Louisiana cannot be the first to pass a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages - but it is expected to become the second on Sept. 18. Louisiana cannot be the first to pass a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages - but it is expected to become the second on Sept. 18.   On that day, Louisiana residents will be asked to vote on a state constitutional amendment, explicitly designed to protect the traditional definition of marriage as only between a man and a woman.   Most observers expect the proposed constitutional amendment to pass by an easy margin, perhaps with as much as 70 percent of the vote.   That would move the state into select company. On Aug. 3, Missouri became the first state in the nation to pass a constitutional amendment on marriage.   A record number of state voters turned out for the Missouri election - and 71 percent approved the marriage statement. Only one other non-controversial ballot issue ever had gained a wider margin of victory in the state.   In Louisiana, it is uncertain how many voters will turn out for the election, typically an open primary date.   However, the presence of the amendment on the ballot … [Read more...]

Gasping for breath after finishing a series of relay games to gather clues, 10-year-old Jena Gray tucked a loose strand of red hair behind her ear. Gasping for breath after finishing a series of relay games to gather clues, 10-year-old Jena Gray tucked a loose strand of red hair behind her ear.   She and her friends peered intently at a pile of index cards strewn together on the grass in the field. They quickly selected a password and ran up a steep hill to an auditorium door. Knocking, they excitedly called out the word for access inside: "God!"   But the door stayed shut.   After an emergency huddle, team members tried another password from those proposed: "Soccer!"   This time, the group was allowed entrance.   "Were you surprised when you couldn’t use ‘God’ as the password to get in?" a camp counselor asked from a brightly-lit stage as more than 200 kids found their seats. "There are a lot of countries in the world today that won’t let people in just to talk about God.   "But they will let people in to play sports," the counselor continued. "Christians can share the love of God and share Jesus by playing and teaching sports in these … [Read more...]

For the week of September 23, 2004 Next week’s issue   Southern Baptist Convention President Bobby Welch is set to resume his 50-state tour of the nation in an effort to rally church members to win more souls for Christ. One of Welch’s final stops in the first half of his "The Everyone Can Kingdom Challenge for Evangelism" bus tour was at First Baptist Church of Norco. Because of space considerations and the approach of Hurricane Ivan, the Baptist Message did not to publish an account of the stop in this week’s issue. Next week, the newspaper will feature stories related to Welch’s tour and his challenge for Southern Baptists to baptize 1 million persons in an upcoming convention year.   Church loans   The Southern Baptist North American Mission Board has announced it will provide low-interest loans quickly and with virtually no paperwork to Southern Baptist churches damaged by Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Ivan, as well as other natural disasters. "It’s difficult for a church without a roof or flooded classrooms to fulfill its vision to be a worldwide mission center," board President Robert Reccord said. "We’re committed to doing everything possible with our state convention and … [Read more...]

I still remember the day Marta walked into my office, plopped herself down and asked me to pray that she and Ward would be able to have children. I still remember the day Marta walked into my office, plopped herself down and asked me to pray that she and Ward would be able to have children.   I promised to pray and did so regularly. In time, they had three of the brightest, sweetest children you ever have seen. They are young adults now and barely know me, but I take joy in having prayed them into the world.   For Mack, I prayed God would send a wife. "Lord, Mack is a truly fine person," I said. "He has kept himself faithful to you. ... You must have a godly woman out there somewhere who would be right for him."   He did.   I performed Mack and Kathleen’s wedding last year.   My son Neil was on an outing with his three children. The day before, he had suggested they pray for good weather. On their way to the park, he asked 10-year-old Grant if he had prayed for this beautiful day.   "No," he said. "I forgot."   He asked 7-year-old Abby. "I forgot too," she said.   "Oh, good," said her twin Erin from the back seat. "Then, it was my … [Read more...]

The church needs a new pastor. The old way was to call a search committee. The new way is different - call a headhunter. The church needs a new pastor. The old way was to call a search committee. The new way is different - call a headhunter.   At least, David Lyons said he hopes more churches will see it that way.   A former corporate recruiter, he wants churches to benefit from the same kind of professional recruiting expertise that big companies employ to find executives.   So, in 2000, he started MinisterSearch to help churches find pastors and other staff members. So far, the firm has worked with almost 100 churches in more than a dozen denominations, including Baptist.   "We have the ability to identify and attract better candidates than a church could ever do on its own, because this is all we do, all day long," Lyons said.   Sheer numbers is MinisterSearch’s biggest selling point. A typical church committee might select a minister from a few dozen resumes.   In contrast, the MinisterSearch firm networks with thousands of ministers, including many of whom churches would never be able to consider.   "Typically, the best candidate is a … [Read more...]

