By Message Staff MONROE – The Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home will hold a series of informational meetings for families considering adoption and foster care. Beginning July 25 at Alpine First Baptist Church in Pineville and ending July 28 at the East Baton Rouge Public Library, Greenwell Springs Road Regional Branch in Baton Rouge, the series of meetings will allow those interested to learn more about how they can become part of a growing ministry in the state. Since becoming involved in this aspect of ministry in 2011, the Children’s Home has served hundreds of children and families through its foster care and adoption ministry. But despite the success they have achieved in this area, it pales in comparison to then more than 4,700 children in need of a foster home in the state. Through its Connect 1:27 Network, the Children’s Home recruits Christian foster and adoptive families and assists churches in developing foster care, adoption and orphan care support ministries. The network is based upon God’s command in James 1:27, Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. Beth Green, director of the … [Read more...]

By Message Staff In preparation for a 2017 crusade featuring evangelist Bill Britt, the North Central Baptist Association of churches are holding series of prayer gatherings. Already, six churches have hosted the concerts of prayer this year. More are scheduled through early 2017. Churches hosting prayer gatherings next month include Weston Baptist Church in Jonesboro, on July 17, and Sweetwater Baptist Church in Quitman, on July 31. And on Oct. 16, Ebenezer Baptist Church in Jonesboro will hold a concert of prayer. The three prayer gatherings will take place at 6 pm. Marty Black, director of missions for the association, expects more concerts of prayer to take place in the future. While each of the prayer gatherings this year have featured three to four churches coming together at a single location, two larger ones involving as many of the 54 churches as possible in the association are planned for 2017. Jonesboro-Hodge High School will host a prayer gathering on Feb. 26 and Winnfield High School will be the site of another on March 26. Black said the two locations were chosen because they will each host two nights of the association-wide crusade. Jonesboro-Hodge High School is the site for the first two nights of the … [Read more...]

By David E. Hankins, Executive Director of the Louisiana Baptist Convention ALEXANDRIA – I hope this summer season allows you an opportunity to relax, vacation with your family, and otherwise enjoy some time off. But don’t forget the amazing ministries that are taking place this summer. I have been hearing reports of outstanding participation in VBS from churches all over our state with scores and scores of children giving their lives to Christ. Our GOLA VBS teams, sponsored by the Baptist Collegiate Ministry, are working throughout Louisiana and all the way to Canada. Additional summer missionaries from Louisiana are fanned out all over the globe. Numerous other Louisiana Baptists, including LBC strategists, are involved in mission trips this summer from Brazil to Belarus to Indonesia. Another summer outreach staple is our camping ministries. Tall Timbers, our LBC state camp, is experiencing another record year in children and youth attendance with most weeks full to overflowing. We are so thankful for the new Georgia Barnette Missions Conference Center which is nearing completion and which will provide needed room to grow. Even the summer session of the Louisiana legislature afforded opportunities for LBC … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer BALL – The baptistery at Tioga First Baptist Church was a little crowded in late June but Pastor Tim Hisaw did not mind. Four children who accepted Christ during the church’s Vacation Bible School walked into the water and, as Hisaw baptized each child, thunderous applause broke out from those packed in the pews inside the worship center. “It’s nice to have a full baptistery isn’t it, bud?” Hisaw told one of the children nearby. “If we get too many it will overflow and flood. It’s a good thing the choir’s not up here or they’d get wet.” Before VBS, Hisaw prayed that four families would join Tioga First Baptist by the time it was over. But God answered his prayers by drawing these four children, instead – confirmation God was at work during VBS, which averaged 85 in attendance each day. Though the children took part in recreation and refreshments, Hisaw said the end goal was sharing the Gospel. “That’s why we do Vacation Bible School,” Hisaw said. “We do this to make an eternal impact on them by introducing them to Jesus.” Church member Misty Stewart said the excitement of accepting Christ during VBS has not waned for her son, Matthew, who was baptized with the three others. Now, … [Read more...]

By Will Hall, Message Editor BATON ROUGE – While Louisiana’s budget debate dominated headlines across the state during the three legislative sessions in 2016, Louisiana Baptists in the House and Senate gave critical leadership in passing a number of important measures, especially those with a pro-life emphasis. -- Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Dist. 8), a member of FBC Bossier City, authored HB 1081 (Act 264), the Louisiana Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Act which ends the brutal practice by  abortionists of tearing body parts from a live, unborn child typically as part of late-term procedures. -- Rep. Rick Edmonds (R-Dist. 66), retired pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Shreveport and former vice president of Louisiana Family Forum, advanced “Jacob’s Law,” or HB 1019 (Act 563), which protects unborn children from being singled out for abortion simply for being diagnosed with a disability such as Down syndrome. -- Sen. Ryan Gatti (R-Dist. 36), also a member of FBC Bossier City, was the originator of SB 33 (Act 196). This measure prohibits the sale or donation of human limbs and organs harvested as a result of an elective abortion, thus banning groups like Planned Parenthood from profiting from baby body parts. -- … [Read more...]