In 2005, Perry Hancock, LBCH President and CEO, and trustees began evaluating the need for additional ways to expand the effectiveness of the Children’s Home mission. The evaluation resulted in the development of a strategic ministry plan called “Moving Forward with the Mission.” In 2007, PathFinders was begun, a ministry that assists 18-to-21-year-olds to transition from high school to adult life. Then, in 2008, a group of needy children were identified that resulted in the development of My Friends’ House, an emergency care shelter serving an eleven-parish region. Today, LBCH continues to move forward with its mission of providing love, care, and a positive Christian witness to children and families in need by fulfilling a vision that was first articulated 80 years ago. When the new charter of the Children’s Home was written in 1930, part of its purpose included the care of homeless women. Now is the time for that vision to become a reality! In March 2009, the National Center for Family Homelessness ranked Louisiana worst among the 50 states for child homelessness. According to that same study, families with children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population. A major contributing factor to … [Read more...]

In conjunction with HomePlace, the national Women’s Missionary Union (WMU) recently approved LBCH as a Christian Women’s Job Corps site. The Christian Women’s Job Corps of Monroe will serve as another strategic ministry of the Children’s Home and will be offered at no cost to qualified participants. The philosophy behind CWJC is that every woman deserves a chance to develop her God-given talents, to develop her skills for employment, to develop skills for successful living, and to reach her goals with God’s help. HomePlace moms will be able to access a vast array of training through CWJC. CWJC will also equip women in the Monroe community through job-readiness and computer classes, Bible study, and mentoring. CWJC will work in partnership with HomePlace with the goal of helping families obtain the skills needed to move from dependency and despair to a future of self-sufficiency and hope. … [Read more...]

Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home & Family Ministries Introducing Foster Care & Adoption Ministries to the Local Church Regional Info Meetings – 7:00 PM YOU’RE INVITED! Come and discover how you and your church can make an eternal difference in the lives of over 5,000 children in Louisiana who need the love of Christ, a Christian home and a church family. For more info call 318-343-2244. February 23: LBCH, Monroe 7200 DeSiard St., Monroe March 15: FBC Houma 7382 Main St., Houma March 16: Harbor Community Church 6100 Canal St., New Orleans March 23: FBC Pineville 901 Main St. Pineville April 6: Calvary Baptist Church 9333 Linwood Ave., Shreveport April 19: Florida Blvd. Baptist Church 10915 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge April 20: Bedico Baptist Church 28156 Hwy. 22 E. Ponchatoula The United Nations estimates there are over 145 million orphans in the world. There are also 130,000 children in the U.S. foster care system waiting to be adopted. With more than 500,000 children and youth in out-of-home care in the U.S., it is hard to ignore the impact of child abuse and neglect on our nation’s next generations. In Louisiana, there are more than 5,000 children in the state foster care system with only … [Read more...]

By Karen L. Willoughby, Managing Editor BATON ROUGE – High school juniors and seniors from across Louisiana joined during Mardi Gras weekend with a Baptist Collegiate Ministries missions team from LSU. Their destination: Mission Arlington, in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. It was designed as a Transitions missions trip, said Steve Masters, BCM director at LSU. “Transitions” is the term used with students in their last years of high school and first years of college. “The goal – besides spending time and sharing Christ with kids, teenagers and adults in Mission Arlington’s multi-housing ministry – is helping students connect with each other and with BCM,” Masters said. “If we can get juniors and seniors connected with BCM when they’re still in high school, we aren’t as apt to lose them in the transition to college.” Masters said though he knew the timing wouldn’t be right for many youth groups that had already planned their Mardi Gras break activities, he invited 100 youth ministers in the state to participate in the Feb. 13-16 transitions mission trip, in what is designed to be the first of a three-year initial commitment to minister at Mission Arlington during the Mardi Gras break. Mission Arlington includes 294 … [Read more...]

By Staff, Louisiana Baptist Foundation ALEXANDRIA – The January 2010 Board of Trustees meeting of the Louisiana Baptist Foundation opened with a word of encouragement from Brent Cating, chairman of the Investment Committee. As he drove from his home in Lake Charles to Alexandria in the early morning hours, he noticed how the casinos had plenty of lighting to attract potential patrons. But he noted how this light was the “light of darkness,” drawing people in to the sins that the world offers. He encouraged the other trustees, in their personal lives and in the oversight of the Foundation, to present the Light of the World, who is Jesus Christ our Saviour. Cating introduced Lee Morris, managing director of Graystone Consulting, to give the Investment Committee an update on the investment returns of the assets managed by the Foundation for the most recent quarter and the year 2009. Morris began by pointing out that the 10-year period from 2000 through 2009 was the worst decade in history for investment returns in the stock market. Marked by two major retractions in the financial markets, the period he calls the “decade to forget” shows only a 2.1 percent return for a conservative blend of stocks and fixed income … [Read more...]

RUSTON – Pastors of two cowboy churches recently helped a third one start. Gary Brewster of Cowboy Church at the OK Corral in Eros, and Clyde Miley of Red River Cowboy Church at Lake End, organized a Ranch Rodeo at the Ruston fairgrounds to help start the Circle Cross Cowboy Church with Chuck Johnston as founding pastor. “Chuck’s been wanting to get this started since last summer,” Brewster said. “We got together a month ago to put this together.” The “this” he referred to was a four-hour, four-event rodeo on a brisk Saturday morning that involved cow mugging, sorting, doctoring, and wild cow milking. With youngsters off to the side, practicing their bronc-riding skills on an “almost-real” apparatus, and toddlers bundled in strollers, ranch folks watched as men and their horses showed their stuff. Only five teams came from the churches, indicating strong community interest in the event, Brewster said. Read more about these three cowboy churches, their ministries and strategies, at www.baptistmessage.com. … [Read more...]

