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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Broadmoor Baptist’s B-groups have transformed members into missionaries

By Karen Pearce, Regional Reporter SHREVEPORT – When Keith Payne left Broadmoor Baptist Church (BBC) to pastor his own congregation three-and-a-half years ago, he had a healthy model of church to follow. But when he returned last year to become BBC’s part-time missions pastor, something dramatic had shifted. In Pastor Chuck Pourciau’s words, they had become missionaries. “When I came back it was just exploding – I was blown away at everything they were doing,” Payne said.  “I just had no idea that there were so many places where we had missionaries and where we were getting involved. It had doubled, it seemed, since I had left three years before.” In fact, it had more than doubled. They went from having around 200 people participating in part-time mission trips, to well over 500 as well as multiple local and regional mission partnerships. What happened? B-groups happened “We used to call it Sunday school but realized that didn’t communicate to the modern mind what all it was – it communicated something that only happened on Sunday and something that’s school.” Pourciau said. “We finally just made up a word – B-groups. That’s the first letter of our churches name and what we’re saying is it helps you believe, … [Read more...]

Louisiana Baptist churches seeking to multiply through ReGroup

By Staff, Baptist Message LAFAYETTE – It’s time to ReGroup. That’s the goal of an upcoming conference for Louisiana Baptist churches wanting to multiply but unsure as to why the growth in their congregations is not happening. Scheduled for Aug. 15 at First Baptist Lafayette, ReGroup Conference will focus on four areas of the ReGroup Strategy – sharing the gospel, developing biblical community, helping believes mature spiritually and equipping believers to live missionally. “My goal for the ReGroup Conference is that participants would be challenged and inspired as leaders in the local church to go home understanding that we are called to make disciples,” said Sean Keith,  Sunday School and discipleship strategist for Louisiana Baptists. “The churches best strategy to make disciples is through small groups of people like a Sunday School class. We want to challenge every group to: share the gospel with the lost, develop true biblical community in the group, help members to grow spiritually and equip members to serve missionally.” Jeff Iorg, president of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, is the keynote speaker for the conference. The Matt Papa Band will lead music. The conference also will feature lunch and … [Read more...]

Linwood Baptist Church vandalized for fourth time

By Staff, Baptist Message SHREVEPORT – Linwood Baptist Church is searching for answers after a fourth incident of vandalism on its property in the past several years. The incident occurred sometime between late Aug. 3 and early Aug. 4 at Linwood Baptist Church. According to Pastor Ed Gonzalez, the person responsible drove through a chain held up by two steel beams on the church parking lot. The result was steel beams that are now leaning, with repair costs estimated to be at least $3,000. Gonzalez said signs are posted warning people not to back into the area that was damaged. Linwood Baptist Church has surveillance near the front of the property but does not have cameras in the back of the parking lot to possibly capture the person who committed the act of vandalism. Gonzalez said the church is unable to pay for repairs and is pleading for someone to come forward with information. Even with the setback, Gonzalez said the church is committed to serving its community. Linwood Baptist Church operates a food bank, clothes closet and area to wash clothes and take a shower to others from the community in need. For more information to help with repairing the damage or if anyone has information about the incident, … [Read more...]

Baptist Foundation trustees wade through busy agenda at meeting

By Jerry Love, LBF Communications ALEXANDRIA – Trustees for the Louisiana Baptist Foundation held their regular quarterly meeting July 28 at the Louisiana Baptist Building in Alexandria. During the morning Investment Committee meeting, the report on the assets under management showed a slight decrease of approximately 0.36 percent during the second quarter. Assets held by the LBF totaled $173,681,670.51 as of June 30, 2015, which is an increase of $4.37 million for the year to date. Jim Prince, chairman of the Investment Committee, presented the performance report for the portfolios managed by the Foundation. The returns for the major components of the LBF portfolio for Q2 of 2015 are as follows: Short Term Fund:  0.48 percent Annualized Yield; Fixed Income Fund:  0.40 percent Total Return and Equity Fund:  2.50 percent Total Return. The Group Investment Fund which is comprised of the segments above returned 1.29 percent year to date. Lee Morris and Susan Taylor from Graystone Consulting were present for the meeting.  Morris led a review of the individual managers, noting their performance with respect to the particular sector in which they invest. He stated no changes were recommended for the current group … [Read more...]

Gospel, politics addressed at ERLC event

By Tom Strode, Baptist Press NASHVILLE (BP) -- Political engagement by evangelical Christians calls for a witness shaped by the Gospel of Jesus, Southern Baptists were told at a conference Wednesday (Aug. 5) in Nashville.Speakers at "The Gospel and Politics" -- the second national conference sponsored by the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission -- sought to help the more than 630 registrants think about how to approach politics in a changing culture a year before the next presidential election. The conference came a day after interviews of two Republican presidential candidates -- Sen. Marco Rubio and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush -- by ERLC President Russell Moore at the Send North America Conference, an event sponsored also in Nashville by Southern Baptist missions entities. The Gospel calls for a different tone than has been demonstrated sometimes in the past by evangelicals, some speakers said. "I say this respectfully, the era of perceived, white, angry evangelicalism is officially over," said Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. Impacting culture now "requires a multi-ethnic, kingdom culture canopy that reconciles truth with love," he said during … [Read more...]

