COMINGS AND GOINGS -Gary (wife Alexa) Palmer, new as minister of families, Simpson Bapitst, Simpson. -Tiffani Horowitz, new as children’s minister, First Baptist, Shreveport. -Brad Watson, new as youth minister, Eastwood Baptist, Haughton. -Nick Parish, new as youth minister, Oak Hill Baptist, Plain Dealing. -Jason McInnis, resigns as pastor, Parkview Baptist, Shreveport. -Ed Jenkins, new as supply pastor, Eden Baptist, Denham Springs. -Jay Hodges, new as minister of music, Judson Baptist, Walker. -Marty Stone, resigns as worship minister, Grace Baptist, Slidell. -Charles Gilder, retires as pastor, Bayou Vista Baptist, Morgan City. DEATHS -Leroy Yarbrough, retired Chairman of the Division of Church Music and professor of Choral Conducting and Music at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and minister of music in Louisiana and Texas churches, died Dec. 25. He was 74 and resided in San Antonio, Texas. NEEDED -Full-time youth and children’s ministers at First Baptist, Vivian; send resume to First Baptist Church, Attn: Mrs. Andrea Gorsulowsky, 311 North Pine, Vivian LA 71082. -Director of Missions at Northwest Baptist Association; send resumes to DOM Search Committee, Northwest Baptist … [Read more...]

Recognizing both the power of prayer and the urgent need for men to pray, the North American Mission Board is issuing a call for Baptist men to engage in focused prayer in January. ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) – Recognizing both the power of prayer and the urgent need for men to pray, the North American Mission Board is issuing a call for Baptist men to engage in focused prayer in January. The result could be the largest-ever combined prayer effort by Southern Baptist men in praying for God to do a fresh work among them and across North America. To help men do this, NAMB’s mission education team has prepared a 31-day prayer guide to lead men in seven areas of prayer: recognize God’s plan for men; a call to holiness; confession and repentance; passion for the church as the bride of Christ; models of mission action; the hearts of men; and workers for the harvest. “We’re convinced we won’t have clarity of purpose and mission in our churches without a genuine movement of God,” said Jim Burton, NAMB’s mission education team leader. “There’s no resource we can create that can replace a genuine movement of God among men, so that’s what Baptist men will be praying for in January.” Burton said state mission education leaders … [Read more...]

Young adults increasingly are making an impact in the world. “But it isn’t so much happening in the church,” said Jason Hayes, young adult ministry specialist for LifeWay Christian Resources. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – Young adults increasingly are making an impact in the world. “But it isn’t so much happening in the church,” said Jason Hayes, young adult ministry specialist for LifeWay Christian Resources. Hayes was among the speakers at an Adult Ministry Institute attended by ministers and young adult leaders from across the country at the Southern Baptist entity’s Nashville, Tenn., headquarters. Information from LifeWay Research studies guided much of the conference’s content addressing challenges that churches face in reaching young adults as well as baby boomers and those in the “legacy” generation of adults age 55 and over. “We heard in our research from both churched and unchurched young adults who said they wanted to go beyond the normal ‘hellos’ and congeniality of church,” Hayes said. “They wanted to go beyond the geographic location of community and connect with social geography.” Young adults have “more interest in community than anything that could be put on any menu in any coffee shop or restaurant,” … [Read more...]

The numbers tell a moving story of lives touched during difficult times through the Church Retirement Plan of GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention: DALLAS (BP) – The numbers tell a moving story of lives touched during difficult times through the Church Retirement Plan of GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention: -Since 2002, GuideStone has paid out more than $30.4 million in disability benefits to nearly 1,500 retirement plan participants who were no longer able to work. -An additional $29.9 million was paid in survivor protection benefits to 1,277 families of participants who died while active in the Church Retirement Plan. The Church Retirement Plan’s protection section, which is free to eligible participants, includes a disability income benefit – up to $500 per month if the participant becomes disabled – and a survivor protection benefit of up to $100,000 payable upon death to the participant’s family. Eligible participants accrue protection benefits as they begin to make contributions to the Church Retirement Plan. Twelve consecutive monthly contributions are required to receive full protection benefits. If a participant has less than 12 consecutive monthly … [Read more...]

“In the traditional black church, most people only attend worship service,” said Jay Wells, director of LifeWay Christian Resources’ ministry to black churches. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – “In the traditional black church, most people only attend worship service,” said Jay Wells, director of LifeWay Christian Resources’ ministry to black churches. “We need to move them beyond the experience in the worship service to become disciples,” Wells told several hundred leaders of black churches attending a National Black Sunday School Conference at LifeWay’s headquarters in Nashville, Tenn. “The percentage of the population attending church is declining and the influence of the church is getting weaker. The commitment level of people is getting low,” Wells said, whereas, “The early church was concerned about what God called them to do, not what the church could do for them.” Breakout sessions and electives during the two-day conference addressed such topics as how to reach teens in a hip-hop culture and the development of a Growth-Oriented Sunday School class (GOSS). Two GOSS tracks were offered – one for those new to the theory and an alumni track for those who learned about the strategy at the national conference in … [Read more...]

