, attendance for worship services has more than tripled, and 16 new converts have participated in … [Read more...]

ERLC’s MLK50 offered laments, calls to repent to mark King’s death

By Staff, Baptist Message MEMPHIS, (LBM) –The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention partnered with The Gospel Coalition, a fellowship of evangelical churches in the Reformed tradition, to host a tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr., in Memphis on the 50th anniversary of his death. Russell Moore, president of the ERLC and a member of TGC Council, headlined a diverse group April 3-4 that included noted author and Bible teacher Beth Moore as well as civil rights activist John Perkins and spoken word artist Jackie Hill-Perry among the 75 or so personalities who gave keynote remarks, led panel discussions or gave brief talks. Leading up to the event, Moore released a statement explaining the need for the conference in terms of a sense of urgency to remind “the conscience of the church” to pursue racial unity in the midst of tremendous tension. “Fifty years after Dr. King’s assassination, it is shameful that the church often lags behind the culture around us when it comes to issues of racial justice, unity and reconciliation,” Moore said. “We should be leading the way.” The two-day conference included laments; calls to repent, to pay the price for unity, for racial diversity in the … [Read more...]