By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer LAKE CHARLES, La. (LBM) – Soon after Trinity Baptist Church in Lake Charles set up a site for ministry to Hurricane Laura survivors Aug. 29, truck driver Len Miller arrived to deliver clean water tanks for Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers to use. Instead of returning home immediately to Wauchula, Florida, Miller felt compelled to remain at the church and assist with relief efforts for the next four weeks. Throughout the course of his time there, Miller developed a relationship with disaster relief volunteers and, having accepted Christ 10 years ago, he was finally convicted of his need to be obedient in publicly sharing his faith through believer’s baptism. On Sept. 25, Gibbie McMillan, Louisiana Baptist state disaster relief coordinator, baptized Miller in a cattle trough that relief volunteers used to wash equipment. After the baptism, Miller was presented with a Bible, signed by disaster relief volunteers, so he could grow deeper in his faith. “I was thankful Trinity Pastor Steve James gave me the authority to baptize Len, whom we struck up a great friendship with over time,” McMillan told the Baptist Message. “He accepted Christ years before but when he … [Read more...]
ECON 2021 slated for Summer Grove in Shreveport
By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer SHREVEPORT, La. (LBM) - Following a challenging year dominated by COVID-19, hurricanes and political turmoil, Louisiana Baptists will refocus their efforts to the goal of “winning another person for Christ” at the upcoming state Evangelism Conference, Jan. 25-26, at Summer Grove Baptist Church in Shreveport. “Pastors and laypeople are tired,” Keith Manuel, evangelism and church growth director for Louisiana Baptists, told the Baptist Message. “Decisions pastors make are scrutinized; and, decisions made by other church leaders don’t make some people happy. “People are dealing with disease, death and hopelessness,” he said. “And they need a place to find hope. Jesus is the only answer to find peace. When everything else is changing, Jesus doesn’t.” Manuel said organizers will ensure proper social distancing guidelines are followed. For those unable to attend, the conference sessions will be livestreamed on louisianabaptists.org. PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS The first session of ECON will begin at 6 p.m. and will feature messages by Richard Ross, professor of youth ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Richard Taylor, interim evangelism director and … [Read more...]
Pastor baptizes seven in Dry Creek
By Norm Miller, Baptist Message special assignments reporter DRY CREEK, La. (LBM) -- On the lawn of Cherry Grove Baptist Church in Dry Creek, Pastor Josh Eubanks stood in knee-deep water in a small, round, plastic stock tank, in which he baptized six people, that Sunday morning. “Never take for granted what’s about to happen because there are tens of thousands of churches across this country that may never get to experience what you guys are about to experience in a few moments,” Eubanks said prior to the baptisms. “We don’t decide when people are baptized, God does,” Eubanks noted. “We prayed specifically for God to save some people so we could baptize them. And today is the culmination of our prayers.” LOOKING BACK The church baptized seven new believers total in 2020. But Eubanks is excited about how the harvest of souls in 2020 has set up Cherry Grove for an even greater soul-winning experience in 2021. Already, the church has witnessed attendance grow in Sunday morning services, from 60 in early March to 100 in December. LOOKING AHEAD Josh Boswell, a 40-something husband, a father to five girls, and a former alcoholic who started drinking at age 16, is among those baptized by Cherry Grove in … [Read more...]
Temple Baptist helps relieve $3.2 million of medical debt
By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer RUSTON, La. (LBM) – Temple Baptist Church in Ruston helped to clear $3.2 million in medical bills for more than 1,400 residents in a five-parish region during 2020. The church worked with RIP Medical Debt, a nonprofit organization that works with debt collectors to resolve medical debt that sits in collections, for people in Bienville, Claiborne, Jackson, Lincoln and Union parishes. Members gave $40,000 and RIP Medical Debt used the collected money to work with creditors to resolve the outstanding amounts. Founded in 2014 by two former debt collection executives, RIP Medical Debt began as a response to the overwhelming impact of debt on the lives of poor Americans. According to ripmedicaldebt.org, since 2014, the group has helped more than 1.8 million individuals and families eradicate more than $2.7 billion in medical liabilities. The company contends that for every $1 raised, it can abolish $100 in medical debt, on average. Minister of Education and Administration Jason Walsworth said this was an opportunity for Temple Baptist to bless others who otherwise might struggle to pay these obligations. “We believe we have been blessed, even during these challenging times, … [Read more...]
