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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

IMB forum spotlights a unique opportunity for African Americans Baptists

By Marilyn Stewart, Regional Reporter NEW ORLEANS – When it comes to international missions, the African American community may be “a sleeping giant,” said Keith Jefferson, IMB African American missional church strategist, at a recent IMB Forum at Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, New Orleans. The event highlighted that the time is now and the opportunity great for African American churches to invest in international missions. While a lack of missions education and exposure has been a damper to African American participation in the past, the tide is changing. “[Awareness] is beginning to grow,” Jefferson said. Fred Luter, Jr., host pastor, told the group of mostly African American lay persons and pastors that he participated in his first international mission trip – to Africa –  while president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Luter served as president from 2012-14. Stories from IMB leaders of Africans that asked, “Where are the people who look like us?” convicted him, Luter said. “I was bitten by the bug of foreign missions,” Luter said. He added later, “Once you go, you always want to go back.” Featured speakers included Tony Mathews, senior pastor of North Garland Baptist Fellowship, Garland, Texas and … [Read more...]

Retiring Carson will be honored at a reception Sept. 27

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer WINNSBORO – In his 50 years of ministry, James Carson has pastored Baptist churches in Texas and Louisiana for 37 years. But it’s the last 13 years as director of missions for the Tri-Association that have given Carson one of the greatest joys and fulfillments of his ministerial career. “What a privilege and blessing it has been to meet so many wonderful people and to work with some of the finest pastors of our churches,” Carson said. “I still believe these three associations are the finest in the Louisiana Baptist Convention.” After serving the churches in Caldwell, Deer Creek and Richland Baptist Associations since Feb. 1, 2002, Carson has felt led to retire from his position on Sept. 30. The reason, Carson said, is because after much prayer and thought he felt led by the Lord that now is the right time. “I have been blessed beyond measure to have made lifelong relationships with so many people through these last 50 years of ministry,” he said. To honor his time of service as director of missions, a reception is scheduled for Sept. 27 from 2 to 4 pm at the Temple Baptist Church Family Life Center in Winnsboro. Keith Dowden, pastor of South Central Baptist Church in … [Read more...]

Celebrating 20-year partnership, NOBTS dedicates new facility at Angola

By Marilyn Stewart, Regional Reporter ANGOLA – Celebrating a 20-year partnership that has changed lives and deployed “missionaries,” New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary/Leavell College recently dedicated a new facility with expanded classroom and library space at Louisiana State Penitentiary, Angola. The Aug. 27 dedication followed a graduation ceremony marking the program’s 278th graduate. “This has been the most spectacular day we could ever have,” said Warden Burl Cain. “We have a new seminary building; we doubled our capacity; and, it means less victims of violent crime.” The Joan Horner Center, an 11,000 square foot building with a computer lab, two classrooms, an auditorium and library, was named in memory of benefactor Joan Horner, founder of Premier Designs of Dallas, who with husband Andy Horner were long-time supporters of the Angola ministry. An anonymous donor provided funds for the structure. James LeBlanc, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Corrections, echoed Cain’s correlation between the program’s success and a state-wide drop in repeat offenders, crediting as a factor the work of 35 NOBTS “missionaries,” graduates who asked to transfer to other Louisiana prisons in order to plant new … [Read more...]

LC Fall Revival calls for students to ‘Focus on Jesus’

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE – Curtis Zackery’s message on how to change one’s community, campus and world was simple yet urgent for the youth, college students and others attending the recent revival at Louisiana College. Focus on Jesus. Every single person, every single day needs to be reminded of the cross of Christ,” Zackery said. “Because it either tells us the story of what we can be rescued from or it tells us the story of what we have been rescued from. And when both of us realize what we’ve been rescued from, the one who is the rescuer becomes our focus. And when He becomes our focus, He begins to change things.” Zackery was one of three guest speakers for the three-day annual revival inside LC’s Guinn Auditorium. Sammy Tippit, a global evangelist with Sammy Tippit Ministries, preached the first day’s message and Lee Howell, founder of Awaken Men Ministries and director of St. George Island Christian Retreat Center, preached on the second day of the revival. Zion Hill Church, the Louisiana College Chapel band and Philadelphia Baptist Church provided music and worship for each of the sessions. Students gathered at the altar throughout the revival, coming forward to pray for a variety … [Read more...]

Fire can’t break spirit of Turkey Creek Baptist, congregation rebuilds

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer GILBERT – A fire in late 2013 may have destroyed the sanctuary of Turkey Creek Baptist Church but could not break apart the spirit of the congregation in the midst of rebuilding the structure 19 months later. The fire happened in the early morning hours of Dec. 4, 2013. Though no one was injured, the incident left the congregation without a place to worship. Kyle Spinks, who became pastor of the congregation in July 2013, said that’s when his congregation began to rise to the occasion. “Just about every help you could think of, from prayers and phone calls to monetary donations, we received,” Spinks said. “We are thankful for the prayers and support. During all this process our prayer has been God would shine through us and our adversity. And we did that the best we can. “I told our congregation that when my family and I moved out here, we prayed for the fires of revival,” he continued. “They just came in a different way.” With the absence of a sanctuary the congregation had known as home for more than 90 years brought a few blessings. While they were without a sanctuary, the congregation met in a church member’s home. Attendance fluctuated between 30 and 60 people … [Read more...]

