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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

M-JAM to youth: Have Christ-filled joy

By Baptist Message staff WOODWORTH, La. (LBM) – Nearly 400 students, first-sixth grades, will learn how to have joy in Christ during the upcoming Louisiana Baptist Missions Jamboree. Known as M-JAM, the event will take place May 6 at Tall Timbers Baptist Conference Center in Woodworth. The “joyful in hope” theme for M-JAM is based on Romans 12:12. “M-JAM will be a fun, high energy day filled with mission education opportunities that your church will not want to miss,” Louisiana Baptist Children and Youth Mission Education Strategist Erin Jones told the Baptist Message. “We will learn how to be joyful in hope as we learn to live on mission for God. Don’t wait to register. We can’t wait to see you there.” Illusionist David Laflin will be the main speaker. According to his website, davidandteesha.com, Laflin and his wife, Teesha, have been featured at the NCAA Final Four, Fortune 500 company events and conferences and conventions all over the world. Check-in will take place from 9:00-9:45 a.m., and the conference will run from 10 a.m.—2:30 p.m., including breakout sessions. The cost to attend M- JAM is $40, which includes a snack and lunch. T-shirts are $15. Register via louisianabaptists.org/event/2023-m-jam/; or call … [Read more...]

NOBTS Serve Day yields salvations, touches lives

By Marilyn Stewart, NOBTS Communications NEW ORLEANS (NOBTS Communications) -- Wearing jeans and a tee-shirt reading “From the Parishes to All People,” Jamie Dew, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary president, welcomed SBC president Bart Barber as speaker in chapel for the NOBTS Serve Day, April 13, when students go out to serve and minister around the city. At least three professions of faith resulted as 185 students, staff, faculty members and trustees—joined by Barber, his wife and daughter—shared the gospel and served in the community. The group represented the largest number of participants to date for the once-a-semester event. Dew’s tee-shirt with the NOBTS Global Mission Center tagline reminded listeners that believers are called to take the gospel out from Louisiana’s parishes (counties) to all nations. “There’s nothing out there [in the world] that will ever give us hope. There’s only brokenness and there’s only sorrow and there’s only destruction,” Dew said. “[But], Jesus is sweet  …  As people who have tasted that redemption and have a burden for the brokenness out there, we go out into that.” Evangelism teams shared the gospel on the streets and door-to-door. Others prayer walked, ministered to the … [Read more...]

Don Wilton, Louisiana pastor join NOBTS faculty

By Marilyn Stewart, NOBTS Communications NEW ORLEANS (NOBTS Communications) - Two faculty additions by presidential appointment were announced at the April 11-12 trustee meeting of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, along with reports of God at work. Appointed were Don Wilton, recently retired senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Spartanburg, South Carolina, and W. Andrew “Ted” Williams, coming from his position as pastor of Galilee Baptist Church, Zachary. Jamie Dew, NOBTS president, welcomed trustees by reporting excitement on campus due to spiritual formation taking place. “This is a very vibrant season of life right now,” Dew said. Dew pointed to the more than 6500 gospel conversations held by students this academic year that yielded more than 800 decisions, a student-led prayer walk in the community, and student participation in Serve Day where students and faculty participate in door-to-door evangelism and in various service projects in the community. The spring semester Serve Day came the day following the spring meeting. Trustees whose schedule permitted them to stay participated. Returning to the NOBTS faculty, Don Wilton was appointed ministry-based professor of preaching and pastoral … [Read more...]

God is moving in our midst

It’s no secret that we live in a very dark and confused world. The Left is pushing their genderless agenda down the throats of schoolchildren across America. … [Read more...]

Auntie Anne’s Pretzels founder shares twisted journey at Maggie Martin Marketplace Leadership Summit

By Lexi Rachal, Wildcats Media PINEVILLE, La. (Wildcats Media) – God can use ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things, Auntie Anne’s Pretzels founder Anne Beiler said during the inaugural Maggie Martin Marketplace Leadership Summit April 13 at Louisiana Christian University. “According to the standards of this world, I was not qualified to be Auntie Anne,” said Beiler, who did not have a formal education when she started the company. “There wasn’t a headhunter in the world who would’ve come looking for me, Anne Beiler, to be the CEO of an international franchise organization…I was not qualified. I love God though. I made a pretzel, and the rest is history.” Beiler shared that through her journey of creating Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, her business lacked a leader with formal education, capital and a business plan. However, Beiler surrounded herself with those loyal to her purpose – to be profitable, to give and be light in the world of business. Throughout her presentation inside Guinn Auditorium, Beiler emphasized the importance of finding purpose through the presence of God. “We are created to house the presence of God in our bodies and to walk and to talk with Him every single day,” Beiler said. “That’s our … [Read more...]

Apologist explains evil’s existence at LCU’s C3 event

By LCU News PINEVILLE, La. (LCU News) – Christian apologist Frank Turek said evil actually is evidence of God during Louisiana Christian University’s final Christ-Church-Culture event of the spring semester, April 10. “Why does He allow those who love Him to suffer?” Turek asked the students and guests gathered inside Guinn Auditorium. “Why believe in this being?” While going through tragedy, Turek said nothing makes sense or will make the pain go away. But, he added, evil that proves there is good. “God is the standard of good that proves evil does exist,” he said. “There’s got to be an external standard for us to see that something doesn’t measure up.” The reason God allows evil is because He created humans with free will. “He gave us free will so we can do good, but because of that we can also do evil,” Turek said. When humans are doing well and prospering, they often forget about God, but suffering develops character, he said. If humans got everything they wanted, they would be ruined and spoiled. “We need difficulty in our lives,” Turek said. “With it we become more like Jesus.” He said difficulties can make us better, or they can make us bitter. Humans don’t have the perspective to understand … [Read more...]