Ministry to boomers and young adults must change if these generational groups are going to be reached for Christ, according to information learned from studies conducted by LifeWay Research and shared at the Oct. 20-22 Adult Ministry Institute. NASHVILLE, Tenn., – Ministry to boomers and young adults must change if these generational groups are going to be reached for Christ, according to information learned from studies conducted by LifeWay Research and shared at the Oct. 20-22 Adult Ministry Institute. Attendees of the conference – ministers and young adult leaders from across the country – gathered at the home office of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville, Tenn., to find out ways their churches can address the impending crisis. Boomers Bill Craig, director of LifeWay’s business and ministry development area said that boomers – the generation of Americans born between 1946 and 1964 which make up about 26 percent of the U.S. population – want their lives to matter and want to make networks and connections that will meet their needs. Churches can’t just offer a bus trip to this group and expect them to come. Churches will have to help boomers find meaning in their … [Read more...]

CBS and other broadcast television networks increasingly are pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable entertainment as the Federal Communications Commission, the government body charged with enforcing indecency laws, awaits an upcoming Supreme Court hearing in order to determine a response. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – CBS and other broadcast television networks increasingly are pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable entertainment as the Federal Communications Commission, the government body charged with enforcing indecency laws, awaits an upcoming Supreme Court hearing in order to determine a response. The Parents Television Council, a nonpartisan watchdog group, filed an indecency complaint with the FCC after an Oct. 20 episode of the CBS show “Two and a Half Men” which featured a three-minute-long strip club scene featuring a lap dance. The show aired at 8 p.m. in the Central and Mountain time zones, violating a law that prohibits the airing of indecent material before 10 p.m. “The scene was in no way ‘fleeting’ or accidental; rather, it was specifically written into this scripted program,” Tim Winter, PTC’s president, said in a news release. “It’s high time for CBS to be held accountable for violating the … [Read more...]

The bright and colorful walls inside the Baptist Friendship House just a few blocks from the French Quarter in New Orleans reflect an atmosphere of hope – hope in Christ, who is proclaimed daily here, as well as the hope that exudes from Kay Bennett, the director of the ministry. NEW ORLEANS (BP) – The bright and colorful walls inside the Baptist Friendship House just a few blocks from the French Quarter in New Orleans reflect an atmosphere of hope – hope in Christ, who is proclaimed daily here, as well as the hope that exudes from Kay Bennett, the director of the ministry.  That hope is in stark contrast with the misery Bennett’s clients have endured before showing up at the ministry. Most are mothers who have been so abused by spouses or boyfriends that they must seek refuge and protection. They arrive with their young children and just a few belongings. Bennett and her staff welcome them, give them lodging if there’s room and then start the process of helping them back on their feet so they can provide for their family. It’s a task that has become more difficult and time-consuming since Hurricane Katrina.  “We provide literacy training, GED preparation, computer skills, life skills, job readiness training,” Bennett … [Read more...]

The peace of God seemed to permeate the 161st annual meeting of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, which took place at First Baptist Church of New Orleans, and the pastor’s conference that preceded it in Leavell Chapel on the campus of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. NEW ORLEANS – The peace of God seemed to permeate the 161st annual meeting of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, which took place at First Baptist Church of New Orleans, and the pastor’s conference that preceded it in Leavell Chapel on the campus of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. It was a peace that was palpable, several pastors said, in great measure because of the words of Chuck Kelley, NOBTS president, who was first speaker at the pastor’s conference and Bible study leader at the annual meeting. “Trouble’s on its way,” Kelley preached during four times at the podium. “But God’s got you in his grip and He’s not letting go.” At one point in his messages that drove home his “God’s holding on” point, Kelly preached, “We will always have trouble in our lives but we will never have a trouble that God will not redeem,” and his hearers across the auditorium visibly relaxed at the reminder. The annual meeting itself was sandwiched between … [Read more...]

More than 1,600 people have indicated online that they prayed to receive Christ for salvation after watching a three-minute video of evangelist Ronnie Hill’s testimony, which starts by recounting his birth to a 17-year-old rape victim who decided against abortion. FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) – More than 1,600 people have indicated online that they prayed to receive Christ for salvation after watching a three-minute video of evangelist Ronnie Hill’s testimony, which starts by recounting his birth to a 17-year-old rape victim who decided against abortion. Since January, Hill and others have been directing people to www.threeminutestory.com where they can watch his three-minute testimony and then register to win a new car or truck in a Dec. 12 drawing. The winner will choose between a Dodge Ram, a Jeep Wrangler or a Chrysler 300. At the end of October, nearly 28,000 visits to the website had been logged and more than 6,300 people had registered to win the vehicle, Hill told Baptist Press. In addition to those numbers, countless other individuals have prayed to receive Christ after watching a DVD of Hill’s three-minute testimony at county fairs, festivals, parks, ball games, block parties and other places where churches have … [Read more...]

