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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Through song and service annual LABASYC tour will shine the light of Jesus

By Message Staff PINEVILLE – More than 80 high school students will mix music with evangelistic outreach during the Louisiana Baptist All State Youth Choir’s 7-day tour. During the next week the choir will make stops in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Memphis, Tenn., where the students will sing at concert venues and share Christ with others in detention facilities, addiction treatment centers and city parks. “It’s my pleasure to hang out with LBASYC,” said Herb Armentrout, youth music consultant who will direct the youth choir. “The purpose of this choir is to share the love of Christ with folks who do not know him. We’re going to be doing that all over Cincinnati and Memphis this next week. It’s going to be a great time.” In its 34th year, the LBASYC is made up of students who audition at the beginning of January and practice at various times leading up to the day they depart for tour. This year’s choir tour is June 9-16. Peter Howard, a member of First Baptist Church in New Orleans, is among those students who have participated multiple times. He and other members of the choir spent a few days this week at Louisiana College in Pineville preparing for the tour. “I am really excited to being going to Cincinnati to share … [Read more...]

Lottie Moon falls $11.3 million; Annie Armstrong down $13.1 million

By Will Hall, Message Editor NASHVILLE, Tenn. (LBM) —The Southern Baptist Conventions’ International Mission Board released final numbers, June 7, for its annual special collection, showing the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering has fallen short $12.8 million, or greater than 7.7 percent, compared to last year. Meanwhile, the SBC Executive Committee published data, June 2, indicating the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, which composes 49 percent of the budget for the North American Mission Board, is down $13.1 million, or more than 37 percent, year-to-date (only one month following Easter, and just four months before the end of the accounting year). For context about the two special offerings, year-to-date giving for all national causes through the Cooperative Program has been relatively stable, but down about $1.4 million, or off about 1 percent, compared to the same time frame last year. LOTTIE MOON The Christmas offering hit an all-time high of $165.8 million only a year ago, when Southern Baptists responded with generosity to IMB’s revelations about chronic overspending and the need for personnel reductions. IMB leaders had forecast an even larger offering for this year, announcing in November 2016 it had crafted … [Read more...]

Vacation Bible School

Southside Baptist Church, Shreveport: Galactic Starveyors Vacation Bible School, June 8-10. Thursday and Friday, 6-8:30 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. – to 2:30 p.m. Southside is located at 730 E. Flournoy Lucas Road, Shreveport. For more information, call 318.798.6200. Pastor: Buddy Hankins. … [Read more...]

Kelley credits Jesus for the transformation of Angola, prisoners

By Message Staff PINEVILLE – Any given life can be transformed through Jesus Christ, even a prisoner serving a life sentence for murder at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary President Chuck Kelley said Monday, June 5. “Never forget you can change your life,” Kelley told those attending the monthly First@First Business Leaders luncheon at First Baptist Church in Pineville. “You can be transformed. A stale marriage can come alive. Kids that are breaking your heart can be made different and new. Jesus Christ can make anybody new. “If you don’t believe me, you come with me to the cell blocks at Angola,” he continued. “And if you just walk around with me, you will pick out our students instantly because you will see something is different about these guys. They will stand out.” Since 1995, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary has held classes at Angola to train inmates who were incarcerated in what was once known as the bloodiest prison in the United States. Now, instead of committing crimes, thousands have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior and the prison has seen an 85 percent drop in violence. To date, 319 inmates have graduated from the seminary’s extension … [Read more...]

God’s provision never ceases to amaze Fairhaven’s Huffman

By Philip Timothy, Managing Editor COVINGTON – God never ceases to amaze. In the 17 years Johnny Huffman of Fairhaven Ministry has shipped cargo containers, the Almighty Father has guided and provided him with the means and finances to ship to numerous countries for numerous people in need. Huffman can now add Belarus to that growing list of countries. Opening doors that were once closed, God provided Huffman’s ministry with everything it needed to send a container stuffed with much needed supplies to Belarus. The estimated time of arrival for the container in Grodno is July 5. “We were thankful for the opportunity He gave us to ship there,” Huffman said. “Please pray that only He will be glorified as the supplies are distributed.” With the Belarusian container safely on its way, Huffman then turned his attention to preparing for the shipment of two more containers, both headed for Haiti, in mid-June. Each container is being loaded with 20,000 pounds of beans, 20,000 pounds of rice and 2,000 pounds of cooking oil as well as additional supplies. In the midst of preparations to get the containers loaded and shipped, and unbeknownst to Huffman, he discovered God also wanted him to prepare a special container … [Read more...]

CENLA Pregnancy Center finalizes location, announces search for director

ALEXANDRIA – The CENLA Pregnancy Center soon will have a permanent home. The official signing of the lease took place May 19 for spaces located at 1254 MacArthur Drive in Alexandria, next to the Louisiana Baptist Building. The 5,660-sq.-ft. center should open sometime in the fall, when spiritual ministry will begin as well as medical and educational services. “We are thrilled to finally have a location,” said Brian Gunter, pastor of First Baptist Church in Pollock. “God did more than we ever expected him to do when we first prayed about this idea. It’s been an amazing display of God’s people coming together.” Gunter said the organization has started a formal search process for a full-time executive director to oversee the day-to-day operations of the center. The center also will employ some part-time workers, and, three pro-life physicians have agreed to volunteer their time to work at the facility. Beginning May 26, the center will be open every Friday from noon to 1 p.m. to accept lightly-used items, with the exception of clothing, that pregnant women and their newborns may use. Donations of furniture also can be dropped off then. Please send financial gifts to 2201 Melrose St., Pineville, La., 71360. Résumés … [Read more...]

Two pro-life bills easily approved by Louisiana legislature, await governor’s signature

By Louisiana Right to Life communications BATON ROUGE - Two key pieces of pro-life legislation passed the Louisiana House of Representatives in the past two days and are headed to Gov.  John Bel Edwards for his signature. SB 128, authored by Sen. John Milkovich (D-Shreveport) and carried on the House floor by Rep. Kenny Cox (D-Natchitoches), adds an additional layer of protection to prevent the sale of the dismembered bodies of babies after abortion. The House passed the measure today by a 93-0 vote. The bill was also unanimously approved in the Senate on May 1. On Thursday, June 1, SB 111, authored by Sen. Beth Mizell (R-Franklinton) and carried on the House floor by Rep. Frank Hoffman (R-West Monroe), passed the House by a vote of 93-0.  It previously passed the Senate on May 17 by a vote of 29-6. SB 111, the Screening for Exploitation of Minors Before Abortion Act, enhances parental consent requirements before an abortion to prevent fraudulent identification of adults claiming to be the girl's parents and strengthens screening for coerced abortion, crimes against the child, or sex trafficking during judicial bypass proceedings. "The two main pieces of 2017 Louisiana pro-life legislation sailed through the … [Read more...]