Compiled by Joanne Brechtel COMINGS AND GOINGS Jay Avance, Jr., new as pastor First Baptist, Baker. Charles Malone, new as pastor of First Baptist, Bernice from Mt. Zion Baptist, Independence, Miss. Jack Bell, new as pastor of First Baptist, Hornbeck. NEEDED Full-time pastor at First Baptist, Boyce; send resume to First Baptist Church, PO Box 278, Boyce LA 71409 or call Randy Bond 318.793.8857. DEATHS NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Charles Landrum Salley, 81, died Sunday, Feb. 7. He was Director of the Library and Adjunct Professor of History and Philosophy at Louisiana College and a pastor at First Baptist, Kentwood. He is survived by his wife, Nell, and two daughters. AVAILABLE KENNER - Ken Russell available for interim or supply worship leader; call 504.491.8335 or emailkrussell5@cox.net. REVIVALS BOYCE – St. Clair Baptist: Sunday, Feb. 28 through Wednesday, March 3; Gibbie McMillan, speaker; Kingdom Bound Quartet, music; Patrick Willis, pastor. HOUMA – First Baptist: Share the Peace of Jesus Evangelism Rally and Children’s Rally 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21; Wayne Jenkins, speaker; Jim Chester, children’s evangelist; First Praise, music; Steve Folmar, pastor. BOURG – Bourg Baptist: 6:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, Feb. … [Read more...]

Compiled by Joanne Brechtel COMINGS AND GOINGS Jay Avance, Jr., new as pastor First Baptist, Baker. Charles Malone, new as pastor of First Baptist, Bernice from Mt. Zion Baptist, Independence, Miss. Jack Bell, new as pastor of First Baptist, Hornbeck. NEEDED Full-time pastor at First Baptist, Boyce; send resume to First Baptist Church, PO Box 278, Boyce LA 71409 or call Randy Bond 318.793.8857. DEATHS NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Charles Landrum Salley, 81, died Sunday, Feb. 7. He was Director of the Library and Adjunct Professor of History and Philosophy at Louisiana College and a pastor at First Baptist, Kentwood. He is survived by his wife, Nell, and two daughters. AVAILABLE KENNER - Ken Russell available for interim or supply worship leader; call 504.491.8335 or emailkrussell5@cox.net. REVIVALS BOYCE – St. Clair Baptist: Sunday, Feb. 28 through Wednesday, March 3; Gibbie McMillan, speaker; Kingdom Bound Quartet, music; Patrick Willis, pastor. HOUMA – First Baptist: Share the Peace of Jesus Evangelism Rally and Children’s Rally 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21; Wayne Jenkins, speaker; Jim Chester, children’s evangelist; First Praise, music; Steve Folmar, pastor. BOURG – Bourg Baptist: 6:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, Feb. … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message   [img_assist|nid=6085|title=A crowd of 300 women gathered at First Baptist Pineville for the annual Kaleidoscope women s conference Feb. 6|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=67]PINEVILLE – About 300 women gathered Feb. 6 for the annual Kaleidoscope women’s conference at First Baptist Church of Pineville. Theme for the event was Transitions: A Journey into Oneness with Christ. “I loved it; it was so informative,” said Violet Adams, member at the Pentecostals of Alexandria. “The speaker made it so funny; she was wonderful, and the singer was awesome.” Adams was speaking of Leighann McCoy of Nashville, Tenn., and Kelly Garner of Franklin, Tenn. “Kaleidoscope is for all Louisiana women,” said Janie Wise, director of women’s missions and ministries for the Louisiana Baptist Convention. “The goal is to encourage, inspire, teach and motivate women to grow deeper in their faith and use that growth to share with others.” McCoy illustrated her “step out of your comfort zone” point by telling of going skiing with her family. Everyone did great on the bunny trail, she said. Then they moved to an intermediate trail. She got scared about half-way down, looked for a tree she could run … [Read more...]

ALEXANDRIA – An SBC Disaster Relief-trained team of a dozen medical professionals and chaplain from Louisiana, expects to be ministering this week in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Led by Jay Johnston, associate pastor at First Baptist Church of Covington, and DR_trained chaplain, this team was to leave from New Orleans, Friday, Feb. 19, for a week in the hurricane-ravaged capital city. A 14-person medical missions team led by Dwayne Rogers, chief of security at Louisiana College and a frequent early-responder at global disasters, plans to leave Feb. 20. They plan to work in a ward at Good Samaritan Hospital in Jimani, Dominican Republic, on the Haiti border. “There’s going to come a time for more people to do hands-on ministry in Haiti,” said John Yeats, LBC director of communications. “Right now, the best thing for Louisiana Southern Baptists to do is to pray, to give, and to pack Buckets of Hope.” Instructions for all these, and Haiti updates as they come in, can be found on www.baptistmessage.com,www.baptistglobalresponses.com, www.lbc.org/haiti, and bpnews.net. “Many Louisiana Baptists would love to go to Haiti and lend a helping hand or hold a hurting child,” Yeats said. “However, unless you go as part of a … [Read more...]