By J. Gerald Harris, Baptist Press   PHOENIX (BP) – The starting point for Southern Baptists is not the Great Commission, but “falling in love with Jesus once again,” Bryant Wright told messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting June 14.   Wright, president of the SBC and pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga., likened Southern Baptists to the New Testament church of Ephesus that Jesus rebuked in the Book of Revelation for having abandoned its first love.   Like the church at Ephesus, Southern Baptists have resisted and exposed false doctrine, Wright said. “Unlike other mainline denominations that have chosen to take one pro-sin position after another, Southern Baptists have stood unapologetically upon the Word of God,” he declared.   Wright continued: “Southern Baptists years ago decided that we must be faithful to the perfectly true written Word of God. In our seminaries, it is unbelievable what has happened in the last 30 years. Seeing the sound doctrine and the passion for Christ, for missions and church planting among our faculty and students, is an absolute miracle.”   After Christ affirmed the church at Ephesus, Wright noted, He … [Read more...]

By Mark Kelly, Baptist Press   PHOENIX (BP) – If Southern Baptists are going to fulfill their God-given mission in a lost world, they must deal with fragmentation and self-centeredness and recommit themselves to gratitude, trust, unified ministry and honesty, messengers were told during the opening session of the SBC annual meeting June 14.   “We have been headed in the wrong direction, in several ways,” said Frank Page, SBC Executive Committee president, during the EC’s report to the convention. “Our convention is fracturing into various groups, some theological, most methodological. Sometimes there is an honest difference of opinion, but often there is self-centeredness that frequently mirrors our own culture.   “Christ-like selflessness is our only hope.”   While many have lamented a decline in giving through the SBC’s Cooperative Program missions channel, Page cited statistics that showed total mission expenditures in Southern Baptist churches also have declined over the past 20 years. In 1989, Southern Baptist congregations allocated 16.5 percent of their total receipts to missions, but by 2009 that had declined to 12.32 percent.   “Our cooperating churches have not just … [Read more...]

By Norm Miller, Baptist Press   PHOENIX (BP) – A pastor, a seminary student and Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, delivered a challenge for renewed commitment to unified ministry through the SBC’s Cooperative Program.   The pastor and seminary student were part of the Executive Committee report to the SBC annual meeting in which Page urged Southern Baptist churches to magnify their impact nationally and internationally by even a 1 percent-of-budget increase in support for CP.   Kevin White, pastor of First Baptist Church in Longview, Wash., thanked Southern Baptists “for giving so sacrificially so that my family might know Jesus Christ. I am the product of your sacrifice and your giving to the Cooperative Program.”[img_assist|nid=7412|title=Frank Page|desc=Frank Page, president of the SBC Executive Committee, gives the Executive Committee report during a morning session of the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting.|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=66]   White was 4 years old, living in a mining town of 80 people in northern Nevada, when a CP-funded missionary began visiting and repeatedly witnessing to White’s … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message   ALEXANDRIA – The Louisiana Baptist Golf Fellowship held its spring tournament May 23-24.   Co-sponsored by the Louisiana Baptist Foundation and the Baptist Message, the semi-annual tournament drew more than a hundred golfers to the Links On The Bayou golf course in Alexandria.   Monday’s play entailed medal play as well as team competition. Golfers competed in four flights and were divided into minister and laymen groups. Seven church teams entered to vie for a team trophy.   [img_assist|nid=7414|title=Unique Parking|desc=Baptist Message Editor Kelly Boggs surveys the removal of a golf cart from a water hazard after the cart went over an embankment and fell six feet into the water.|link=none|align=left|width=427|height=640]The team championship was won by First Baptist of DeRidder. The team successfully defended the championship it won during the fall tournament. Members of the winning team were: Frank Nihart, Tony Branham, Dennis Milsap, and Diz Smith.   Tuesday’s play was a scramble. Four-person teams were assembled based on scores from Monday’s medal play. The winning team was made up by Heath Williams, Craig James, Sam Perry and Tony Branham. … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message   [img_assist|nid=7416|title=A Helping Hand|desc=From left, Jeanette Thompson of Pine First Baptist Church, and, Ricky Davis, Sherrie Bumstead and Debbie Mims, all missionaries in Africa, stand with one of the boxes of diapers and baby blankets that will be shipped to Zimbabwe, Africa, to aid in Bumstead’s missions work.|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=88]PINE – Pine First Baptist in 2006 started supporting the faith missionary work of Sherrie Bumstead, a former neo-natal nurse at Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans.   Bumstead reported in 2009 on a visit to the church that at a women’s clinic in Zimbabwe, Africa, she learned newborn babies and their moms were being discharged without any diapers or blankets.   “This need so moved the ladies of Pine First Baptist Church that they started a diaper and blanket mission,” reported Jeanette Thompson. “As of this time [in early June], the ladies have made more than 9,000 diapers and 1,000 baby blankets.   “The ladies feel they have received much more spiritually than they have given,” Thompson continued. “If you are willing to do the mission work, God will provide!”   Donations of thread and material … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message   COMINGS & GOINGS   n John Yeats, new as transitional pastor at McClendon West Monroe.   n Jason (wife Martha) Mercer, new as children’s minister at First Winnfield. Pastor: Stephen Laughlin.   n Ken Fryer new as pastor at College Place Monroe from First Greenwood.   n Randy Ray, new as pastor at Saint Rest Baptist in Dubach.   n Pam Smith resigns as Early Learning Center director at Grace Memorial Slidell, to serve in Nigeria. Bob Heustess is pastor.   n Venita Richards, new as Early Learning Center director at Grace Memorial Slidell. Bob Heustess is pastor.   n Barry Dunlap, new as pastor at Agape Denham Springs.   n Tom McLaughlin, new as minister of music and youth at First Marthaville, from music minister at Calvary Denham Springs.   n Sondra McLaughlin resigned as youth director at Calvary Denham Springs. Rhett Major is pastor.   n Charles Ray Smith, new as pastor at New Beginnings Denham Springs.   n Glyn Nale, new as pastor at Meridian Marion; being ordained to gospel ministry at 2 p.m. June 12 at the church.   n Weston (wife Lindsay) Brown, new as … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message   ALEXANDRIA – Good news was the theme at the spring meeting of the board of trustees for the Baptist Message.   With a strong support from Cooperative Program, and increased advertising sales, the financial picture looks better than it did a year ago, Editor Kelly Boggs told board members at the May 10 meeting.   “Last year was a tough year financially,” Boggs said. “Things are really looking up thus far this year.”   The meeting agenda included reports from the policy, personnel, finance and nominating committees, as well as reports from Boggs and Managing Editor Karen Willoughby.   The policy had no new or revised policies to consider, thus the committee reported most its meeting time was spent in orientation for new board members.   Personnel Committee Chairman James Still reported, “Everything is going well, and everyone is happy.” Editor Boggs commended the staff members on their performance, and singled out Rhonda Havens for the additional responsibilities she has assumed since the retirement Dec. 31 of Joanne Brechtel, who had served the paper for 27 years.   “Violet Adams is doing a tremendous job in advertising,” Boggs … [Read more...]

