Submitted by philip on Tue, 10/09/2012 - 01:00 Recovery: Louisiana State University forensic anthropologists and volunteers from Texas Baptist Men (background) process displaced caskets and human remains in Braithwaite, La., the result of recent flooding caused by Hurricane Isaac in Plaquemines Parish. Photo by Ronald Threadgill   By Mickey Noah, Baptist Press BRAITHWAITE, La. (BP) -- Jerry Jones, mass feeding coordinator for Texas Baptist Men, knows how to run a large-scale food operation during disaster responses. But he was taken aback by a request for TBM volunteers to go to Louisiana's Plaquemines Parish to recover runaway caskets. Along the Louisiana Gulf Coast -- from Braithwaite to New Orleans -- it's common local practice to bury loved ones in above-ground crypts because of the area's high water table. But after above-ground tombs in English Turn and Promised Land cemeteries near Braithwaite and another nearby cemetery were inundated by Hurricane Isaac's flood surge, dozens of caskets -- some new, some decades old -- simply popped out of the ground. Some flooded-out mausoleums contained as many as four coffins. "Our initial job was to collect and help load caskets on trucks to be taken … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Tue, 10/09/2012 - 01:00 James Dobson Honored: Louisiana College President Joe Aguillard (left), during a special chapel service as part of the annual celebration of LC’s founding, presents Dr. James Dobson with the Louisiana College Trustees’ Distinguished Service Award. Dobson is founder of the Focus on the Family ministry, and author of 26 books on the family,   By Philip Timothy, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE – James Dobson’s message was a simple but poignant one: Don’t focus on your trophies – accomplishments – but rather your impact on the Kingdom of God. “I have learned if you live long enough life will eventually trash your trophies,” said the founder of Focus on the Family and author of 26 books. “If it’s not done for Jesus Christ, eventually your trophies won’t matter, much less be remembered.” Dobson, Edwin Meese III, and Alan Sears were presented with the Louisiana College Trustees’ Distinguished Service Award during a special chapel service in Guinn Auditorium as part of the annual celebration of LC’s founding on Oct. 3, 1906. Meese was the 75th Attorney General of the United States in President Ronald Reagan’s administration, and Alan Sears is CEO of Alliance … [Read more...]

By Philip Timothy, Message Staff Writer HAMMOND – Jerusalem Baptist Church in Hammond will soon be getting a check from the Louisiana Department of Revenue for $3,500, and it is all because they filled out some important paperwork and provided the right documentation. Can it really be that easy? Well, it may not be all that easy, but, yes, churches throughout Louisiana can get money back from the state. The church is getting a refund on the assessment it has paid for the past three year to the Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corporation’s FAIR Plan. In Jerusalem’s case it is getting back the maximum refund: three years. When hurricanes Katrina and Rita barged ashore in 2005, they left a wake of destruction with which we are all very familiar. However, in addition to leveling towns and inundating communities with flood water, it dealt a huge blow to insurance companies all through the state. Many insurers have since pulled out of the state altogether and those carriers that remain are restricting which customers they’ll accept and are changing how they are willing to insure. Allstate, for example, is no longer writing wind and hurricane coverage and State Farm has all but stopped accepting new … [Read more...]

By Philip Caples, Louisiana College's Caskey School of DivinityRecently I read an article about a pastor of another denomination who had been serving his church for a number of years.On one occasion, he ministered to a couple in his congregation who had experienced the sudden loss of jobs that hampered their spiritual journey and crushed their financial security. The pastor counseled them through this difficult time to discover about a month later that some church leaders had a meeting to discuss complaints about his leadership role. Without his knowledge, they voted to relieve him of his duties at the church. The pastor petitioned the leaders of the church to disclose the reason for his termination, and they shared that some irresolvable difficulties had arisen.This story generated a variety of competing emotions. On the one hand, my heart went out to the countless people and their families who were affected through this decision. On the other hand, my heart was broken for the Kingdom. Stories like this one are becoming more frequent as forced terminations continue to escalate.Also, the story suggests an increasing awareness of difficulties surfacing in Baptist life. How should a pastor deal with these difficulties as they impact … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Tue, 10/09/2012 - 01:00 Ice Delivery: A volunteer from First Baptist Church Norco delivers ice and water to homes flooded following the passage of Hurricane Isaac.   By Marilyn Stewart, Regional Reporter NORCO – Four months pregnant, with a toddler son at her side, Amy Lingawi realized her house had flooded during Hurricane Isaac when she saw pictures posted online by her neighborhood association. Husband Shawn Lingawi stayed behind as part of his company’s emergency response team and couldn’t check on the couple’s home for days. In Houston, Amy Lingawi could only wait. “It was hard. I worried about our neighbors and our pets,” the young mother said. “I couldn’t even talk to my husband.” Most of the young family’s possessions were ruined when water entered the home. Members and volunteers at First Norco, where a base camp for volunteers and an emergency command center has been set up to serve the St. Charles and St. John the Baptist Parishes, are ministering to the young family. More than 7,000 homes flooded in the area. Disaster relief began at First Norco when Pastor Ken Tew returned home two days after the storm. He knew immediately where to start. “When people are in … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Tue, 10/09/2012 - 01:00 Making an impact: Pastor Steve Speer (left) of His Church of Pineville has baptized 168 people in the six years since the church was planted in 2006. This young girl is being baptized in Red River. The church which was given financial assistance by the Georgia Barnette State Missions Offering, has seen its membership grow to more than 400 members.   By Holly Jo Linzay, Special to the Message PINEVILLE/BATON ROUGE – Two church plants, aided by the Georgia Barnette State Missions Offering, are bringing new life and hope into their communities. The two churches, located in two very diverse geographical locations, are prime examples of how sowing into the state mission field can reap a mighty harvest for the Lord. His Church His Church in Pineville was planted from a vision of its pastor to start a disciple-making church in every major college town in Louisiana. “I had a yearning in my heart, and asked God to make a way, and His Church was born. And God is growing His church,” said Steve Speer, the pastor of His Church. On July 2, 2006, roughly 60 people gathered for the first service of His Church in a community center. From the humble beginnings of … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Tue, 10/09/2012 - 01:00 Thousands participate: Students at Kingfisher High School, northwest of Oklahoma City, gathered Wednesday morning (Sept. 26) for the 22nd annual See You at the Pole global day of student prayer. Students shared photos, including this one, on Facebook and Twitter. By Erin Roach, Baptist Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – About a million teenagers at schools across the nation and the world gathered Sept. 26 for the 22nd annual See You at the Pole global day of student prayer. This year students used Twitter and Facebook to communicate about their involvement, with student Claire Fridey tweeting “One of my favorite days of the school year is #seeyouatthepole! Prayer is powerful!” and a user named Israel tweeting “#seeyouatthepole was a nice way to kick off the day.” See You at the Pole, which began in 1990 among a small group of teenagers in Burleson, Texas, “is simply a prayer rally where students meet at the school flagpole before school to lift up their friends, families, teachers, school and nation to God,” according to the event’s website,www.syatp.com. SYATP is student-initiated, student-organized and student-led. “SYATP helps launch teenagers and college … [Read more...]

