Submitted by philip on Wed, 04/10/2013 - 09:11 By Brian Blackwell, Marketing Director STATEWIDE – When he first began using Facebook, David Harrell admits he was reluctant to use this medium of social media for ministry. But after encouragement from a fellow minister and seeing more participation by his members and growing attendance by young adults at his church, David Harrell was convinced that social media was a way to spread the Gospel and reach a lost world. “The number of our people who are using Facebook is growing which means its value as a ministry tool is growing,” said Harrell, pastor of First Baptist Choudrant. “It’s a great way to get our announcements and events before the public. Now that we’re using it, I can’t imagine not using it or something like it.” Since launching Facebook in late 2010, First Choudrant has used Facebook to post upcoming event reminders, sermon series and needs in the community. Harrell said that even those who do not attend First Choudrant have attended one of their outreach events as a result of noticing a post on the church Facebook page. “It’s a great encouragement for us to read someone’s post about looking forward to church ‘next Sunday’ or how they sensed God’s … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Wed, 04/10/2013 - 09:13 NEW ORLEANS – Senior Fest, a one-day event for senior adults at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary April 12, is to feature Fred Luter, president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, as the main speaker. “Fred Luter will bless all who attend,” said NOBTS President Chuck Kelley. “You cannot afford to let your senior adults miss this opportunity.” In addition to chapel with Luter, Senior Fest will feature three breakout sessions on topics selected and presented by NOBTS faculty. Attendees of the event can expect insightful Bible teaching, applicable season-of-life seminars and the opportunity to meet new friends from across the region. NOBTS professors will speak from their areas of expertise and passions, ranging from archeological excavations in Israel to safe internet practices. NOBTS Provost Steve Lemke will present an overview of the current Southern Baptist Convention’s discussions about Calvinism. Bob Welch, chairman of the Christian Education Division, and Archie England, professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, will focus on the value of continued formal study for senior adults. This event is to take place from 8 … [Read more...]

By Karen L. Willoughby, Managing EditorALEXANDRIA – With little fanfare, the BEL Credit Union has opened its membership doors to any member of a church that is a cooperative partner with the Louisiana Baptist Convention.   That’s good news for Louisiana Baptists, says Paul Allbritton, manager of the credit union. “We consider BEL Credit Union to be a ministry,” Allbritton said, speaking for himself and BEL’s board of directors. “We feel like the credit union can improve peoples’ personal financial situation and we promote biblical principles while doing that.” He referred to Proverbs 21:5 as one of his favorite scriptures related to money: The plans of the diligent certainly lead to profit. BEL – Baptist Employees of Louisiana – Credit Union was chartered in 1975 as a credit union for employees of churches, associations and the state convention. It offers savings, individual retirement, checking, and Christmas Club accounts. It also offers new and used vehicle loans, as well as signature and savings-secured loans. In addition, it provides financing for church vans and buses, Visa check cards and online access to accounts. For those who have existing loans elsewhere, BEL CU could help save money by refinancing those … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Wed, 04/10/2013 - 09:17 Jeremy Starnes, assistant director of the Gonzales Seafarer’s Center, visits with crewmen from the Sentinel II cargo ship while they sign into the center’s log book and enjoy cups of coffee before hearing a brief gospel message. The men were from China, Phillipines and Barbados, and all understood ‘working’ English enough to bow their heads in prayer. By Mark H. Hunter, Regional Reporter GONZALES – The traditional view of international missions is to go out to all the world but at the Gonzales Seafarer’s Center, a ministry of the Baptist Association of Greater Baton Rouge, men – and occasionally a few women – from all the world come in through the front door to hear about Jesus. The Center’s visitor log book shows names in many languages from dozens of countries and hundreds of ships that ply the Mississippi River on a daily basis. Last year’s annual report showed 885 visitors from 24 countries who heard the plan of salvation presented 631 times and who took 154 Jesus film dvds in their own languages back with them. “We average about 150 seafarers a month,” said Director Sylvester Wilson. There could be many hundreds more if it weren’t for strict post-9-11  Homeland … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Wed, 04/10/2013 - 09:19 Russell Moore By Tom Strode, Baptist Press NASHVILLE (BP) – Russell Moore has been elected as the next president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. The ERLC’s board of trustees approved Moore, currently dean of the school of theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, in a special, called meeting Tuesday (March 26) at a Nashville hotel. Moore, 41, a native of Biloxi, Miss., will be the eighth president of the entity charged by Southern Baptists with addressing moral and religious freedom issues. With a background in government, the pastorate and seminary training, he already is well-known as a commentator from a Southern Baptist and evangelical Christian perspective on ethics, theology and the culture. “I am honored and humbled to be asked to serve Southern Baptists as ERLC president,” Moore said. “I pray for God’s grace to lead the ERLC to be a catalyst to connect the agenda of the kingdom of Christ to the cultures of local congregations for the sake of the mission of the Gospel in the world.” Moore’s election means he will be only the second ERLC president in the last quarter of a century. He will succeed Richard Land, who will … [Read more...]