Louisiana Notables
EDITOR’S NOTE: Do you have a Revival, Homecoming, a new pastor, a community outreach or a concert? The Baptist Message would love to share your church news with the rest of the state. It is very easy to do, just send in your information (who, what, where and when) to philip@baptistmessage.com or call 318.449.4345. To get your event in the paper, please submit your information three weeks prior to the event. ON THE MOVE Chad (wife Cole) Gilbert is the new pastor at First Baptist Church, New Orleans. Greg Oden is the new worship leader at New Chapel Hill, West Monroe. Jay George is the new associate pastor at First Baptist Church, Swartz. Bodie Spicer has resigned as pastor of Clark Springs Baptist Church, Eros. Cody (wife Francie) Tabor is the new family pastor at First Baptist Church, Blanchard. Eric Zimmer is the interim pastor at Ida Baptist Church, Ida. Lance Rolland resigns as pastor of Westwood Baptist Church, Keithville and David Venable is the interim pastor. REVIVAL Temple Baptist Church, DeQuincy: Harvest Day, January 10. Evangelist: Sam Moore. Pastor: Bruce Austin. Koran Baptist Church, Haughton: Revival, January 10-13. Evangelist: Bill Britt. Pastor Mike Reichard First Baptist … [Read more...]
Airplane makes emergency landing at AEX due to bomb scare
In Louisiana, combined losses from Laura, Delta top $5 billion
LBC church planting moves ahead despite pandemic
By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer ALEXANDRIA (LBM) – The novel coronavirus outbreak may have disrupted plans to plant 30 churches in the state this year, but in the midst of challenging circumstances Louisiana Baptists still managed to start 15 new congregations. Next year, the Louisiana Baptist missions and ministry team has a goal to plant 29 churches, which would bring the total of new congregations started since 2010 to 300. “I am glad that we serve an unusual God in these unusual times,” James Jenkins, director of church planting for Louisiana Baptists, told the Baptist Message. “Pandemic or no pandemic, people need the Gospel. Planting 29 churches in the coming year is a God-sized goal that can be accomplished by God’s people working cooperatively to plant churches in every town, every city, every parish, to the very borders of Louisiana.” Planting 300 churches by 2020 is one of 10 action steps identified in the President’s 2020 Commission Final Report, which was affirmed by messengers during the 2013 LBC Annual Meeting. The strategy for church planting has been to target the regions of the state where most Louisianans live, with an emphasis on cities and communities along the I-10 corridor and … [Read more...]
Music minister Ken Fryer passes away at 56
By Baptist Message staff BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – Ken Fryer, minister of music at Riverside Baptist Church, Watson, died Saturday, Dec. 12. He was 56. A native of Delhi, Fryer served at several Louisiana Baptist churches, including as pastor of First Baptist Church, Greenwood, and College Place Baptist Church, Monroe. He also served as an associate pastor at Heritage Baptist Church, Shreveport; Milldale Baptist Church, Zachary; Willow Point Baptist Church, Shreveport; and Broussard Grove Baptist Church, Prairieville. In addition to being on the staff of six churches, Fryer served Louisiana Baptists as a LBC Executive Board member (2007-2011), moral and social concerns committee member (2012-2014), and President’s 2020 Commission member (2012-present), according to the Annual Church Profile. According to his obituary, Fryer taught at Sequitur Classical Academy, University View Academy and Christ Presbyterian Church, as well as teaching voice to numerous private students. He co-authored the book “Virtues of the Great Composers for Children,” and was a contributor to the book “Covenant Theology: A Baptist Distinctive” by Earl Blackburn. He was a graduate of Ouachita Parish High School, Monroe; East Texas Baptist … [Read more...]
2020 time of triumph during much tragedy
BENTON, La. (LBM) – When Pastor John Fream made a 2020 dare to members of the Cypress Baptist Church in Benton in January, urging them to embrace the “Who’s Your One” evangelistic challenge to share the Gospel with someone close to them, little did he know that two months later a pandemic would test the church’s commitment to the task. But instead of backing down, members embraced the circumstances as an open door to present the Gospel to their neighbors, he said. In the ensuing months, the congregation shared the Good News that can sustain during the uncertainty of a COVID-19 health emergency; and, by the end of November, 238 new converts had been baptized, up from 214 baptisms in 2019. “Our folks have been intentional to reach people and offer the hope in Christ,” Fream said. “We’ve been very aggressive about challenging them to do it. People need hope and we want to give them the Hope.” Even when the church was unable to meet, baptisms continued. Fream said during a six-week period, when the congregation was unable to meet in their facilities because of COVID-19 attendance restrictions, 20 people were baptized in pre-recorded videos that were broadcast during the livestream of services on Facebook Live, YouTube … [Read more...]
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