For the week of September 18, 2003 Potpourri   • BATON ROUGE - Jefferson church: The Dixie Echoes in concert; Sept. 27, 7 p.m.; T. C. French, Jr., pastor.   • CHENEYVILLE - Beulah church: Louisiana Purchase Celebration Commemorative events; Sept. 28 - "What is the Louisiana Purchase and its significance?" Thomas Howell, guest speaker; Oct. 26 - "What is the Heart of Spain Exhibit and what does it mean to Christians?" Ted Barnes, guest speaker; Nov. 16 - "Celebrating our freedom in Christ and liberties made possible by the Louisiana Purchase," Judy Rhodes Davis, guest speaker; all programs begin with music at 1:15 p.m.; George Hearn, pastor.   • WINNSBORO - Temple church: Deer Creek Association annual meeting; Sept. 25, 3:30 p.m.; James Carson, director of missions; Bill Robertson, pastor.   • KROTZ SPRINGS - First church: Perry Hancock, guest speaker; Sept. 28, 10:30 a.m.; Gerald Roberts, pastor.   • PINEVILLE - Louisiana College: "Sanders Lectureship in Biblical Studies," Sept. 23-25, 10:50 a.m. in the Guinn Auditorium; Allen Jackson, keynote speaker; lectures are free; for information, call Jim Elder at (318) 487-7137; Rory Lee, president.   • … [Read more...]

In the midst of the battle for the direction and future of Southern Baptists, agencies in some state conventions took preemptive action and removed themselves from denominational control. In the midst of the battle for the direction and future of Southern Baptists, agencies in some state conventions took preemptive action and removed themselves from denominational control.   Essentially, the agencies gave up denominational funding for the right to elect their own trustees and control their own fate.   Their state conventions no longer had a say in their direction and operation.   Conservatives decried such moves. Thus, having won the battle for the direction and future of the Southern Baptist Convention and most state conventions, they have sought to prevent them from happening again.   As a means of doing that, leaders have asked agencies to declare their convention as the "sole member" of their corporation. Such a move guarantees the agency cannot move to independent basis without permission of the particular convention.   Louisiana Baptist agencies were asked to do just that last year. All but one agency complied - and it is doing so this … [Read more...]

The amount of money flowing through Baptist church offering plates has increased 112 percent in the last 15 years, but the amount of money churches give to missions causes has increased at only half that rate. The amount of money flowing through Baptist church offering plates has increased 112 percent in the last 15 years, but the amount of money churches give to missions causes has increased at only half that rate.   An analysis of financial data reported by Southern Baptist churches shows congregations nationwide are sending smaller percentages of their undesignated offerings through the Cooperative Program missions budget. That budget funds both state and national missions programs.   Further, designated giving to special missions offerings also has increased at only half the pace of increases in undesignated giving to church causes.   This is a trend found not only among Baptists, explained Sylvia Ronsvalle, executive vice president of empty tomb, a Champaign, Ill., ministry devoted to increasing awareness of missions funding needs.   "These trends are common to the church in the United States," she said. "Churches seem to be turning inward. They seem to be … [Read more...]

Ever hear this - "If you object to something on television, all you have to do is turn the channel." Well, I do not know about you, but I am running out of channels to turn. Ever hear this - "If you object to something on television, all you have to do is turn the channel." Well, I do not know about you, but I am running out of channels to turn.   The comic detective series "Monk" on the USA cable channel is one of the few television shows I watch. Tony Shalhoub portrays a former cop with manic obsessive tendencies. He cannot step on a crack, cannot tolerate things out of order and heaven forbid a picture should hang crooked.   Shalhoub is a superb actor and a perfect fit for this part. I like the writing. I like trying to figure out the seemingly-impossible crimes as well as what makes the lead character tick. And I like the relationships between the regulars. It is a good show.   Alas, there is a problem.   Because this series airs on the cable channel USA, we all know that cable presentations tend to be less restrictive than the three major networks when it comes to adult subject matter and language. While this particular show seems careful about sexuality, nearly … [Read more...]

Imagine that you are trying to get into the mind of someone. Your goal is to communicate some kind of message to that person, so that he or she will not forget it.   What will your strategy be? Imagine that you are trying to get into the mind of someone. Your goal is to communicate some kind of message to that person, so that he or she will not forget it.   What will your strategy be?   The answer is repetition. You will put your message in front of your target as many times as possible, in as many venues as possible, in as attractive and unforgettable a manner as possible. You will "flood your zone," so your target will encounter your message everywhere.   Now, imagine that you are someone attempting to block the transmission of this message. You have more limited resources but do exert some control over the activities of the target.   What will you strategy be?   As parents of a teenager and two pre-teens, this is our life. My wife and I are trying to block the transmission of messages that are being sent to our three children by the mass media. What an uphill struggle!   Take an average day. When my oldest daughter gets up in the morning, … [Read more...]

