Submitted by philip on Mon, 12/01/2014 - 11:50 Ken Taylor stands on the front steps of Gentilly Baptist Church in New Orleans where the shooting took place as people left through the front doors to go home following Sunday morning worship two years ago. By Marilyn Stewart, Regional Reporter NEW ORLEANS – Gun violence in New Orleans’ quiet Gentilly neighborhood used to be rare, but after four shootings within a twelve-month period rocked Gentilly Baptist Church, pastor Ken Taylor decided something had to change. That “something” was him, and Taylor began visiting crime scenes to care for hurting people, even scenes marked by the faint imprint of Voodoo. Taylor’s commitment came in the wake of a church family grieving the loss of two teenage sons whose deaths occurred mere months apart and after a double-murder nearby took place while one victim’s brother played basketball in the church gym. Terrifying most of all was the Sunday morning eighteen months ago when a man was shot in front of the church as he left the worship service to go home, Taylor said. “The shootings certainly brought home to us what we knew the city has been facing for a long time,” Taylor said. “It personalized it for us more.” As crime reports … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Mon, 12/01/2014 - 11:53 Volunteers gather around a loaded shipping container which is bound for Romania and should around in time for Christmas. This is the 73rd container sent to Romania by Fairhaven Hope Ministries in Covington. The ministry which will celebrate its 49th year in January has also sent numerous containers to Haiti following the disastrous earthquake. ON THE MOVE Steve (wife Kimberly) McAlister new as pastor at Westside Baptist Church, Natchitoches. REVIVAL Standard Baptist Church, Olla: Revival, Dec 7-11, 6:30 p.m. each evening. Speaker: Scotty McDowell. For more information, contact Pastor Shad Tibbs 318.374.0235. LAGNIAPPE First Baptist Church, Baker: Seeking a pianist. The person would play for prayer meeting on Wednesday night, as well as choir practice. On Sunday it would be two services -- 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Please send resumes to the attention of the Personnel Committee to our church’s email account: fbcbkr@att.net or mail it to First Baptist Church Baker, Attention: Personnel Committee, 3213 Groom Road, Baker, La. 70714. Louisiana College invites everyone to this year’s performance of Christmas on the Hill, Dec. 4-5, 7 p.m. in Guinn Auditorium. Pleasant Hill … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Mon, 12/01/2014 - 12:01 Michael Burkhardt (left) and David Abernathy (right) survey the damage to a house caused by a tornado in Northeast Louisiana in early October. A total of 55 volunteers worked over a seven day period with clean up. By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer Despite a relatively quiet year, Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief officials are not letting their guard down for what 2015 may bring. “It was very quiet for our teams,” said Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief State Director Gibbie McMillan. “That makes you a little nervous and wonder what next year will bring to us. “I hear we may be in for a severe winter because of a mild summer that we had,” he continued. “When the time comes, we will be there. The Lord provides the volunteers whenever disaster strikes.” This year, Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief teams responded to two major disasters – in May to a tornado in Mississippi and in October to a tornado in Monroe. Mississippi tornado When Alice Livingston discovered oak and pine trees had fallen on her home, she wondered where the help would come from. That help arrived in the form of a team of Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers. “There couldn’t have been … [Read more...]

By Dan Biser, Pastor of Zoar Baptist Church, Augusta, West Virginia In my Bible reading recently, I read through Song of Solomon (Canticles) and began reading Isaiah. So much is revealed in these pages that speaks to our current plight. Canticles 1:6, “They made me a keeper of the vineyards, [but] I have not kept my own vineyard.” Is this true of you as we approach the final two months of the year? So busy with work, family and other responsibilities that you have fallen behind and forgotten the most important thing, to keep your soul before the Lord? How often do we tend to others and to life itself, and neglect the most important things. We know the Lord is neither happy nor pleased when we neglect the Bible, prayer, fellowship and intimacy with Him. Renew, confess and restore your walk even now and finish the year well. Canticles 3:4, “When I found the one I love, I held on to him and would not let him go.” Here is the clinging passion of a soul that longs after Christ. Find Him, hold onto Him and never let go of Him, the One your soul loves. Reflect on all the ways that the circumstances of your life teach, remind and bring you close to Christ. Canticles 4:16, “Blow on my garden, and spread the fragrance of its … [Read more...]

By Brian Koonce, Staff Writer MBC The Pathway A buddy and I headed to the gun range the other day so I could show off my new rifle. Since I’d spent quite a bit money on the rifle and scope, I decided to save a few bucks by mounting the scope while sitting at the kitchen table instead of paying a professional to do the work. We warmed up with my buddy’s rifle, a tried-and-true beauty built from a 77-year-old German Mauser. My friend is a far better marksman than I am, but I was hitting the target within 2 inches of my point-of-aim at 100 yards, which isn’t too bad for me considering I was using an unfamiliar rifle. Then we tried my new American-made Remington, guaranteed to be tack-driving accurate right out of the box. My first shots were 5-ish inches from hitting my mark. So I dialed in my scope to what should yield dead-on results, concentrated on my breathing and fired another couple of rounds. My buddy peered through the spotting scope to tell me what I knew were going to be stellar marks. Now, he shared, they were 12 inches from the bull’s-eye -- what’s worse, they were 12 inches from the bull’s-eye on the target to the left of where I’d been aiming. My buddy gave my gun a try and hit a grouping about 8 inches from the mark … [Read more...]

Dear Louisiana Baptist Family, We are writing from Entebbe, Uganda where we serve with your International Mission Board. We’re Louisiana natives sent out by you and our home church, Dry Creek Baptist Church. The purpose of this letter is to encourage each of you to give generously to this year’s Lottie Moon Mission Offering. Our Chadan Engagement Team (serving South Sudan, southern Chad, and their borderlands) is the beneficiary of your giving. Due to your gifts to both Lottie Moon and the Cooperative Program, our team is able to reach the Least Reached in this challenging part of Africa. We thank you. We urge you to give above and beyond so more willing workers can come to the harvest fields. We have released an ebook, ‘Trampled Grass,’ sharing how God is working along the borders of Uganda and South Sudan. It is filled with stories and images showing how your giving makes a difference on the ground. All proceeds from Trampled Grass go to Lottie Moon. Learn more at Amazon.com or www.creekbank.net Curt and DeDe Iles   To the Editor There is Good News in response to the article that recently appeared in the Baptist Message entitled “The Good News gets the cold shoulder in Portland.” The article reported on the … [Read more...]

Forbes, U.S. Congressman (R-VA) and member of Great Bridge Baptist Church The American government is rooted in the fundamental truth that all are created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Our Constitution was uniquely crafted as a democracy designed to protect us from the natural human impulse to crowd out those with whom we disagree. Freedom was won with blood and sacrifice and has been continually defended with the same, but preserving it for future generations requires more than just physical defense. Each generation must be taught anew what our freedoms cost and why we must defend them for everyone. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The first clause of the First Amendment was born out of a deeply divided approach to religious freedom in the American colonies. Some colonies, like Pennsylvania, were founded with an open invitation to people from all religious traditions to be free to live out their faith without restraint. Others had government-established churches consistent with many European traditions. In Virginia, citizens who were not members of the … [Read more...]