By Staff, Baptist Message   ALEXANDRIA – Singles from all the more than 1,600 Southern Baptist churches in Louisiana were invited to a  recent gathering especially for them at the Baptist Building.   Worship was led by Brad Ewing, a member of the worship team at First Baptist Church of Bossier City.   With a theme of “Shine Out,” Moses Caesar of Phoenix, Ariz., whose ministry is geared toward singles, spoke on developing the disciplines of the Christian life: Bible reading, studying, scripture memory and the like.   It was the second year in a row for an event geared specifically to single adults, said Jeff Ingram, Adult Ministry Strategist on the LBC Evangelism/Church Growth Team.   “I want to encourage single adults to be healthy in their relationship with God and with others, so they can be more effective in reaching, teaching and ministering to others through their local churches,” Ingram said. “Expect more for Singles in 2013.” … [Read more...]

[img_assist|nid=8118|title=A helping hand|desc=Members of First DeQuincy serve hot dogs at the town’s Louisiana Railroad Days Festival.|link=none|align=left|width=640|height=362]By Rita LeBlue, Special to the Message   DEQUINCY – Members of the First Baptist Church have been giving out free water at the Louisiana Railroad Days Festival booth for more than 20 years.   “Free” anything is otherwise unheard of at the festival. Lemonade costs five bucks. So it’s a much-appreciated service. But that’s not the only way First DeQuincy members go about their Father’s business during this small town’s largest attraction.   Before the first revolution of the ferris wheel or the first sizzle of a funnel cake, some church members roll out their grills and set them up at the fairgrounds for a cookout and outdoor worship service for the carnival workers.   First DeQuincy has been quietly doing this for the last seven years. This year about 30 carnival workers participated.   Fair workers like Jerry Shankle lined up to eat. He’s a game operator from Gulfport who said that while his baseball throw game is not “rigged,” because “that’s against the law,” he pointed out, “there are rules that do … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Marketing Director   DENHAM SPRINGS –The tremendous burden for the American church was too much for Joshua Spinks.   A student minister at Greenwell Springs Baptist Church in 2010, Spinks would experience many sleepless nights wondering how to reach the un-churched.   “In places like China, Africa and India the gospel is spreading like wildfire in the face of persecution,” Spinks said. “But here in the states where there is freedom and liberty to serve God, the church is dying, in many respects. The why is what kept me up at night.”   Those feelings of trepidation eventually led to the founding of the Way church, a mission of Zoar Baptist Church in Baton Rouge that began with small groups meeting in homes throughout Denham Springs. The church officially launched its first service Nov. 1, 2011.   Spinks’ idea for the church began after reading the book Four Soils. One of the book’s themes is that discipleship comes through planting churches and training leaders from those churches to plant other churches.   By April 2011 Spinks was visiting the home of close friend Scott Cheatham. Through a conversation there the two men learned they shared the … [Read more...]

By Jerry Love, LBF Communications   ALEXANDRIA – Good investment news greeted the Board of Trustees at their regular quarterly meeting April 24 the Louisiana Baptist Building. Cornelius Tilton, current LBF Board president and pastor of Irish Channel Christian Fellowship in New Orleans, presided over the day’s meetings.   As is customary, the Foundation Board’s Investment Committee, headed by Travis Morehart of Shreveport, spent a good portion of the morning getting an update from Lee Morris of Graystone Consulting, the Board’s investment consultant. Morris brought two representatives from Weaver C. Barksdale & Associates, Inc., to the meeting – Charles Webb, Chief Investment Officer and Ann Roberts, Executive Vice President. Barksdale manages a portion of the Foundation’s fixed income portfolio.   Webb and Roberts reported a modest positive return and annualized yield for the LBF Fixed Income portfolio for the first quarter. They also described an investment environment for fixed income securities that is difficult for managers at the current time. Interest rates are tending to trend upwards but the Federal Reserve continues to push rates down. This creates volatility in the bond markets and … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message   ARRIVALS/DEPARTURES   Keith Dowden, new as pastor at South Central Baptist in Wisner, Deer Creek Association.   Shawn Fargerson, new as music minister at First Oil City.   Richard Beeman, new as music minister at Red River Benton.   James Hill, new as interim pastor of Plain Dealing Baptist.   Bill Cothern, new as interim pastor of Beech Ridge Walker.   Jackie (wife Joanie) Gestes is pastor of First Many. Mis-identified in an article in the last issue, Gestes arrived in January 2012.   Marcell McGee, new as interim pastor of Mt. Union Spearsville.   John Rushing, new as interim pastor of Mt. Tabor Farmerville.       Homecomings, Anniversaries, Revivals       Midway Jena: Revival May 6-9. Preacher: Randal Easter; Music: Daniel Breithaupt; Pastor: Brad Bunting.   Springhill Ringgold: Homecoming at 10:30 a.m. May 6. Pastor: Josh Eubanks.   Hopewell Plainview: Revival May 9-13. Evangelist Ryan Perry; Music Robby and Paulette Mays; Pastor: Wayne Dunn.   Unity Cotton Valley: Homecoming starts with worship at 11 a.m. May 20, … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Press [img_assist|nid=8121|title=Explaining strategy|desc=In a recent live webcast, North American Mission Board Pesident Kevin Ezell (left) addressed directors of missions and church planter catalyst missionaries. Ezell answered questions during a dialog moderated by NAMB communications group vice president Mike Ebert (right).|link=none|align=right|width=640|height=427]ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) – Evangelism remains a critical part of the North American Mission Board’s strategy for penetrating lostness in North America, NAMB President Kevin Ezell told directors of missions and church planter catalyst missionaries in a live webcast April 9. During the webcast, Ezell answered questions and addressed concerns regarding changes in missionary roles and NAMB’s relationship with state Baptist conventions and associations. “To penetrate lostness in North America we’ve got to work together,” Ezell said. “I just want to say how much I appreciate you and am thankful for you as directors of missions and church planter catalysts as we work together.” Ezell began the webcast by addressing impressions that NAMB has de-emphasized evangelism in recent months. “That is simply not the case,” he said. “We have half a million dollars … [Read more...]

