ST. PAUL, Minn. – On Apr. 18, the Minnesota Senate passed a bill on a 43-23 vote, requiring centers that conduct 10 or more abortions per month to be licensed and inspected by the state.   “We haven’t had a good vote in the Minnesota Senate like this in a long time on an issue like abortion,” said Sen. Claire Robling, the bill’s sponsor. “I worked very hard to make this a reasonable bill. I think when the public realizes that we have no health department inspection or licensing of abortion clinics, they are shocked. They just assume that they would be. It’s an invasive procedure, and there are so many risks.”   Senate File 1921 was written in response to an egregious situation drug-enforcement officers found in Pennsylvania in 2011. Kermit Gosnell’s Philadelphia abortion clinic had gone uninspected for years — but when officers investigating him for illegally distributing prescription drugs finally entered his building, they found fetal remains in trash bags, unsanitary equipment, and a facility that reeked of cat urine.   Gosnell was charged with eight counts of murder – seven in connection with babies whose birth he induced in the last trimester, then killed by severing their spinal cords with … [Read more...]

By Philip Timothy, Message Staff Writer   Too often youth ministers/ministries just “let it happen.”   Andy Blanks, co-founder of youthministry360 and author of 7 Best Practices for Teaching Teenagers the Bible, pointed out to his audience that statistics reveal a larger than imagined percentage of youth ministers do little or no planning for their small group Bible study time with their youth  … they just let it happen. Not good.   “Events, big or small, are good, but too often youth ministers miss the opportunity to lead teenagers to know God and His ways through small group Bible studies,” Blanks said. “Regrettably, it’s an opportunity that’s unfortunately wasted.”   Blanks and Les Bradford, close friend and co-founder of youthministry360, spent Friday, April 25, discussing with more than 60 youth leaders from across the state practices they could employ to better engage their teens.   Bradford, a member of The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, Ala., and Blanks, a member of Shades Mountain Baptist Church, Vestavia Hills, Ga., worked for Student Life in Birmingham for a number of years.   They led the publishing team in creating the Student Life Bible Study and … [Read more...]

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...]