Nine years ago, Mike was a floppy- haired, sandal-wearing youth pastor in DeQuincy La. KINDER – Nine years ago, Mike was a floppy- haired, sandal-wearing youth pastor in DeQuincy La.  (Mike is still floppy haired, and he still wears sandals.)   Mike began to pray for the churches in his area, praying especially for those with no pastor. FirstBaptistChurch of Kinder was one of those churches.   Not only did they not have a pastor, but also had only a few people. Some thought the church would not make it. But, God had other plans.   The only members of First Baptist Church of Kinder were five mission minded ladies who continued to pray that God would send them a leader to revitalize their struggling church.   It must have been a funny “pulpit committee meeting” when these ladies invited Mike Paxton to consider being their pastor.  The floppy haired youth pastor and the five ladies agreed to “give it a try” and the ministry was reborn.   The Georgia Barnette Missions offering allowed the church to call a pastor and keep the doors open.   “If the Georgia Barnette Mission offering had not underwritten my salary, we don’t know what we would have done. We had four kids to feed and a … [Read more...]

Some 800 children and adults gathered at Louisiana College March 2 for Missions Jamboree (M-JAM), a day of mission awareness and activities for children. PINEVILLE – Some 800 children and adults gathered at LouisianaCollege March 2 for Missions Jamboree (M-JAM), a day of mission awareness and activities for children.   Christian illusionist Jim Chester (see his ad on p. 13) captivated the audience as his comical and entertaining tricks demonstrated principles that presented the Gospel.   “The girls have really loved Jim …. It’s wonderful to see this many children all together,” said Linda Patterson of First Baptist Jennings.   The theme “Yes Lord” was evident throughout the day as children made commitments to Christ, and learned from missionaries how their talents can be used on the mission field.   “Missionaries tell people about God, travel around to places and tell people about Jesus,” AJ Bricker of First Baptist Monroe said. AJ attended M-Jam with his father, Adam.   “You’re never too old to learn more about Christ and missions!” Adam Bricker said.   Missions Jamboree provides an “opportunity for children to meet ‘real live missionaries’ and put a face to the names they talk about. It … [Read more...]

Louisiana  College Theater presents classic   “The Importance of Being Ernest,” a classic British comedy by Oscar Wilde is to open at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 21 through March 24 and March 29 through March 31, plus matinee performances at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 25, and Sunday, April 1. In addition, performances for area high school students are to take place at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, March 22 and Tuesday, March 27. Admission: $10 for adults; $8 for students. Group rates are available for groups with 10 or more. For more information contact Tammy Killian, Artistic Director, at 318-487-7594. For more information about the daytime school performances call 318-487-7227.     Artist in Residence to give piano recital   Katerina Zaitseva, Artist in Residence and piano instructor at LouisianaCollege, is to give a piano recital at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 22, in LC’s Presser Recital Hall. Zaitseva is to play works by Liszt, Schumann, and a rarely performed concerto by the 19th century Russian composer Glazunov. Zaitseva also is scheduled to perform this piece  in May with the Corvallis Symphony in Oregon, and in June inMoscow, Russia, with the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra.   The LC piano recital is … [Read more...]

SHREVEPORT – Perry Sanders, retired pastor of First Baptist, Lafayette, was guest speaker March 18-21 in revival services at Haynes Avenue Baptist. Mike Anderson is pastor.   HARRISONBURG – Ouachita Baptist Association’s spring evangelism rally is set for Sunday, March 25, at First Baptist Harrisonburg. Pre-rally services are to be-gin at 5:30 p.m. “In honor of Bro. Mack Walker’s 50th anniversary in ministry, he has been asked to be our guest speaker,” notes The Proclamation associational newsletter. The Lisemby Family is to bring special music.   LAKE PROVIDENCE – A special resolution was made at the February business meeting of First Baptist, recognizing the 26-year ministry of Church Clerk Hattie Tedder, who died Feb. 13.   EOLA – Revival services are set for 6:30 p.m. during “Five Marvelous Monday Nights in April” at Eola Baptist, where Roger Whittington is interim pastor. Guest speakers and worship leaders:   April 2: Charles Bigner of Ponchatoula; Faithful Heart Ladies Ensemble, from First Baptist, Pine Prairie.   April 9: Roland Fontenot, Trinity, New Iberia; Three Cats Screaming in a Barrel, Tech, BreauxBridge.   April 16: Kenneth Crumbley, St. Matthew, … [Read more...]

Staff changes   n      Stan (wife Alise) Wyant, new as pastor at Lismore Baptist in Jonesville.   n      Dennis (wife Donna) Campbell, new as pastor at First Baptist in Newellton   n      Billy Edwards, new as pastor at Atlanta Baptist in Atlanta. He comes from First Baptist, Bunkie.   n      Bill Callaway, new as pastor at Amiable Baptist, Glenmora.       Seeking staff   n      Summer intern needed to assist the Minister of Education and Youth in all areas of youth, children, and college ministries at First Baptist Church of Homer, La., for June and July 2007. We are looking for a male, preferably 21 years old. Compensation is $200 per week, furnished appt and meals, as well as ministry expenses. Contact Christina Sebastian at (318)927-3596x21 orchristinasebastian@msn.com.   n      Part-time music minister needed at Cypremort Point Baptist Mission. Call 337-896-3947 or email chadathib@yahoo.com   n      Youth minister for First Baptist, Longville, PO Box 88, Longville LA 70652. Stuart Graves is pastor. n      Churches without pastors in Ouachita Baptist Association: New Era, Sicily Island First Baptist, … [Read more...]