[img_assist|nid=8123|title=Fred Luter|desc=Pastor Fred Luter of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans|link=none|align=right|width=427|height=640]By Diana Chandler, Baptist Press   NEW ORLEANS (BP) – The recommendation of “Great Commission Baptists” as a descriptive name and the prospective election of the first-ever African American president are on the horizon for the Southern Baptist Convention’s June 19-20 meeting in New Orleans.   Messengers will decide whether to adopt the informal, non-legal “Great Commission Baptists” descriptor as recommended by the SBC Executive Committee, embracing the suggestion of a special task force appointed to study changing the SBC’s name, deemed by some a regional barrier to the Gospel.   “The overwhelming acceptance of the Executive Committee was the first major step,” SBC President Bryant Wright said of the proposed descriptor. “Obviously, the decision of the convention will be most important. If approved, our entities will lead the way in using the descriptor. I think it will be a 10- to 20-year process of helping Southern Baptists and the general public to think, ‘those people really are Great Commission Baptists,’ when they think of … [Read more...]

[img_assist|nid=8125|title=Leading the Way|desc=Pastor Nick Hodges of Emmanuel Baptist in Oakdale and wife Dawn are leading their church to Embrace the nations. Emmanuel is one of the first to make contact with a European people group adopted through Embrace.|link=none|align=right|width=640|height=458]By Marc Ira Hooks, IMB Communications   EUROPE – When Nick Hodges decided to watch the Southern Baptist Convention meeting online last summer, he never dreamed he as a result would be navigating the “tubes,” trains and taxis of a major European city this spring.   During the meeting, Hodges heard about Embrace, “and it was like a light went on inside of me,” he said. Embrace is an initiative to encourage churches to choose an unengaged, unreached  people group (UUPG) and establish an active church-planting strategy among them.   “We’re supposed to just go and carry out the Great Commission,” he said.   Hodges serves as pastor of the 80-member Emmanuel Baptist Church in Oakdale, La. He and members of 1,100-member First Baptist Church of Mansfield, Texas, spent the last week of April in Europe with International Mission Board trainers to begin their journey to Embrace one of the world’s 3,800 … [Read more...]

By Kelly Boggs, Baptist Message Editor Although I never had the opportunity to meet the late Charles “Chuck” Colson – the founder of Prison Fellowship and author of numerous books – he has had, and continues to have, a significant impact on my life. I first became aware of Colson when he served as special counsel to President Richard Nixon. The year was 1972 and I had become interested in politics. Shortly thereafter, the Watergate scandal broke. I remember hearing news commentators refer to Colson as Nixon’s “hatchet man.” I recall news accounts in 1974 of Colson pleading guilty to the charge of obstruction of justice for attempting to defame Daniel Ellsberg, a military analyst whose release of documents that came to be known as the “Pentagon Papers” were particularly embarrassing to the Nixon Administration. Colson received a sentence of one to three years and was fined $5,000. He entered the Maxwell Federal Prison in Alabama on July 9, 1974. He was the first member of the Nixon administration to go to prison for his involvement in the Watergate scandal. Fast-forward nine years to 1983 when I became re-acquainted with Colson. I had become a follower of Christ two years earlier. A friend, who was mentoring me in my … [Read more...]

By Keith Manuel, Evangelism Associate   A revival is often remembered for its results, not its beginnings. History records the results of the Third Great Awakening that swept America in a wave of prayer from 1857 to 1858.   The estimate is that during the aforementioned two-year period, as many as one million people surrendered their lives to the Lord during this movement also known as The Layman’s Prayer Revival. Comparatively, some say that would be the same as ten million people being saved today.   Most great revivals are known for dynamic preachers or evangelists. The Third Great Awakening is known for a businessman who accepted a challenging opportunity for ministry – Jeremiah Lanphier.   The North Dutch Reformed Church on Fulton Street in New York City was experiencing change. The church had declined as members relocated because of the number of immigrants moving into the old neighborhood.   However, church members couldn’t bear to see their church abandoned. The Consistory, the church’s governing board of elders and deacons, enlisted Lanphier to begin a program of visitation to reinvigorate the work.   Lanphier agreed and set out to reach the neighborhood in … [Read more...]