By Stan Statham, Special to the Message SHREVEPORT – More than 60 SBC-trained Disaster Relief volunteers from Region 3 gathered in Shreveport recently for Incident Command System/Incident Management training. Region 3 includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas. “As a group we need to continually improve our efforts through training, implementation, and evaluation of our response to disasters,” said Terry Henderson, State Disaster Relief Director for the Texas Baptist Men; he led the training session. The incident command course prepares disaster relief volunteers to lead in small and large disasters following principles used by government agencies and other disaster relief organizations. Henderson told the group, “we must be able to speak the language of the “disaster world” if we are going to be taken seriously.” Coordinating disaster relief efforts is still a challenge, said Gibbie McMillan, the Louisiana Baptist Convention’s Disaster Relief director. “During Hurricane Isaac it became apparent we still do not have enough volunteers trained in the incident command system that allows for the coordination of volunteers responding to the area impacted by a disaster,” McMillan said. Among the … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message Arrivals/Departures Grady Welch died March 26. He was with the Brotherhood and Stewardship departments of the LBC from 1961-90 and retired as LBC Stewardship Director. He was a member of First Baptist Pineville. Lamar Skinner, new as pastor of Alabama Baptist in Arcadia. Dennis Reeves, new as minister of music at Alabama Baptist in Arcadia.   Needed/Giving Lake Area Multi-Housing Ministry, Lake Charles, needs donation of a large van or small bus. Call Lonnie Cleveland at 337.396.8403.   Homecomings, Anniversaries, Revivals Philadelphia Baptist Deville: Lecture: Healing Oils of the Bible at 10 a.m. April 13, led by David Stewart. Youth Revival with Ed Newton at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 6 p.m. April 14, and at 6:15 p.m. April 15-16. Music: Fred Guilbert and the LC Chapel Band Sunday and Monday, and NewSong on Tuesday. Pastor: Philip Robertson. First Baptist Winnsboro: Revival at 6 p.m. April 14-17. Guest speakers: Eddie Wren and Raymond Perrin. Pastor: Craig Beeman. First Baptist Harrisonburg: Revival April 14-17 at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday, and 7 p.m. Monday – Wednesday. Speaker: Reid Terry; Music: Frank Jones; Pastor: Cory Bruce. Enterprise Baptist Farmerville: Revival April 21 at … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Wed, 04/10/2013 - 09:26 The North Dakota legislature recently approved the most restrictive abortion laws in the United States, cutting off abortion access as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. By Staff, World News CANADA – The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in February that biblical speech opposing homosexual behavior, including in written form, is essentially a hate crime. The court upheld the conviction of activist William Whatcott, who distributed flyers regarding the Bible’s prohibitions against homosexuality throughout the Saskatoon and Regina neighborhoods in 2001 and 2002. Justice Marshall Rothstein wrote on behalf of the court:  “Passages of (the flyers) combine many of the hallmarks of hatred identified in the case law.”  He said the flyers “delegitimizes homosexuals by referring to them as filthy or dirty sex addicts and by comparing them to pedophiles, a traditionally reviled group in society.”   Saved By A Heartbeat   BISMARCK, ND – With little debate, the North Dakota Senate passed the strictest abortion ban in the nation March 15. The legislation, which now awaits Republican Gov. Jack Dalrymple’s signature, would outlaw most abortions performed after the … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Wed, 04/10/2013 - 10:04 Hannah Gay, the University of Mississippi Medical Center pediatrician who achieved a functional cure of a child born with HIV, told Baptist Press she will continue to focus on prevention as the best way to save babies from the disease. Churches can help, she said, by encouraging healthy lifestyle choices through the spread of the Gospel. By Diana Chandler, Baptist Press JACKSON, Miss. (BP) – Hannah Gay, the doctor newly noted for curing a Mississippi baby of HIV, calls her decision to specialize in pediatric AIDS “evidence of divine humor.” She entered the specialty in 1994 initially because it allowed her to work part-time as a physician and spend time with her husband Paul and their four small children. The family had returned to Mississippi after the couple served six years as Baptist workers in the Horn of Africa. Had the position been full-time, Gay said, she would not have taken it. “The part-time position that was open at that time here at University Medical Center was to help with the HIV clinic. So, I took it for that reason. Unfortunately, it remained part-time work for only about two months. And then it became super full-time work. But I enjoyed it,” she … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Mon, 04/15/2013 - 10:06 Temple Baptist children’s center worker is demonstrating how a thumbprint is used to identify herself as part of a security measure employed by the church. By Brian Blackwell, Marketing Director STATEWIDE – Nearly five years ago, Temple Baptist in Ruston had a good problem. Many facilities on its campus – including the children’s area – were outgrowing their allocated space and needed more room to accommodate ministries. So the congregation visited other churches and dreamed of a possible solution. To alleviate the situation, the church planned for and broke ground in July 2011 on a 35,000 square foot children’s building and dedicated the facility – The Journey Place – on Sept. 9, 2012. This move opened up space for additional adult ministry in the former children’s area, which was a win-win for everyone in the church, said Sally Hearn, Temple Ruston’s minister of childhood education. “Not only did it allow for more space in a more secure area, but it has given us an outreach opportunity as well,” Hearn said. “When people come for the first time, many times they end up wanting to come back here.” The first floor of The Journey Place includes a two-story indoor … [Read more...]