By Staff, Baptist Message BATON ROUGE (LBM) — Despite the heavy presence of paid lobbyists for the gambling industry, Louisiana Baptists secured a key victory against the casino interests of the state, helping to defeat Senate Bill 417 and its companion House Bill 438 and keeping a riverboat casino from moving to Tangipahoa Parish. The Senate defeated S.B. 417 by a vote of 15-18, needing 20 votes to pass, whereas H.B. 438 did not make it out of the House Administration of Criminal Justice Committee. Both proposed allowing an existing riverboat casino to relocate from Bossier City to the Tangipahoa River along I-12. However, a coalition of pastors, led by David Cranford, First Baptist Church in Ponchatoula, and Louis Husser, Crossgate Church in Robert, mobilized the community and testified in both chambers of the legislature to help sink both bills. Likewise, Sherman Mack, chairman of the ACJ Committee, and a member of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Albany, gave leadership to defeat H.B. 438 and to keep it from coming back up during the regular legislative session. Cranford told the Baptist Message “the Lord blessed and we are grateful” with Husser adding “it was a ‘David and Goliath’ scenario.” “We stood firm as … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer HAUGHTON – Pastor Gevan Spinney will soon take the Gospel from inside the worship center of First Baptist Church in Haughton to viewers of a national hunting TV show. “The Way It Was” will debut June 29 on the Pursuit Channel, and Spinney and others hope they can offer more than just picturesque outdoor scenery and the best tips on how to snag the biggest elk, turkey or deer. Ultimately, they pray the show will introduce viewers to the message of Christ over the course of the 13-episode season. “This is my wheelhouse,” Spinney said. “I’m a simple redneck guy who loves Jesus and the outdoors. Putting the both of them together will give us an opportunity to reach people who don’t normally go to church. “When you’re outside it’s that time to get your mind and life in neutral,” he continued. “It’s the creation connecting with the creator. The busyness of our lives keeps us from being still. But being in a tree there is a lot of stillness. It’s where you see the awe of God, feel His presence and see how big He is.” The show will feature Spinney and fellow hunters Lynn Beaty, a member of First Baptist Haughton, and Sid McCullin, a member of Cypress Baptist Church in Benton. The … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer RHINEHART – A group of Kingdom Builders kicked off their summer by helping members of Oak Grove Baptist Church in Rhinehart complete their family life center. A team of 55 people from 26 Louisiana Baptist churches in early June installed framing, sheetrock, wiring and plumbing inside the 4,800-square-foot facility. Kingdom Builders President Randy Ray said his organization saved Oak Grove Baptist around $50,000 in labor costs. “Our heart and our focus is working with mission churches and smaller churches that can’t typically afford to have a building built,” said Ray, pastor of St. Rest Baptist Church in Dubach. “The greatest joy of Kingdom Builders first of all is great because we get to work with these guys and gals. We have formed a bond and are a picture of the real church – a community of believers coming together to help out fellow Christians with a need.” This is the second project Kingdom Builders has completed this year. In February, volunteers helped finish the Breadcrumb Benevolence Ministry building in Jonesville. Their final undertaking for 2018 is to help finish a worship center for the Church Street of God in Oak Grove this September, pending final approval … [Read more...]

By Fred Luter, Pastor Franklin Avenue Baptist Church NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- I am the middle of five kids. My mom and dad were divorced when I was 6 years old. As a single mother of five kids, my mom had a lot of rules; however, the one that was non-negotiable was that everyone in our house had to attend church on Sunday mornings. My mom would often say that everyone who sleeps in her bed, eats her food and drinks her water had to go to church on Sunday mornings. I have told people through the years that my mom gave me my first "drug" problem -- she drug me to church, she drug me to Sunday School and she drug me to Vacation Bible School! However, the fact of the matter is, I was just going to church but not living for God after the benediction. Because my mom had to work two to three jobs, I literally lived the life of a street kid, getting involved in things and living a lifestyle that I knew was not pleasing to God. However, it was a lifestyle that all of my so-called friends were living and I wanted to be just like them. I shudder to think where I would be today if I had gotten caught doing the wrong things simply because I was hanging around the wrong crowd. Several of the guys I used to run the streets with are either … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer NEW ORLEANS – Atheist Dezmond Boudreaux made it clear to Refuge Church Pastor Justin Haynes he wanted nothing to do with Christianity when the two met in January. Bitter from past church experiences as a child, Boudreaux eventually became an atheist as a young adult and helped start a Marxist group in New Orleans he hoped would help silence Christianity. However, Christian love displayed by Haynes and other members of the church caused a change of heart in Boudreaux, who on April 1 became the first new convert of Refuge Church. Surrounded by Haynes and about 15 others inside the New Orleans Healing Center auditorium April 8, Boudreaux plunged beneath the baptistery waters to publicly display his newfound faith. “The group I was with hated churches and Christianity,” Boudreaux said. “Once I got into it, I realized there was no peace in what I was pursuing. That’s when I met Justin and found Christ. “The whole time I was searching for peace and truth, but could never find it,” he said. “Whenever I found Christ, that’s when I truly found what I was looking for.” The baptism was affirmation for Haynes that his congregation’s labor was not in vain. “It was awesome because … [Read more...]