By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer LAFAYETTE (LBM) –The 2017 Youth Evangelism Celebration wrapped up its three-year run in Lafayette on a high note, seeing 1,081 students make decisions for Christ. The annual event returns to its traditional home in Alexandria next year. “YEC was truly a celebration of the past and present,” Louisiana Baptists Youth Ministry Strategist Steve Maltempti said. “The Lord continues to bless and propel YEC forward. Students and teenagers are engaged with the Gospel message.” During the Nov. 19-20 gathering inside Lafayette’s Cajundome, 5,929 Louisiana Baptist students were challenged by evangelist Clayton King to share what Christ has done in their lives and to lean on God’s truth. “The biggest lie is God doesn’t love you,” King told the students. “That’s a lie. God loves you. He loved you so much that He made a path for you to be saved.” During all four sessions, King offered a chance for students to step forward and respond to the call of the Holy Spirit. He said simply knowing the truth of redemption through Christ does not set a person free but rather believing and making a decision. “Every one of us is more lost than we ever dreamed but we are more loved than we … [Read more...]

By Will Hall, Message Editor PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (LBM) – After 14 years of peacekeeping duties in the country, the United Nations stood down its 2,300 military forces Oct. 15, giving hope of a return to political stability for the people of Haiti, a poverty-stricken nation of more than 10 million citizens. Meanwhile, the arrival of a 44-member team of Louisiana Baptists, Oct. 14, launched a week of compassionate aid and spiritual ministry to hundreds of residents of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas, offering hope in the form of medical and dental services, construction work, safe drinking water filter installations and upkeep, and, the sharing of the Gospel as part of these compassion efforts, Vacation Bible School, and door-to-door community evangelism. SHARING THE WORD Ray Swift, administrative pastor, First Baptist Church in Lafayette, Jason Cole, pastor, First Baptist Church in Simsboro, and Wayne Sheppard, partnership missions strategist for Louisiana Baptists preached in local churches the Sunday after landing in Port-au-Prince: Swift spoke in the rudimentary structure of a rural evangelical church in Monet; Sheppard shared the Word at an established Baptist church in Croix-des-Bouquets and presided … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE (LBM) – After two years of praying and preparing for the largest joint evangelistic effort in the state among Louisiana Baptists, the time for Harvest has arrived. This year-long statewide soul-winning effort will launch with the 2018 state Evangelism Conference, known as ECON, Jan. 22-23, at the First Baptist Church in Pineville. “God truly has blessed us with the largest number of Louisiana Baptist churches ever to commit to work together on a specific evangelistic initiative,” Keith Manuel, evangelism associate for Louisiana Baptists, said. “Whether it is through a church participating individually or in a group through their association, we are praying for the lost to receive prayer, hear the Gospel, be saved, baptized and become a vibrant, growing disciple of Jesus in these congregations. The enlistment was great. Now the real joy comes as we meet, pray, and share the Good News with our neighbors.” The groundwork for the initiative to “pray for every home and share Christ with every person” began in the fall of 2015 with a small group of leading pastors. Strategy development and the enlistment of churches were undertaken in 2016.  Statewide evangelism training … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA (LBM) – Organizers of recent evangelistic outreaches throughout the state may have used different approaches to share the Gospel but have achieved similar results – scores of the lost making decisions for Christ. RESCUE REVIVAL The Rescue Family Revival took place Nov. 10-12 at Marksville High School, marking one of the largest evangelistic outreach efforts for Louisiana Baptists in Avoyelles Parish. In the end, this harvest yielded 42 decisions for Christ. Prior to the revival, volunteers from Life Point Community Church, Mansura, and Philadelphia Baptist Church, Deville, held block parties in Bunkie, Cottonport, Mansura, Marksville and Simmesport featuring games, food, a basketball tournament and a classic car show – with invitations to attend a worship service at Marksville High School featuring drama and music by the Philadelphia Baptist youth group and a powerful Gospel message from evangelist Ken Freeman. Freeman focused his messages on rescuing the perishing. “We want to be a part of your rescue,” Freeman said. “In life today the only thing that’s going to save you is Jesus Christ.” Freeman shared about his own experience with God’s saving grace … [Read more...]