LC honoring distinguished alums Hill, Brown, Hanson at homecoming

By Kathy Hegwood Overturf, Louisiana College Alumni Director PINEVILLE – Louisiana College’s 2015 Homecoming Celebration kicks off Oct. 1 at a chapel service in Guinn Auditorium honoring this year’s class of distinguished alumni, which is a diverse group of individuals from the fields of business, education and full-time ministry. Don Hill (64), a former student body president; Becky Brown (76), a member of the first women’s basketball team, the Wildcat mascot and the 1976 homecoming queen, and Dr. Gretchen Lower Hanson (81) are the three alumni who will be honored. After graduating from LC, Hill, a businessman from Dallas, Texas, received  a Masters in Statistics from Florida State University. He went on to have a successful career in the financial industry. He was instrumental in creating the first Credit Reporting Resources Guide. He is also one of ten people who established Salt Grass Steakhouse and later Lupe’s Tortilla, two very successful restaurant chains. He and his wife Terry have been married since 1967 and they have one daughter. Upon graduation, Brown, who is from Richland, Miss., received graduate degrees from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, … [Read more...]

Louisiana College, Louisiana Tech enter into 3+2 degree program partnership

By Staff, Baptist Message PINEVILLE – Louisiana College students soon will have the opportunity to earn not one but two degrees. LC President Rick Brewer and Louisiana Tech President Leslie Guice on Sept. 15 signed a memorandum of understanding that allows for a 3+2 degree program partnership. Students at LC will earn a bachelor’s degree in pre-engineering in three years and then go to Louisiana Tech to earn an engineering degree in two more years. This new program allows for graduates to be more marketable in a changing world, contends Brewer. “I firmly believe that in the 21st century, success in the community will come through efforts of collaboration,” Brewer said in the press conference. “Programs like this 3+2 model will make graduates from LC and Louisiana Tech more marketable, and probably give them a good shot at grad school.” Guice called the partnership a great match, nothing that the agreement between the two institutions is both unique and historical. “The family spirit is very important on our campus,” he said. “We have a very positive culture on our campus that I think supports student learning.” “We are larger but it will be a nice transition opportunity for students that want to get some part … [Read more...]

GUEST EDITORIAL: Do as I do – The big issue for our Baptist family

By Randy Adams, Executive Director of Northwest Baptist Association An old saying goes like this: “Do as I say, not as I do.” Though many of us have said something like this to our children, we knew our parenting was weak when our lives betrayed our words of instruction. As I see it, the big issue in Baptist life today is that for too long, key leaders, and leaders at all levels, have been unable to say, “Do as I do,” or “Do as I did.” We are now seeing the fruit of this in the staff reduction at the International Mission Board (IMB). We are grieving the IMB announcement that our missionary force will be reduced by as many as 800. We are already down more than 800 field missionaries from our peak of over 5,600 in 2009. Still, with less than 4,800 field personnel, we have been unable to fund even these reduced numbers. An attempt to keep missionaries on the field led to huge deficit spending by the IMB, $210 million above income over the past six years. Obviously, this cannot continue, thus the staff reduction. Others will write and speak about how the financial crisis was and is being handled. My interest here is to address what I believe got us to where we are. As I see it, the trouble began over 30 years ago when … [Read more...]

Pope’s abortion absolution ‘disconnected’ from Gospel

By Erin Roach, Baptist Press NASHVILLE (BP) - Pope Francis has extended to priests worldwide the authority to offer absolution for the sin of abortion during the Catholic Church's "Holy Year of Mercy," which begins Dec. 8 and runs through Nov. 20 of next year. Most priests in the United States already have such authority, but in other nations they must seek permission from bishops, a formal process that has led to frustration among those seeking absolution. Under Roman Catholic canon law, abortion brings automatic excommunication unless the person who has had an abortion or performed an abortion confesses and receives absolution. Southern Baptist women's ministry leaders Kathy Ferguson Litton, Dorothy Patterson and Rhonda Kelley, in comments to Baptist Press, however, lamented the misguided nature of the pope's decree that forgiveness must be sought from anyone but Christ. The New York Times noted that Pope John Paul II enabled priests to offer the same absolution during the last Holy Year, in 2000. "Yet it shows [Pope Francis'] broader push to make Catholicism more merciful and welcoming," The Times noted. Vatican officials said it's possible the pope will allow the abortion absolution practice to … [Read more...]

Abedini prayer vigils set globally September 26

By Diana Chandler, Baptist Press NASHVILLE (BP) - The wife of imprisoned American pastor Saeed Abedini is on a 21-day "Daniel" fast and is organizing prayer vigils internationally Sept. 26, the third anniversary of her husband's imprisonment in Iran for his Christian faith. Naghmeh Abedini, in asking Christians to pray for her husband and the persecuted church, also is promoting a letter-writing campaign to ask United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to advocate for Abedini's release when Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks Sept. 28 at the U.N. General Assembly in New York. Naghmeh Abedini will attend a prayer rally for her husband and other persecuted Christians at 7 p.m. Sept. 28 at Calvary Chapel in Old Bridge, N.J. In advance of the U.N. sessions that began Sept. 15, she addressed over 100 members of parliaments from 50 nations who held a meeting on international religious freedom in New York, urging the lawmakers to take action in their home countries to encourage her husband's release. Imprisonment is taking its toll on 35-year-old pastor, his wife said on Facebook today (Sept. 16), but he was encouraged to learn of the prayer vigils today from a family member, the first visitor Iran has allowed him in … [Read more...]