Eastanallee Baptist is a “green” church, says incoming Pastor Ralph Jenkins of the rural congregation that numbers about 350 in Sunday morning worship. RICEVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – Eastanallee Baptist is a “green” church, says incoming Pastor Ralph Jenkins of the rural congregation that numbers about 350 in Sunday morning worship. He’s not talking about the environment. He’s not talking about the 40 percent of its “green” the church gives to missions. He’s talking about the spiritual growth steadily taking place among the outward-focused members of the 186-year-old church. “We pray you will discover you have a place in this ‘lighthouse’ for the lost and ‘greenhouse’ for the saved,” Jenkins writes on the church’s website, www.eastanallee.com. “Our desire is, that as you visit us, you will find Eastanallee is not about us or about buildings. It’s about Jesus!” Jenkins was called in December 2008 as the fourth in a series of pastors who have led the church to support missions through the Cooperative Program, Southern Baptists’ unified plan of giving through which cooperating churches give a percentage of their undesignated receipts in support of their state convention and SBC missions and ministries. “The Cooperative … [Read more...]

A new report indicates that the average child in America now spends 45 hours a week immersed in the media – a multiple of the hours spent with parents or in the classroom. A new report indicates that the average child in America now spends 45 hours a week immersed in the media – a multiple of the hours spent with parents or in the classroom. USA Today reports: “Parents and policymakers need to take action to protect children from being harmed by TV, the Internet and other types of media, a report says. “Researchers have done individual studies for years to learn how media affect children. A review released today, which analyzed 173 of the strongest papers over 28 years, finds that 80 percent agree that heavy media exposure increases the risk of harm, including obesity, smoking, sex, drug and alcohol use, attention problems and poor grades.” In one sense, this report should not shock any informed parent or observer. The report, however,  does offer something new in its analysis of so many published scientific reports and studies. The sheer quantity of the data is impressive. One obvious point comes to the fore –there has already been sufficient concern to prompt the development of the 173 separate studies … [Read more...]

Widespread computer use was supposed to move us toward paperlessness. But, somehow, the opposite has happened. Since the emergence of the Internet, Americans actually are consuming 40 percent more paper. Widespread computer use was supposed to move us toward paperlessness. But, somehow, the opposite has happened. Since the emergence of the Internet, Americans actually are consuming 40 percent more paper. One of the companies that helped create this problem is now working to solve it. Xerox is developing technology that will allow paper to be reused simply by erasing the printing on it. The company’s research shows that 40 percent of printouts are tossed within 24 hours. If erasable paper makes it to market, paper sales will drop. That’s fine with the Xerox’s chief technology officer Sophie Vandebroek. Her mission is to create a profitable business helping companies make do with fewer printers and copiers and less paper. Other new inventions include block ink that doesn’t require a cartridge and high-yield paper which uses half as many trees as traditional paper. Xerox is saving money for its customers, helping them pollute less – and is making money doing it. The company is accomplishing this without being told to … [Read more...]

When a volunteer from the United Kingdom met a young Middle Eastern man in Jerusalem’s old city and invited him to a Bible study, he had no idea he was talking to the son of a key figure in the Hamas terrorist organization. LA JOLLA, Calif. (BP) – When a volunteer from the United Kingdom met a young Middle Eastern man in Jerusalem’s old city and invited him to a Bible study, he had no idea he was talking to the son of a key figure in the Hamas terrorist organization. And while the volunteer surely hoped Masab Yousef would hear the Gospel and accept Christ, he had no clue how that invitation – and Yousef’s decision for Christ four years later – would eventually reverberate throughout the Middle East and perhaps even the world. “These guys were just going out and asking people to come for the Bible study,” Yousef told Baptist Press. “I didn’t even understand his English. He was talking to me by signals and I understood the invitation from his signals.” But in 2000, Yousef, who now prefers to be known as “Joseph,” was an open-minded 22-year-old Muslim, clean-shaven and dressed in jeans instead of the traditional garb of Palestinian Arabs. Despite his preference for Western ways, Joseph was the eldest son of Hassan Yousef, … [Read more...]

Earth stewardship isn’t typically a basis for ministry in most of today’s churches, but the members of New Chapel Hill Baptist Church are changing that in their corner of the world. WEST MONROE – Earth stewardship isn’t typically a basis for ministry in most of today’s churches, but the members of New Chapel Hill Baptist Church are changing that in their corner of the world. It began when Amy Dupree, adult daughter to Charles Dupree, pastor at New Chapel Hill, moved back to West Monroe last August. She had been living in Louisville, Kentucky where recycling is just the way trash pick-up is done. Residents divide their trash into recyclables and non-recyclables. Dupree was “kind of disappointed” that West Monroe wasn’t doing the same thing. “Recycling is easy,” she said. “And it’s important for the earth. Why not do it?” So, she approached the congregation at her father’s church to see if people would be willing to recycle their garbage. Everyone embraced the idea, and Green Earth Ministry was born. Dupree contacted West Monroe’s paper recycling company, Recycling Services, to get a dumpster placed at the church specifically for recyclables. “It’s a free service,” she said. “It took us a while to get it … [Read more...]