The educational opportunities of pastors and leaders in the Concord Union Association continue to improve because of Association and church funded scholarships for study through Seminary Extension.     RUSTON — The educational opportunities of pastors and leaders in the Concord Union Association continue to improve because of Association and church funded scholarships for study through Seminary Extension.   The Seminary Extension program, which is sponsored by the Southern Baptist Convention’s six seminaries and directed through the Nashville office, provides educational opportunities for students who may not be able to travel to seminaries or take classes in traditional ways, said Barry Joyner, Director of Missions for the Concord Union Association and director of the Seminary Extension Center here. Classes take place at the missions and ministry center on Tuesday nights for about 3 hours for 14 weeks.   "It’s a wonderful educational opportunity for people who want to further their knowledge of the Bible and sharpen their skills in the ministry," he said. "The classes help students to develop the use of their gifts and their abilities so that they can further their ministries. We offer two semesters in a year, so they can … [Read more...]

The rolling red clay hills of Lincoln Parish, covered by tall pine forests and hardwood bottoms, gives way to the more varied landscape of Union Parish: hills, elevated plateaus, and fertile valleys.     CONCORD UNION ASSOCIATION — The rolling red clay hills of Lincoln Parish, covered by tall pine forests and hardwood bottoms, gives way to the more varied landscape of Union Parish: hills, elevated plateaus, and fertile valleys. Union Parish, which borders Arkansas to the north, and Lincoln Parish directly southwest of Union, together make up this association.   Once two associations—Concord and Union—Concord Union Baptist Association serves a largely rural population. The largest city, Ruston—Lincoln’s parish seat— has a population of about 20,000, including the students at Louisiana Tech, about 11,000. In addition, Grambling State University is about five miles west of Ruston with a student population of about 5,000. In Union parish, Farmerville is the parish seat and has a population of about 4,000.   Outdoor activities including fishing, hunting, rodeoing, hiking, camping, boating, swimming, tubing, and outdoor sports such as baseball, softball, and tennis abound in the two parishes.   "The actual uniting of the two … [Read more...]

Alone, the penny is the least of U.S. currency. Few things, if any, can be bought with it. The U.S. government has proposed no longer producing it, feeling it insignificant and often unused.     JACKSON, Miss. (BP) – Alone, the penny is the least of U.S. currency. Few things, if any, can be bought with it. The U.S. government has proposed no longer producing it, feeling it insignificant and often unused.   But Baptists all over the state of Mississippi now pay attention to pennies even on the sidewalk or in a parking lot, knowing that each one has value.   These Mississippi Baptists don’t pocket the pennies for themselves. They have been bagging the pennies and shipping them in bulk to the Baptist Building in Jackson. Or they may even tape a few pennies to a piece of paper and send them through the mail. Each penny will go to a special place because it represents something – rather, someone – special.   However they are shipped, the pennies will find their home among millions of others at a special "Memorial to the Missing," the Baptist convention’s tribute to the nearly 50 million children aborted in the United States since the Supreme Court legalized abortion in the landmark Roe v. Wade case in 1973.   To date, … [Read more...]

North Louisiana Cowboy Church in West Monroe is planning its second Rodeo Bible Camp.     WEST MONROE – North Louisiana Cowboy Church in West Monroe is planning its second Rodeo Bible Camp.   The first camp, last summer in Ruston, combined cowboy culture with preaching, singing and Bible study, said church member Gwen Snowden.   Regular church attendance leapt dramatically after the camp, especially in the student group, she said.   "Students brought their horses, and we had instructors in barrel racing, bronco riding, and calf roping, and then Bible studies at night, with a singer/preacher," Snowden said, explaining how one of the leaders for the Rodeo Bible Camp traveled to Colorado to see how such an event could be organized.   The 2007 camp is to take place Jul.30-Aug. 2 at the Ike Hamilton Complex in West Monroe for contestants ages 10 to 18.   Costs have not been finalized, but last year it was $175.   Fifty-seven students attended last year’s camp, Snowden said. With tents and shower trailers on-site, the students stayed four days and nights, just like a summer camp. The same set-up is planned for the 2007 Rodeo Bible Camp.   The cowboy church had its start with a couple from Cedar Crest Baptist Church in … [Read more...]

After several false starts here with at least a couple of Baptist missions, church planter Louis Charrier finally found the group he was meant to reach: the cowboy culture.     SUNSET – After several false starts here with at least a couple of Baptist missions, church planter Louis Charrier finally found the group he was meant to reach: the cowboy culture.   Charrier started the Grand Couteau Baptist Mission in 1997 and closed it in 2001. Then Greenbriar Baptist mission, which had opened in 2003, closed in 2005.   "The community was not responding to a church-type mission, and there was not a strong enough core group to keep [either mission] going," he said. The closures left Charrier wondering about God’s plan.   Then Terry and Kitty LeBlanc, a family who’d been a part of the Greenbriar Mission, stepped forward with the suggestion that Charrier use their place, Knoll Wood Ranch, to begin a cowboy church.   "Bert Langley, Jeff Cook, and Buddy Hampton were very instrumental in getting all this started," Charrier said. "All three have been instrumental in establishing this work and to help in going to another location to start another."   Charrier, a church planter with the Louisiana Baptist Convention for the last 20 … [Read more...]