  By Brian Blackwell, Marketing Director PINEVILLE – Michael Duduit believes application is not just an element of preaching. He believes it is at the heart of the preaching task. “To be clear, when I speak about application, I mean a discussion of how a particular biblical text connects with real-life issues faced by our listeners,” Duduit told pastors attending the recent E4 preaching conference at First Baptist Pineville. “It drives biblical truth into the avenues of our lives, with a focus not on information but on transformation. “Like an archer with his arrows, application in preaching faithfully takes the biblical text and shoots for a target [and] that target might be repentance, obedience, service, or some other biblical challenge,” Duduit continued. “Anointed application has one goal: life change.” Duduit – dean of the College of Christian studies at Anderson University in Anderson, S.C., and editor of Preaching magazine – discussed application in a series of three sermons during the E4 Conference, which is part of the Louisiana Baptist Convention’s Awaken effort, which calls for revival throughout the state. In addition to Duduit’s sermons, the conference featured a sermon by Rick Byargeon, pastor of Temple … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message ARRIVALS/DEPARTURES David Womack, pastor of Sherwood Baptist in Baton Rouge, is to retire Oct. 31, after 22 years at Sherwood and 47 years in the gospel ministry. James Hill is new as pastor of Plain Dealing Baptist in Plain Dealing. Adam Stanfield, new as pastor of Siloam Baptist in Dodson, was ordained to the gospel ministry Sept. 9 at Goldonna Baptist. Robert Clay Spinks, new as pastor of Lighthouse Independence. Adam Beach, new as campus pastor of Celebration Slidell. Ryan Thomas, new as associate minister at French Corner Ponchatoula. Pat Deshotel, new as pastor of Welsh First Baptist. Buddy Willis resigned as pastor of Flowers Landing Baptist in Newellton. Needed/Giving First Baptist Leesville seeks a full-time youth minister. Send resume to 1400 Nolan Trace, Leesville LA 71446. Pastor: Jerry Penfield. Alpine First Baptist in Pineville seeks a part-time youth director. Send resumes to Personnel Committee, 7215 Shreveport Hwy., Pineville LA 71360. Pastor: Dick DeBusk. First Baptist Dodson seeks a youth worker. Call Pastor Travis Hampton at 318.548.2268. Homecomings, Anniversaries, Revivals First Baptist Carencro: Revival Oct. 12-14. Speaker: Don Cooper of … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Tue, 10/09/2012 - 01:00 Hispanic Mission: Louisiana Baptist Builders and Kingdom Builders have joined forces in helping to build a church for Hispanic Baptists under the operating authority of First Baptist Church of Bernice. Bill and Joyce Temple are the the onsite coordinators for the Louisiana Baptist Builders.   By Robert Lemoine, Special to the Message BERNICE – Volunteers “Raise the Roof” for local Hispanic community. This rural North Louisiana town is home to a joint effort to build a church for Hispanic Baptists under the operating authority of the First Baptist Church of Bernice. Work began Sept. 17 on a cleared lot to raise the Nazareth Spanish Mission Church.  Church members along with other volunteers had the foundation ready when the building crews arrived. Bill Temple, along with his wife Joyce, are the onsite building coordinators for Louisiana Baptist Builders. Barry Joyner, Director of Missions for Concord Baptist Association, contacted Randy Ray with Kingdom Builders about helping the project. The Kingdom Builders stepped it up by raising the extra funds needed to upgrade the roof from shingles to metal. Monday morning was a “wash” due to the rain that … [Read more...]