Since its beginning as a vision of First Baptist Church Pineville in 1988, Main Street Mission has seen its share of ups and downs. Pastors have come and gone, ways of ministering have changed, but Main Street Mission still stands strong. PINEVILLE – Since its beginning as a vision of First Baptist Church Pineville in 1988, Main Street Mission has seen its share of ups and downs. Pastors have come and gone, ways of ministering have changed, but Main Street Mission still stands strong. Today, Herb Cady serves as pastor. Cady served as a missionary in Kenya for 19 years, before God led him to Pineville. In May of 2007 he became pastor to Main Street Mission along with substituting at schools in Rapides Parish. Main Street Mission provides many services to people in the area, including the purchase of school supplies, a food bank on every second Thursday of the month, and worship services on Sunday and Wednesday. These ministries are only possible by funding from different churches in the North Rapides Association and the North Rapides WMU. Cady said he would love to see more ministries open up, such as after-school activities and tutoring. “God is really working through this ministry,” Cady said. At one time … [Read more...]

“Welcome to the inside of a miracle,” said President Chuck Kelley, standing at the podium in Leavell Chapel on the campus of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He described what the chapel looked like after Hurricane Katrina, and then said, “We serve a God who is a great outstanding redeemer. We will always have trouble in our lives but we will never have a trouble that God will not redeem.” NEW ORLEANS – “Welcome to the inside of a miracle,” said President Chuck Kelley, standing at the podium in Leavell Chapel on the campus of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He described what the chapel looked like after Hurricane Katrina, and then said, “We serve a God who is a great outstanding redeemer. We will always have trouble in our lives but we will never have a trouble that God will not redeem.” Kelley was the first of five speakers to bring messages during the Louisiana Baptist Convention Pastor’s Conference. His scripture: Acts 20:17-27. At various times during the six-hour session, participants elected new officers for the 2009 LBC Pastor’s Conference; each one unanimously: Ken Fryer, pastor of First Baptist Greenwood, was elected president. Chad Mills, pastor of First Baptist Oil City, was elected vice … [Read more...]

In the days since our election, I’ve daily thought of the long-ago events at Appomattox Courthouse, Va., where our Civil War ended on April 9, 1865. In the days since our election, I’ve daily thought of the long-ago events at Appomattox Courthouse, Va., where our Civil War ended on April 9, 1865. I’ve visited that site twice. Each time, standing in the living room of the restored McLean House, I’ve experienced an overwhelming sense of history where Generals Grant and Lee sat down and ended our nation’s bloody war. Ulysses S. Grant was well-known for his tenacity and nickname, “Unconditional Surrender.” Grant, however, on this day of victory, was gracious in his dealings with the defeated Southern army. Equally gracious in defeat was Robert E. Lee. Everyone present that day commented on the dignified attitudes and actions of both men. The next day, the defeated Confederates stacked their arms and turned in their battle flags, while the Union Army silently watched. Every man present on that day was deeply moved by the events. Union Gen. Joshua Chamberlain told this story: “As a Confederate soldier folded his battle flag, tearfully laying it on the stacked rifles, he stepped back and pointed to the nearby American … [Read more...]

I have a friend whose daughter is a freshman at LSU. Though she was raised in Louisiana, they currently reside in another state. But my friend’s daughter is a Louisiana girl and her dream was to go to LSU. I have a friend whose daughter is a freshman at LSU.  Though she was raised in Louisiana, they currently reside in another state.  But my friend’s daughter is a Louisiana girl and her dream was to go to LSU. This young lady has all the excitement of an eighteen-year-old looking forward to the next phase of her life.  Her parents are proud that she is growing up and is taking such a big step in life.  But like all good parents, they worry about their daughter. When my friend’s daughter enrolled at LSU, she filled out papers telling about herself with the hope of getting a roommate with which she could reasonably live.  She is a committed Christian.  Her father has served as the pastor of several churches in Louisiana.  However, it seems that the powers that be at LSU decided that she needed to have her horizons expanded and placed her in a room with a militant lesbian. This is not a theoretical lesbian, this is real life.  My friend’s daughter has thrownup because her roommate brought home her lesbian lover and they … [Read more...]

In time, obedient followers take on the character of their leader. SHREVEPORT – In time, obedient followers take on the character of their leader. That’s the essence of “Consecration,” the third principle of evangelism, as described by Robert Coleman in The Master Plan of Evangelism (MPE). The first two principles were “Selection” and “Association.” For the first three articles in this series, see www.      baptistmessage.com and search for “Evangelism.” Jesus required obedience, Coleman wrote. Required. Yet at the same time, he didn’t disown the disciples who exhibited less-than-perfect behavior. He recognized they were in the process, they were becoming more obedient as they became more submissive to his absolute sovereignty and as they absorbed more of his character. The disciples bickered, sought prominence, were envious, indignant and unnecessarily harsh, Coleman wrote with appropriate scripture references. “Yet Jesus patiently endured these human failings of his chosen disciples, because in spite of all their shortcomings, they were willing to follow him. … He knew they could master these defects as they grew in grace and knowledge. … “Obedience to Christ thus was the very means by which those in his … [Read more...]