First Baptist Lafayette plans several events and on-going activities in the next few weeks: 12-step recovery group, DivorceCare and GriefShare support groups, the Chinese Ministry’s 20th anniversary, plus IGNITE for high school juniors and seniors, and college students, and REFRESH for women. First Baptist Lafayette Evangeline Baptist Association  LAFAYETTE – First Baptist Lafayette plans several events and on-going activities in the next few weeks: 12-step recovery group, DivorceCare and GriefShare support groups, the Chinese Ministry’s 20th anniversary, plus IGNITE for high school juniors and seniors, and college students, and REFRESH for women.  Here is a list of the events that are planned: A 12-Step recovery group is to start Aug. 31 at 4:45 p.m. at the church. The purpose of the group is to have fellowship and celebrate God’s healing power in lives. By applying biblical principles, participants begin to grow spiritually and have the opportunity to become free from addictive, compulsive, and dysfunctional behaviors, explained Media Minister Dennis Clark. The process creates peace, serenity, joy and most importantly, a stronger personal relationship with God and others. A new session of DivorceCare begins at … [Read more...]

Several youth from Clifton Baptist Church graduated; several middle schoolers were moving up, and Jeff Tinsley was new as youth director and husband to Andrea Dunigan Tinsley, so a group-bonding retreat was planned for mid-July. Clifton Baptist Church Washington Baptist Association FRANKLINTON – Several youth from Clifton Baptist Church graduated; several middle schoolers were moving up, and Jeff Tinsley was new as youth director and husband to Andrea Dunigan Tinsley, so a group-bonding retreat was planned for mid-July. Nine youth – ages 12-18 – and accompanying adults went to Covenant Camp Retreat Facility in Fairfield Bay, Ark., on the shores of Greer’s Ferry Lake. “We focused on a Bible study of Moses, with a mountain-top experience theme from Micah 4:2,” said Lynette Lindsey, a member at Clifton who went with the youth on their summertime adventure. “The group had morning and evening devotions, with our days filled with trips to several places like Branson, Silver Dollar City and Ride the Ducks,” Lindsey continued in an email to the Message.  “Our day in Eureka Springs began with worship at Thorncrown Chapel, then the Holy Land Tour, Christ of the Ozarks, and ended with the Passion Play,” Lindsey … [Read more...]

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COMINGS AND GOINGS Jeff Smart, new as pastor, First Baptist, Swartz.   NEEDED St. Landry Baptist needs 15-passenger van; call 318.838.2655 or 337.331.1974. Joshua Adams, pastor. Pastors: Erath Baptist, Erath; First Baptist, Breaux Bridge; First Baptist, Jeannerette; First Baptist, Morgan City; Kaplan Baptist, Kaplan; Teche Baptist, Centerville.   ANNIVERSARIES AND CELEBRATIONS Destry McFearin, music minister, celebrates 15th anniversary of ministry at Hebron Baptist, Denham Springs. GLENMORA – Amiable Baptist celebrates 180th anniversary 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 31; music, testimonies, covered dish lunch; Kelly Boggs, speaker, Bill Calloway, pastor.   REVIVALS   MONROE/WEST MONROE  –   Host churches for Senior Adult Progressive Revival: Highland Baptist, West Monroe,  Monday; Lakeshore Baptist, Monroe, Tuesday; Mt. Vernon Baptist, West Monroe, Wednesday 10 a.m. Sept. 8 – 10; Bob Utley, evangelist; Dave St. Andre, music leader; lunch $3. HEFLIN – Jack Daniels Ministries First Friday Camp Meeting 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5; David Watkins, speaker; Brad Mount, music.   CHURCH AND ASSOCIATION EVENTS   SWARTZ – First Baptist: Young at Heart meeting 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2, … [Read more...]

For the second year in a row, Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home brought home a top award from the Southwestern Association of Child Care Executives Conference. For the second year in a row, Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home brought home a top award from the Southwestern Association of Child Care Executives Conference. The association includes 50 Christian child care agencies from Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico and Missouri. This year Thomas and Reba O’Neal of Grace Cottage were presented the 2008 Thomas E. Roberts Award during the annual workshop luncheon in Plano, Texas, on June 24th.  Ken and Arlene Hudson of Hope Cottage took home the prize in 2007. The award recognizes individuals for their professionalism, commitment, character, dedication, length of service and contribution to quality child care services and programs. The O’Neals have served at LBCH for 24 years. They have parented 129 children and 75 newborns during their time at the Home. Currently they have eight children – four girls and four boys – in their cottage. “We know that this is a calling. It didn’t just happen.” Reba O’Neal said. “We had no children of our own, but God has blessed us with many here at the Children’s Home,” … [Read more...]