Christ’s power is made perfect in Janelle Burford’s weakness.     GLOSTER – Christ’s power is made perfect in Janelle Burford’s weakness.   Burford, despite her age – 77 – and its accompanying loss of energy, takes every opportunity to share Christ with others, including going on missions trips she pays for herself with money saved from living frugally.   Whether she’s sharing the gospel in England, Wales, Kenya or her local Wal-Mart, Burford always has a ready answer for the hope that is within her.   "It’s very worthwhile," Burford said of her mission trips to other countries. "I feel very useful while I’m there." In all she’s been on close to 35 foreign missions trips. She’s been to Korea three times, Brazil at least four times, England and Wales several times, and to Kenya at least a dozen, though she says she may have lost count.   Burford, who attends Gloster Baptist Church, here, located about 20 miles south of Shreveport on Hwy 171, is planning her next mission trip to Kenya, set for February 1.This time she’ll be teaching keyboard skills, a task that has her just a bit nervous.   "I play, but I can’t teach," she explained. "But I have my books and I’ve been studying."   Despite her nervousness, God has … [Read more...]

More than a year after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, its citizens are still suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, according to youth evangelist Chris Lange.     NEW ORLEANS (BP) – More than a year after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, its citizens are still suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, according to youth evangelist Chris Lange.   "They’re suffering whether they know it or not," Lange said. "You have a million people who all exhibit some of the symptoms. They’ve experienced a traumatic loss and they think about it daily. They have trouble sleeping and getting past it. Many are lonely and depressed. People are stressed. Some are volatile. If that doesn’t say, ‘Go door to door and tell people about Jesus,’ I don’t know what does."   Lange is preparing to do just that. He is the organizer of a massive, concerted missions endeavor called "Love Never Fails" that will draw thousands of young people to the city to assist with evangelism.   About 100 churches from across the South are working together on the mission trip, which is to include neighborhood fellowships, evening concerts, rebuilding, door-to-door evangelism, and 20 other missions projects.   The project will take … [Read more...]

We took 15 students to Boston for a week before Christmas and had a great time working with a church plant and a couple of other churches there," reports BCM Director Keith Cating in a recent newsletter. LAKE CHARLES – "We took 15 students to Boston for a week before Christmas and had a great time working with a church plant and a couple of other churches there," reports BCM Director Keith Cating in a recent newsletter. "Our students were surprised at how nice New Englanders are. We did servant evangelism on several campuses and at subway stops. People were open to these efforts and one pastor told us that one half of his congregation of around 300 came to the church as a result of servant evangelism.   "We had one young lady spend Christmas in China, an IMB project to impact that part of the world.   "Pray for us this spring as we continue to evolve in our ministry to our campus. These mission trips have challenged our students to reach the McNeese campus in a more intentional way. Also pray that new student leaders will emerge as those who are in leadership begin to graduate."   … [Read more...]

STATEWIDE – The assistants who keep pastors and denominational workers on track have planned to gather March 8-9 at Tall Timbers Baptist Conference Center in Woodworth. The retreat begins at 10 a.m. Theme: A Day at the SPA – Spiritually Uplifting, Practical Ideas, Anointed Bible Teaching. Registration begins 9 a.m. March 8 in the Activities Building at Tall Timbers. For more information contact Debra Hull: 225-673-6674. … [Read more...]

Last fall Donahue Family Church opened a school for students from kindergarten through the eighth grade – Cenla Christian Academy. This month Pastor Keith Dickens and school Administrator Glen Whatley – who also is the worship leader at the church – announced the arrival of Matt Middleton as the school’s first head football coach and athletic director. PINEVILLE – Last fall Donahue Family Church opened a school for students from kindergarten through the eighth grade – Cenla Christian Academy. This month Pastor Keith Dickens and school Administrator Glen Whatley – who also is the worship leader at the church – announced the arrival of Matt Middleton as the school’s first head football coach and athletic director.   CCA school leaders anticipate adding freshman and sophomore classes next fall, but are prepared to add junior and senior classes as well, if the demand is there, Whatley said. Enrollment opens in February.   Middleton comes from a coaching slot at Caldwell Parish High School in Columbia, and before that, an assistant’s position at Evangel Shreveport, which grew a powerhouse football team under the coaching of Dennis Dunn. Dunn today is head football coach at Louisiana College, and an adviser for Cenla Christian … [Read more...]