ST. ROSE – These days, things are a bit quieter at First Baptist Church of St. Rose. By Brian Blackwell Staff writer ST. ROSE – These days, things are a bit quieter at First Baptist Church of St. Rose. There’s one less attender at the Woman’s Missionary Union meeting, one less person to comfort a grieving mother who lost her son in a car accident. After 46 years of service at First, St. Rose, W.O. Cottingham has retired as its pastor. However, just because he is no longer preaching from the pulpit on Sunday mornings doesn’t mean the 85-year-old great-grandfather is stepping aside from ministering to the South Louisiana community. For many in St. Rose, Cottingham was more than just a preacher. He was their friend. Whenever there was an illness in the community or someone who needed help paying their bills, Mary Lowe said Cottingham would do his best to help the needy persons. “If you were sick and not even a member of the church, he would still be one of the first people there,” said Lowe, one of Cottingham’s five children, one of whom died at the age of two. “If anyone needed help, he would try his best to provide whatever he could to aid the individual.” Lowe said her father crossed … [Read more...]

LAFAYETTE - A new statewide ministry is to be launched at the upcoming Louisiana Missions Celebration March 31 and April 1 at First Baptist Church here. By Karen L. Willoughby Managing editor LAFAYETTE - A new statewide ministry is to be launched at the upcoming Louisiana Missions Celebration March 31 and April 1 at First Baptist Church here. “Beautiful Feet” is one of about two dozen highlights of the annual celebration sponsored by the Louisiana Baptist Convention Women’s Missions and Ministry Team. “We want to paint a picture of missions extraordinaire,” said Cindy Townsend, Women’s Missions and Ministry Team director. “This whole weekend is to celebrate missions for every age group and every mission’s mindset.” About 1,000 people from across the state are expected to participate in the Missions Celebration, which is the single largest event of its kind in the state. Its slate of program presenters include the five-member Extravagant Grace worship team of Natchitoches. The annual event will focus on how members of Louisiana Southern Baptist churches can be on mission for God every day. “Beautiful Feet” is one example. Many missionaries sent out by the SBC’s International Mission Board … [Read more...]

LAFAYATTE – When the sanctuary of First Baptist Church of Lafayette was destroyed by fire on June 9, 1999, a few observers thought it would be better for the church to relocate rather than rebuild. By Kelly Boggs Editor LAFAYATTE – When the sanctuary of First Baptist Church of Lafayette was destroyed by fire on June 9, 1999, a few observers thought it would be better for the church to relocate rather than rebuild. “We are located in the geographic and demographic center of Lafayette,” responded pastor Perry Sanders. “Why would we want to move?” The church, led by Sanders’ optimism and vision, launched a plan to replace the charred sanctuary. The result: a $15 million, 100,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility that was dedicated April 24, 2004. The original four columns at the front of the church became the point at which renovation began. Designed by Louis Reames Architects of Baton Rouge, the building is not only practical but also aesthetically impressive. So much so that Downtown Lafayette Unlimited, a business organization dedicated to the revitalization and redevelopment of Lafayette’s downtown district, presented First Baptist Church with its prestigious Design and Development Award … [Read more...]

HARVEY – When Hurricane Katrina slammed into the New Orleans area Aug. 29, Pastor Thomas Glover Jr. thought his city and church were destroyed. By Brian Blackwell Staff writer HARVEY – When Hurricane Katrina slammed into the New Orleans area Aug. 29, Pastor Thomas Glover Jr. thought his city and church were destroyed. But with the help of the Cooperative Program and lots of prayer, New Covenant Community Church was kept afloat during its darkest hour. “There is no doubt in my mind that we probably wouldn’t have been able to continue without the Cooperative Program,” said the pastor of the Southern Baptist African-American congregation. At first, Glover wondered how his church would survive the hurricane’s aftermath. Katrina had reduced New Covenant’s membership from 60 to 30. And without members, his church did not receive any income for two months. That’s when the Cooperative Program lent a helping hand. Not only did Glover receive a salary supplement through the Adopt-a-Church initiative – a program that provides monetary or labor assistance to hurricane-affected areas – but New Convenant was given thousands of dollars to support their ministries through the Cooperative Program. Since … [Read more...]

NEW ORLEANS - Pastor Kevin Lee got it right, last Sunday. By Karen L. Willoughby Managing editor NEW ORLEANS - Pastor Kevin Lee got it right, last Sunday. “Behold, I am making all things new,” he preached from Revelation 21:5 at the first post-Katrina Sunday morning service of Edgewater Baptist Church in the Gentilly district. New stop signs warn motorists that electricity still has not been restored in about 60 percent of the city. New portable outhouses perched at the intersection of main streets compensate (for those desperate enough to use them) for all the businesses that used to provide way-station relief, which still haven’t reopened and in most cases, which haven’t done any restoration work, judging from random peeks through store windows. New eating places – or at least one, a New Orleans-style Chinese buffet operating out of an apparently recently renovated Korean-owned grocery store near I-610 that also offers chips, cookies, a vast variety of beer, a limited variety of soft drinks, and that’s all. But what makes Greater New Orleans so heart-stopping, five months after two hurricanes and broken levees ravaged the region, is that so little has changed since homes and businesses … [Read more...]

NEW ORLEANS – Five churches in BAGNO – Baptist Association of Greater New Orleans – started meeting again Feb. 12. By Karen L. Willoughby Managing editor NEW ORLEANS – Five churches in BAGNO – Baptist Association of Greater New Orleans – started meeting again Feb. 12. That’s especially heartening news after you’ve watched the director of missions mark out 54 congregations in the associational directory that have not been able to regroup since the triple whammy of Katrina, Rita and levee ruptures. St. Bernard Baptist, Chalmette First Baptist and Arabi First Baptist met for a joint service in the Chalmette High School cafeteria, with music provided by Celebration Church. About 180 attended. About 60 attended Poydras Baptist on the first Sunday they were able to get into their fellowship hall. I chose to attend Edgewater Baptist Church because not only were they meeting for their first post-Katrina Sunday morning worship, they were welcoming the arrival of their new pastor from Denver, Colo., Kevin Lee. Edgewater met in a white, two-pole tent on their parking lot in the hard-hit Gentilly section of New Orleans. Like a wallflower at a party, the church’s gutted brick building hovered silently … [Read more...]