Cooperative Program 1.40 percent ahead of year-to-date budget projection

By Baptist Press NASHVILLE (BP) - Year-to-date contributions to Southern Baptist Convention national and international missions and ministries received by the SBC Executive Committee have exceeded $158 million, according to a news release from SBC Executive Committee President Frank S. Page. July's Cooperative Program allocation receipts for SBC work totaled $15,808,270.90, bringing the total to $158,859,518.38 received by the Executive Committee through 10 months of the fiscal year (October 1 through July 31). The year-to-date total for distribution through the SBC's Cooperative Program Allocation Budget is $2,192,851.71, or 1.40 percent, above the $156,666,666.67 year-to-date CP projection for support of Southern Baptist ministries globally and across North America. It is $4,945,028.86, or 3.21 percent, more than the $153,914,489.52 received through the first 10 months of 2014. Designated year-to-date giving of $185,610,814.48 is 0.62 percent, or $1,145,711.26, above the $184,465,103.22 received at this point last year. This total includes only those gifts received and distributed by the Executive Committee through close of business on July 31 and does not reflect designated gifts contributed directly to SBC … [Read more...]

Life on mission celebrated at Send Conference

By Joe Conway, North American Mission Board NASHVILLE (BP) - A sold-out crowd of more than 13,000 from all 50 states and four Canadian provinces flooded into Nashville's Bridgestone Arena to celebrate the call of Jesus and the response of life on mission at the 2015 Send North America Conference Monday. North American Mission Board President Kevin Ezell and International Mission Board President David Platt welcomed the assembly and challenged attendees to serve wherever God calls them. "This is where I want to call 13,000 plus people in this arena, from the beginning [of the conference], to put a blank check of our lives on the table for God -- no strings attached," Platt said. Ezell noted, "We need pastors, students, men and women to rise up. We want this to be more than a conference you attend, we want it to be a life-altering experience." The mission entity leaders were joined on the platform by Southern Baptist Convention president Ronnie Floyd, Tennessee Baptist Convention executive director Randy Davis and others who helped lead prayer. Opening session keynote speaker J.D. Greear told attendees they have a call to leverage their talents and lives for the Great Commission. "True growth … [Read more...]

Fight to defund Planned Parenthood ‘far from over’

By Tom Strode, Baptist Press WASHINGTON (BP) - The legislative effort to defund Planned Parenthood failed Aug. 3 in the U.S. Senate, but pro-life advocates said they will not give up. The Senate voted 53-46 to bring to the floor a bill to eliminate federal funds for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and its affiliates. While a majority of senators favored consideration of the proposal, the attempt to invoke cloture, as it is known, fell short of the 60 votes needed to begin debate on the legislation and establish a path to its passage. The failure to move the bill, S. 1881, to the floor came in spite of the release during the previous three weeks of videos revealing Planned Parenthood's trade in baby body parts. The four undercover videos show PPFA officials discussing the sale of organs from aborted children for research. A fifth video was released Tuesday (Aug. 4). Pro-life leaders expressed their dismay, as well as their devotion to continuing the defunding campaign. Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), said he is disappointed the Senate "did not show the moral leadership to stop funding this violence. Now Senators are on record as … [Read more...]

Pro-life Dems see path to defund Planned Parenthood

By David Roach, Baptist Press WASHINGTON (BP) - To win enough Democratic support to become law, proposals to defund Planned Parenthood must emphasize the transfer of funds to other women's health care providers rather than the mere removal of money from America's largest abortion provider, according to a pro-life group within the Democratic Party. Democrats for Life of America, a Washington-based group that works to elect pro-life Democrats to public office, also said a push to transfer Planned Parenthood's funding should follow a congressional investigation of the abortion giant and target Democratic House and Senate members in districts with few or no Planned Parenthood clinics. "Planned Parenthood is not the only game in town," said Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats for Life of America. "They're not the only providers of health care for women, especially for low-income women." Some 9,000 government-backed community health centers provide women's health services without performing abortions, "are more readily available" and "are not just focused in big cities" like the 700 U.S. Planned Parenthood clinics, she said. Some Democrats may vote to transfer Planned Parenthood's funding to community health … [Read more...]

Bombs at 2 New Mexico churches halt services

By Diana Chandler, Baptist Press LAS CRUCES, N.M. (BP) - Small bombs exploded within minutes of each other Aug. 2 at two Las Cruces, N.M., churches - including a Southern Baptist congregation - cancelling Sunday morning services and necessitating evacuations at other churches across the city. No one was hurt in the explosions that caused minimal damage at Calvary Baptist Church, 1800 S. Locust St., and Holy Cross Catholic Church, 1327 N. Miranda St., the Associated Press reported. No arrests had been made as of today, Aug. 3, but New Mexico state police described the bombs as improvised explosive devices, IEDs, designed to cause harm. About 50 worshippers had already gathered for the 8:30 a.m. traditional service at Calvary Baptist Church when the bomb exploded at 8:20 a.m. in a mailbox attached to the building, Scott Rodgers, pastor of core groups, told Baptist Press. Worshippers remained calm as police arrived and evacuated Calvary Baptist, ushering individuals to the church's south parking lot, Rodgers said. He preached the Sunday morning service in the parking lot, as youth arts pastor Gregg Higgins led music. But the 9:45 a.m. and 11 a.m. services were cancelled, as police blocked adjacent streets while … [Read more...]