By Will Hall, Message Editor ALEXANDRIA (LBM)—Attorney at law Hugh B. Exnicios is pursuing God’s vision for him at age 85 by announcing a call to like-minded lawyers and notary publics to join him in providing free wills to Louisiana Baptists as a means to encourage bequests to support Baptist causes “in perpetuity.” WHAT THE NUMBERS MEAN Exnicios said he was inspired by an April 7, 2016 article in the Baptist Message that shared data indicating that among tithers only 3 percent had made arrangements in a “last will and testament” to continue funding the evangelistic and compassion ministries they had supported with their tithes. He said the research showed that as many as 37 percent of these faithful tithers would make bequeaths of their estates “if asked.” “I spoke to Executive Director Wayne Taylor at the Louisiana Baptist Foundation and he told me that this would translate into about $60 million each year in support for Louisiana Baptist missions and ministries,” Exnicios said, “if just one person in each of our churches tithed on their estates.” “I didn’t realize that there were more than 1,600 churches at the time,” he said, “and Taylor asked me, ‘How are you going to cover the whole state? How are you … [Read more...]

By Will Hall, Message Editor MINSK, Belarus (LBM)—The Good and Evil Illustrated Bible is changing Belarus, according to Andrew Ryzhkov, founder of the Byelorussian Mission in-country ministry. After the most recent mission trip by Louisiana Baptists to this former republic of the Soviet Union, Ryzhkov shared that this picture Bible continues to have exceptional influence on his countrymen. “Four out of every 10 people who receive one of these Bibles end up repenting and turning their lives over to Christ!” he told the Baptist Message. Moreover, such evangelistic success comes at a price of only $10 per copy of this Bible version. The news of the impact of this illustrated Bible comes amid the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Bible being translated into the Belarusian vernacular. Yet, despite this historical milestone, demographic information shows that more than 41 percent of Belarusians identify as agnostics or atheists, and even more are nominal in their religious affiliations. Louisiana Baptists have been actively engaged in evangelizing Belarus since 2014, helping to establish local churches, complete construction projects and conduct training of pastors and lay people. Wayne Sheppard, … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA – Facing space concerns, Journey Church in Pineville has announced plans to establish a second campus. Located in the space formerly occupied by Economy Boots at 1898 MacArthur Drive in Alexandria, the new facility will allow the church to seat up to 300 people, with a targeted launch date of April 1, 2018. The congregation averages 988 in combined attendance for three weekly services at its Pineville worship center and is on pace to outgrow its current capacity of 1,300 in a year, Executive Pastor Joshua Poe said. “This is the biggest step of faith physically and financially we have taken,” Poe said. “We are called Journey Church for a reason: We are on a journey. “People generally don’t like change, but Pastor James Greer and our people don’t mind changing,” he continued. “We do some things outside the box. Our people are willing to do whatever it takes to reach someone for Christ.” The 14,000-sq.-ft. facility will have worship space, coffee area, classrooms and an office. Darrell Ingram, associate pastor at Journey Church’s Pineville campus, will serve as the pastor of the Alexandria location. Greer will remain at the Pineville campus but will have his messages … [Read more...]

EDITOR'S NOTE: Do you have a Revival, Homecoming, a new pastor, a community outreach or a concert? The Baptist Message would love to share your church news with the rest of the state. It is very easy to do, just send in your information (who, what, where and when) to philip@baptistsmessage.com or call 318.449.4345. To get your event in the paper, please submit your information three weeks prior to event. MILESTONE Calcasieu Baptist Church, Glenmora: Bert and Rubye Riddle, Jr., will be honored with a 60th wedding anniversary reception and party on the afternoon of December 16 at the church. Bert Riddle was ordained a Baptist minister in Louisiana in 1950 at the age of 18.  He continuously pastored for more than 67 years, 25 years as pastor of Calcasieu Baptist Church, along with pastoring seven others churches (both full and part-time). He retired from the ministry 2 years ago at the age of 83 after being diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis. The couple was married on December 24, 1957. Friends and acquaintances of the couple are invited to attend.  For more information, call Keith Riddle, 318.447.7297.Pastor: Joe Keith Cruse. ON THE MOVE Coty Hardy is the new pastor at Countryside Baptist Church, Hammond. Jonathan Watts … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer BATON ROUGE – The time for Harvest has arrived, Louisiana Baptists were reminded during the 2017 LBC Annual Meeting Nov. 13-14 at Istrouma Baptist Church. The largest statewide evangelism effort by Louisiana Baptists on record, 873 congregations have signed on through Nov. 15 to participate in the Harvest commitment to “pray for every home and share Christ with every person.” After two years of developing a strategy, enlisting churches and piloting methods, a strong push will take place in 2018 for concentrated prayer and intentional soul-winning. The cooperative effort includes a diversity of mass evangelism strategies as well as one-on-one evangelism approaches: multi-church crusades, door-to-door outreach, one-on-one evangelism, single-church revivals and other activities which leverage compassion ministries to share about the love of Christ. “Our current Harvest emphaphasis involves serious praying for every home as well as aggressive going,” Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Director David Hankins told messengers and guests attending the annual meeting. “Engaging evangelism at the local area church and churches is still extremely effective. I’m thankful for the new … [Read more...]