LBC Executive Director David E. Hankins is pleased to announce Stacy Morgan as the new Church Administration Strategist in the Pastoral Leadership Team led by Bill Robertson. ALEXANDRIA – LBC Executive Director David E. Hankins is pleased to announce Stacy Morgan as the new Church Administration Strategist in the Pastoral Leadership Team led by Bill Robertson. “Stacy brings a wealth of pastoral experience to the team as well as knowledge in administration.  He has a great love for pastors and a desire to minister to our churches. We look forward to his service with us,” Bill Robertson said. Morgan is a graduate of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity), and Louisiana State University (Bachelor of Science).  Morgan most recently served as pastor at Jerusalem Baptist Church, Hammond.  He has also served as pastor at New Horizon Baptist Church, Baton Rouge, Philadelphia Baptist Church, Deville, and Pine Grove Baptist Church, Livingston.  In college, he served as youth director at Oakcrest Baptist Church, Baton Rouge.  Morgan’s pastoral experience aids his service to pastors and church leadership in the Louisiana Baptist Convention. “I’m excited about this opportunity to serve pastors.  A stronger … [Read more...]

Louisiana College has once again been named in the U.S. News and World Report’s America’s Best Colleges report. PINEVILLE – Louisiana College has once again been named in the U.S. News and World Report’s America’s Best Colleges report. The 2009 edition has ranked Louisiana College 45 in the Southern region, liberal arts category, out of 319 baccalaureate colleges in the nation. “It’s always an honor to be recognized in this prestigious publication,“ said Joe Aguillard, president of Louisiana College. “We work diligently to garner this kind of national recognition.” The method that the U.S. News & World Report uses to rank colleges and universities consists of several steps. First, the colleges are categorized by their mission and region, and they gather data from each on up to 16 indicators of academic excellence. The colleges in each category are ranked against their peers, based on their composite score. The U.S. News rankings are based on key measures of quality, which include: academic reputation, graduation and retention rates, student selectivity, faculty to student ratio and alumni giving. Founded in 1906, Louisiana College, a private, Baptist coeducational college, awards a Bachelor of Arts, … [Read more...]

In a state with oil rigs on its state capitol grounds, the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma is developing an oil field chaplaincy program. OKLAHOMA CITY (BP) – In a state with oil rigs on its state capitol grounds, the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma is developing an oil field chaplaincy program. “There are 60,000-plus people in Oklahoma employed in the oil and gas industry,” said Tom Beddow, who is coordinating the new outreach in conjunction with BGCO chaplaincy specialist Paul Bettis. Wherever there’s an oil and gas field in the state, Beddow said, there is a Baptist church. “And in those churches are men and women who have or are currently working in the oil and gas industry. We want to find them, train them and send them into the community as chaplains,” Beddow said. The mission statement of the new chaplaincy ministry is to be available anytime, anywhere to be a caring and supportive presence in the lives of oil and gas industry personnel and their families. Beddow, in addition to serving on the BGCO staff, has been appointed by the North American Mission Board. He previously served as director of counseling and family ministry at First Baptist Church in McAlester, Okla. Earlier, he owned an … [Read more...]

Inflation didn’t eat away all of the average Southern Baptist pastor’s pay increase over the past two years, but it came close. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – Inflation didn’t eat away all of the average Southern Baptist pastor’s pay increase over the past two years, but it came close. That’s one finding of the SBC Church Compensation Study, a survey of 12,854 staff positions in Southern Baptist churches. The survey was conducted by LifeWay Research in cooperation with GuideStone Financial Resources and Baptist state conventions through July 1, 2008. The study also found that almost two-thirds of churches are partially or fully paying for their full-time senior pastor to have medical insurance and that compensation can vary significantly depending on geography, worship attendance and the pastor’s experience and education. All the data acquired by the study has been compiled into a Web-based tool that will help churches as they begin planning staff compensation packages for their 2009 budgets. Adjusting for church size, the average full-time Southern Baptist senior pastor’s compensation (salary and housing) rose 7.26 percent between 2006 and 2008, compared to the compounded 7.01 percent inflation rate for the same period … [Read more...]

When a local utility company in one of southeastern Europe’s Balkan countries shut off electricity to poor neighborhoods this past winter, Southern Baptists stepped in to help. And when those same families had trouble finding food this spring, community leaders knew where to turn. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--When a local utility company in one of southeastern Europe’s Balkan countries shut off electricity to poor neighborhoods this past winter, Southern Baptists stepped in to help. And when those same families had trouble finding food this spring, community leaders knew where to turn. “The situation this past winter was desperate,” said Edward Vaughan*, a Southern Baptist field partner in the area. “Members of the minority group here are severely below the poverty line. Unemployment is very high and families have very little by way of finances. “When many families couldn’t pay their utility bills, the local electric company shut off their power for much of the day,” he added. “With the high temperatures in the low 40s and lows in the 20s – and little or no heat in the home – children were coming to school with frostbite issues. The head of a local school asked if we could help.” An emergency request for $22,220 in relief … [Read more...]