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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Louisiana Notables

ON THE MOVE Scarlyte Collette is the new minister to preschool and children at First Baptist Church, Swartz. Alex Spiers, worship associate, resigned at North Monroe Baptist Church, Monroe. Chuck (wife Lisa) Clinton is the music/education minister at Pinecroft Baptist Church, Shreveport. Bill Stroud is interim pastor at Bethsaida Baptist Church, Ida. Mike Loftin is the interim pastor at Mansfield Road Baptist Church, Shreveport. Matthew Montgomery resigned as pastor at Belcher Baptist Church, Belcher. Brett Fuller resigned as music minister at Summer Grove Baptist Church, Shreveport. HOMECOMING University Baptist Church, Thibodaux: 45th Anniversary, September 15-17, Friday, 6 p.m. a night of Gospel music and share memories; Saturday, 2-6 p.m. bring the family for games, BBQ, and fellowship; Sunday, 10:45 a.m., Worship. Following Worship services there will be lunch at Peltier Park Community Center. Guest Speaker: David O. Cofield. Pastor: J.P. Cox. Hebron Baptist Church, Bush: Homecoming services, September 16-17. On Saturday at 6:30 pm the adult choir will be presenting “A Summer Night of Gospel Music Concert,” On Sunday morning homecoming service 10:30 a.m. Dinner on the grounds will follow … [Read more...]

Clear Camp is clearly a soul-winning success

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA – Louisiana Baptist Youth Strategist Steve Maltempi has reported there were more than 216 total spiritual decisions during the four sessions of the 2017 Clear Camp. Attended by 1,071 students, the summer camps provided opportunities for spiritual growth, with leaders recording 102 salvation decisions combined, as well as two commitments to vocational ministry and a number of other spiritual declarations, including repentance to restore fellowship with Christ, Maltempi told the Baptist Message. Maltempti credits staff preparation and the broad range of activities supported by the facilities at Tall Timbers Baptist Conference Center in Woodworth as contributing factors to the camps’ success. “The strengths of our camps are our staff, program and facilities,” Maltempi said. “Our camp leaders are mentored for a full six months and are ready to fully engage campers spiritually and relationally. “They go past knowing the student’s names and get to know their life,” he continued. “Our staff members pursue opportunities to build relationships with campers. “The campers get to have fun and build relationships with staff during morning celebration, Bible study, recreation … [Read more...]

The impact of the Georgia Barnette Offering

By Janie Wise, Louisiana Baptists women’s missions and ministry strategist What would Louisiana missions be like without the Georgia Barnette State Missions Offering? It's a scenario I would not want to imagine. It is like asking, “What if churches had no desire or conviction to share God's great love with the lost in our state?” It is like asking, “What if we didn't care that our neighbors and co-workers were dying without knowing Jesus?” -- Without the Georgia Barnette State Missions Offering providing assistance to church planting, the 2,908 persons baptized by our church plants since 2010 likely would not have heard the Gospel. -- The 200 congregations of the church plants established since 2010 would not have met for discipleship, for worship and fellowship, and, they would not have been reaching and teaching people who were not being reached by existing churches. -- Without the Georgia Barnette State Missions Offering to provide an allocation for children's mission events, sixteen girls and boys would not have heard the Gospel at M-JAM in the spring of 2016 and responded in faith for salvation. Six girls at Girls' Mission at mission camp may have waited longer to accept Jesus as Savior. -- Without … [Read more...]

The GBO’s impact: church planting

By Lane Corley, Louisiana Baptists church planting strategist The Georgia Barnette State Missions Offering is one of our best tools for planting the next generation of churches in Louisiana, and I have benefited from the GBO as a church planter myself. The Georgia Barnette Offering allows us to offer free training to all our church planters which helps strategy development. It also can provide anywhere from 10 percent to 25 percent of an initial startup budget of a new church plant over the course of about three years. A lot of times that makes the difference in whether a church planter or sponsor church says, “Yes, we can do this project” or “We need to wait.” With the urgency of the moment for people to be saved in our state, this is a great tool to help churches say, “Yes,” and church planters to say, “Yes,” to planting churches and sharing the Gospel. Named for the first executive director of the Woman’s Missionary Union, the Georgia Barnette Offering’s annual Week of Prayer is set for Sept. 10-17. The theme for this year is “Why Wait, For They Are Ready” inspired by John 4:35. This year’s offering goal is $1.7 million. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vF-nzDGCN4Q … [Read more...]

DR teams responding with muscle, prayer

By Message Staff LAKE CHARLES - Paul Watts normally spends his Wednesdays preparing for midweek Bible study as pastor of First Baptist Church in Franklinton but on this particular day he was working alongside five members of his church cleaning out a home damaged by Harvey. The Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief team is gutting out a home that received 10 inches of water. As he surveys the house, Watts said he is thankful to be helping this homeowner get one step closer to  getting back inside the house. "Some people here have lost everything and we are trying to show them Christ's love," Watts said. "It's exciting to see God's people burdened for lost." The team arrived in Lake Charles Tuesday, Sept. 5, and plan to stay until Saturday, Sept. 9. Praying is an important aspect of any disaster relief response and this homeowner is no different said team member Ben Fussell. The homeowner expressed appreciation for our willingness to come help and pray with him. "When I opened my eyes after the prayer, I could tell in the homeowner's eyes that it was going to be okay," he said. "That's what we are ultimately here for - to share with them the hope found in Christ as His hands and feet." … [Read more...]