By Karen L. Willoughby, Managing Editor   EVANSVILLE, Ind. (BP) – “If we stop reaching people, we’re going to die,” church planter Bobby Pell, pastor of NorthWoods Church in suburban Evansville, Ind., said.   “I never want our people to get away from that sense of desperation, and the best way I knew to do that was always to be about the process of church planting,” Pell said. “We have been effective in reaching people as a church plant, and we want to invest in church planting. We believe it is an effective way of evangelizing in communities.”   The Cooperative Program is the most effective way of funding church planting, the pastor said. CP helps support Southern Baptist work in state conventions, across North America and around the world.   [img_assist|nid=7421|title=Bobby Pell|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=71|height=100]“From a church planting perspective, the Cooperative Program is crucial to how the North American Mission Board receives funds and is a conduit in helping church planters be on the field,” said Pell, who twice has served three years with church planter support from NAMB. “One of the things CP does that people don’t think about is that it relieves stress from the … [Read more...]

By Will Tubbs, Louisiana College Sports Information After a lengthy search, Louisiana College has landed on the man who administrators feel is the ideal candidate to lead the school’s 12 intercollegiate sports programs. Thursday at 10 a.m. Darrell Payne, of Cincinnati, Ohio, was named as the school’s new athletics director. Payne, currently a private practice lawyer, has a resume that tells of experience not only in athletics, but law, social work and academia and represents, Louisiana College President Dr. Joe Aguillard said, the perfect blend of talents to head up LC athletics. [img_assist|nid=7424|title=New LC AD|desc=Darrell Payne was introduced today as Louisiana College's new athletics director. Payne was chosen following a lengthy search and replaces Tim Whitman, who resigned earlier this year for personal reasons.|link=none|align=left|width=640|height=628]“We are pleased to welcome Darrell Payne to the Louisiana College family,” Aguillard said. “Louisiana College is blessed to have as our athletic director a man of faith, character and leadership to head all of our athletic programs. He is a profound athlete and scholar and will integrate athletics, academics and faith through his position. After an extensive … [Read more...]

By Waylon Bailey, Senior Pastor First Baptist Covington   One of the most consistent polling questions in America has to do with whether or not we are on the right track.   The question gets a consistently negative response. America is on the wrong track. Politicians use this to prove whatever they want to change.   Could it be what America needs is not about the economy or the congress? Could it be that what the American public wants is a change of heart?   What would a real revival look like and could it happen here?   We have an example of what a real revival looks like and the kind of place where it can occur. In 1904/1905, one of the most famous revivals of history occurred. In 1904 Wales erupted in change and repentance as the power of the Holy Spirit swept the nation.   This is the kind of change that it brought.   Public houses (pubs) went bankrupt as coal miners and other workers went home after work to spend time with their family.   For the most part, crime ceased. The main work of police involved controlling crowds and traffic for the meetings held all over the country. Some police formed barbershop quartets to sing in churches … [Read more...]