On any given night, someone somewhere in the state of Alabama is guarding the perimeter of a Baptist church to keep from finding it in ashes the next morning. CENTREVILLE, Ala. (BP) – On any given night, someone somewhere in the state of Alabama is guarding the perimeter of a Baptist church to keep from finding it in ashes the next morning.   That’s reality in rural Alabama a year after five small Baptist congregations in BibbCounty awakened to find that arsonists had struck their churches during the night, burning three to the ground and damaging two in February 2006. Several days later, four Baptist congregations in west Alabama found their churches had suffered the same fate.   And while three college-aged men were arrested a month later for the nine fires, sporadic arson attacks on churches of different denominations continued to plague the state. Rocky MountBaptistChurch in TalladegaCounty joined the list of arson victims last October.   Jim Parker, pastor of AshbyBaptistChurch in Brierfield, said a year of sifting through the ashes hasn’t been altogether bad. What seemed like a brutal step backward actually has put his church nearly a decade ahead in its growth process, he told The Alabama … [Read more...]

Having examined various blogs by young pastors whom some might see as angry, Greg Thornbury concluded that the sentiment is more frustration than anger over a lack of answers to the question of what it means to be a Baptist. Third in a series of four.   JACKSON, Tenn. (BP) – Having examined various blogs by young pastors whom some might see as angry, Greg Thornbury concluded that the sentiment is more frustration than anger over a lack of answers to the question of what it means to be a Baptist.   That frustration, said Thornbury, dean of Union University’s school of Christian studies, isn’t limited to a certain segment of Southern Baptist life but encompasses those who bemoan the lack of respect for men in positions of authority, those lamenting the demise of revivalism and the rise of Calvinism, and Calvinists tired of being misrepresented as anti-evangelistic.   Thornbury urged such individuals not to give up on the SBC in speaking on the topic “The ‘Angry Young Men’ of the SBC” at Union’s Baptist Identity Conference Feb. 15-17 in Jackson, Tenn.   “Let us not too quickly abandon the Baptist ship,” Thornbury said. “It may not be the Good Ship Lollipop, but it is the best vessel that we have. Stay on … [Read more...]

Because of a series of events that have challenged my faith beyond the point I thought I could be challenged, I have really come to understand the exhortations from Scripture about praying with confidence and according to God’s will. Emily, on a two-year IMB assignment in Central Asia from TrinityHeights Baptist in Shreveport, wrote the following in her blog, posted on the church’s website: www.trinityheights.org.       Because of a series of events that have challenged my faith beyond the point I thought I could be challenged, I have really come to understand the exhortations from Scripture about praying with confidence and according to God’s will. When I first moved overseas, I understood the idea that prayer was central to the work that we were doing, but my prayers tended to focus on things that were nothing out of the ordinary for God.       For instance, I would ask for things like protection when I was in a taxi, or grace and memory during a language lesson, or a time of conversation with a neighbor. Please don’t hear me saying that these are bad things to ask for, because they are not; but in the last few months I have really begun to ask HIM for things that are … [Read more...]

The chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff has defended the Pentagon’s ban on homosexuals in the military by saying same-sex acts are “immoral” and similar to adultery. WASHINGTON (BP) – The chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff has defended the Pentagon’s ban on homosexuals in the military by saying same-sex acts are “immoral” and similar to adultery.   While many Americans would agree with that assessment by Gen. Peter Pace, representatives of homosexual activist organizations decried it and called for an apology.   In responding to a question in a ‘wide-ranging inteview’ about what is known as the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, Pace told a group of editors and reporters with the Chicago Tribune in a March 12 meeting, “I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts. I do not believe the United States is well served by a policy that says it is OK to be immoral in any way.   “As an individual, I would not want [acceptance of gay behavior] to be our policy,” he said, “just like I would not want it to be our policy that if we were to find out that so-and-so was sleeping with somebody else’s wife, that we would just look the … [Read more...]

The sun shone bright and warm Aug. 19 as a martial anthem glorifying communism and the old Soviet Union echoed across Moscow’s Red Square. MOSCOW – The sun shone bright and warm Aug. 19 as a martial anthem glorifying communism and the old Soviet Union echoed acrossMoscow’s Red Square.   The music, blaring from a dented, Soviet-era loudspeaker set up just outside the square, commemorated the 15th anniversary of a failed hardline coup attempt against reformist Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.   Tanks rolled through Moscow that August day in 1991, but hundreds of thousands of ordinary Russians flooded the streets to protest the coup. Key military units joined the people, the hardliners were arrested and the once-mighty Soviet Union, already crumbling, soon was history.   This year, a tiny group of aging communists gathered in front of the red-brick edifice of the LeninMuseum to mark the anniversary – and to bemoan the end of the Soviet empire. A few elderly true-believers held red flags bearing the communist hammer and sickle, while speakers called for the return of communism.   “Leninism! Stalinism! Death to capitalism!” they chanted at one point. Then they marched around the outside … [Read more...]