Louisiana College could have a new president by the end of the month - if trustees elect a candidate nominated last week by the school’s presidential search committee. Louisiana College could have a new president by the end of the month - if trustees elect a candidate nominated last week by the school’s presidential search committee.   In a seven-hour scheduled session - almost five hours of which was spent in executive session - trustees received a report and recommendation from the search committee charged with nominating a successor to former President Rory Lee.   The name of the candidate was released to trustees - but not to the public. Trustees have set a face-to-face session with the nominee this month in order to talk with him and vote on his candidacy.   Search committee Chair Ed Tarpley of Pineville said the group had no plans to ask for a vote on the candidate last week. Instead, trustees took the report under advisement and entered into a time of "prayerful reflection to consider the candidate and meet with him personally, ..." he said.   "All we did today was make a recommendation," Tarpley said. "We had no intention of asking for a vote … [Read more...]

Louisiana College women’s head basketball coach Tonya McIntosh says she eagerly is anticipating the upcoming season, but for one reason in particular that has nothing to do with wins and losses. Louisiana College women’s head basketball coach Tonya McIntosh says she eagerly is anticipating the upcoming season, but for one reason in particular that has nothing to do with wins and losses.   She says she is looking forward to seeing the changes in her players’ lives after their recent missions trip to Greece.   "My team’s walk is so close with the Lord right now," McIntosh says. "This trip strengthened our faith. I’m excited about what God will have us to do in women’s basketball this year."   The Lady Wildcat basketball team was among four International Sports Federation teams - and just a sampling of Louisiana Baptists - who ministered in Greece during the recent Summer Olympic Games.   Atlanta-based International Sports Federation is a network of coaches and athletes who work with Southern Baptist missionaries to share Christ’s love where traditional missions efforts cannot go.   McIntosh, her father and nine members of the Lady Wildcat basketball team … [Read more...]

It is not as if no one has been saying it, but now a new study confirms all the previous warnings - a regular diet of television that is high in sexual content can encourage teenagers to engage in sexual activity sooner. It is not as if no one has been saying it, but now a new study confirms all the previous warnings - a regular diet of television that is high in sexual content can encourage teenagers to engage in sexual activity sooner.   In other words, television is harming the kids.   Researchers interviewed 1,792 teenagers about their television viewing habits and sexual activity. Surveys were taken in 2001, with follow-up interviews conducted the next year.   "Adolescents who viewed more sexual content at baseline were more likely to initiate intercourse and progress to more advanced ... sexual activities during the subsequent year," researchers wrote in Pediatrics online journal.   "TV may create the illusion that sex is more central to daily life than it truly is and may promote sexual initiation as a result," the researchers maintain.   Researchers found that 64 percent of all television programs contained sexual content during the 2001-2002 season, the … [Read more...]

Some participants in healthcare plans of GuideStone Financial Service of the Southern Baptist Convention (formerly the Annuity Board) received good news recently. Some participants in healthcare plans of GuideStone Financial Service of the Southern Baptist Convention (formerly the Annuity Board) received good news recently.   GuideStone officials announced the majority of participants in GuideStone Personal Plans health insurance will see no rate increase for 2005 — and many participants actually will see a rate decrease due to changes in the rating structure, an agency release said.   Meanwhile, the health insurance industry is projecting about a 13 percent increase in healthcare costs.   For many employers in GuideStone’s Group Plans, rates also will remain the same or decrease for 2005. However, officials also noted some employers will see an inflation-driven rate increase or an increase based on prior claims.   Even so, the average increase remains below the predicted national medical trend for 2005, officials said.   Officials credited the news to the benefits of the agency’s PPO (Preferred Provider Organizations) network discounts.   Also, … [Read more...]

For the week of September 30, 2004 Marriage amendment   As expected, Louisiana voters gave easy approval to a state constitutional amendment to define marriage as only between a man and a woman. However, the margin of victory was even more than some expected. The amendment was approved by a margin of 78 percent to 22 percent. It even won in New Orleans, where some had suggested it could be defeated. However, even there, the amendment won by a margin of 10 percent. More than 610,000 votes were cast for the amendment, while just a little more than 170,000 were cast against it. The amendment is sure to be challenged in court. However, at this time, it places Louisiana among states that have banned recognition of same-sex marriages. In addition, the Louisiana amendment prohibits the state from recognizing civil unions, which provide the same benefits of marriage to homosexual couples.   Disaster relief efforts   More than 1,500 Southern Baptist disaster relief volunteers from 25 states are cooking meals, cutting up fallen trees and providing childcare in six states in the path of destruction left by Hurricane Ivan. Southern Baptists are providing an average of 50,000 meals a day in the … [Read more...]