Rick Warren has a secret about life he wants to pass on - it is all about family ... in the best sense of the word. Note: The Louisiana Baptist Convention currently is engaged in a pilot program to use "The Purpose-Driven Life" study by Rick Warren in several churches. Plans call for use of the study to be expanded statewide next year. As part of that effort, the Baptist Message is presenting a series of articles based on Warren’s book. This week looks at the second of five life purposes in the book.   C. Lacy Thompson, LBM Associate Editor   Rick Warren has a secret about life he wants to pass on - it is all about family ... in the best sense of the word.   "God wants a family, and he created you to be a part of it," Warren writes in "The Purpose-Driven Life," his best-selling study book. "This is God’s second purpose for your life. ... The entire Bible is the story of God building a family who will love him, honor him and reign with him forever."   It is not that God needs a family - but he desires one, Warren notes.   The invitation to join that family is universal, extended to every person, says Warren, pastor at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., a … [Read more...]

Nine years ago at a Promise Keepers rally, Boyce resident Randy Bond Sr. says he had a dream that God would unify blacks and whites in his community. Nine years ago at a Promise Keepers rally, Boyce resident Randy Bond Sr. says he had a dream that God would unify blacks and whites in his community.   At the rally, evangelist Tony Evans told Bond and thousands of other men in the Denton, Texas, football stadium of God’s love for every race. By the end of the program, Bond says his heart was burdened for the town of Boyce.   "I talked about it over the years with some people in the community, but the time never seemed right," says Bond, who serves as a deacon at First Baptist Church of Boyce. "This year, God said, ‘Now is the time.’"   This month, the Louisiana Baptist’s dream became a reality when the two races participated in a four-day tent revival in the Central Louisiana town that has a population of almost 1,200.   "The goal of this was to bring unity and show that people of both races could worship together," Bond says. "This was a spiritual renewal for the people of God."   Bond estimates between 180 and 200 persons attended the revival each night. … [Read more...]

Louisiana College trustees have adopted a change in the faculty hiring process designed to ensure the "Christian" character of the school. Louisiana College trustees have adopted a change in the faculty hiring process designed to ensure the "Christian" character of the school.   Trustees unanimously approved the change during a 50-minute executive session at their scheduled meeting last week.   Trustee leaders later emphasized the change is not evidence of dissatisfaction with the practice of current administrators and does not affect current faculty.   Instead, it represents an effort to ensure that the Christian worldview is shared by incoming faculty members - and is presented to students at the Louisiana Baptist school.   "This simply represents an enhancement of the process we already have, ..." said Ed Tarpley, a member at Alpine First Baptist Church in Pineville. "It does not change the process."   But it does "raise the bar a little bit," added Wayne DuBose, pastor at First Baptist Church of Minden. He noted the change was drafted with input from administrators and approved with the support of college President Rory Lee.   The change was … [Read more...]

We are excited about your interest in the possibility of your coming to serve on the faculty at Louisiana College. LC is recognized as one of the top small colleges and "best buys" in the United States and for good reason. We are excited about your interest in the possibility of your coming to serve on the faculty at Louisiana College. LC is recognized as one of the top small colleges and "best buys" in the United States and for good reason. We feel that every year we recruit and attract some of the best and the brightest high school seniors to pursue their college education here. Our graduates are sought after because of the reputation established over the years; students from this institution are highly motivated, disciplined, productive, and reflect Christian character and values in their respective fields of work. We are pleased and gratified by their accomplishments, achievements, and overall success in life. Critical to the attracting, developing and then sending of high quality students is attracting, securing, and developing the best faculty available. Those who teach here provide the professional expertise, academic excellence and Christian worldview that enhance and stimulate our students to exceed … [Read more...]

John Vandercook says he saw his path clearly laid before him more than 30 years ago when he was on a wharf in New Orleans, just getting some air. Note: The following is part of a series of articles to be published in the Baptist Message regarding the Cooperative Program and how it is at work throughout Louisiana and the rest of the world. Subsequent articles will appear in the newspaper during the year to highlight Cooperative Program missions and ministry work.   John Vandercook says he saw his path clearly laid before him more than 30 years ago when he was on a wharf in New Orleans, just getting some air.   As pastor of Third Street Baptist Church in New Orleans, he and his wife had been ministering part-time to some of the seamen who came into the famous port city.   Inviting these world travelers into their home had become normal for the Vandercooks, and so, trips to the wharf almost has become a staple of the pastor’s favorite spots to visit.   "A ship pulled in close by to where I was seated, and a young man came down and asked me if I knew where he could attend church tonight. I told him I had a vague idea of where he could go," Vandercook jokes.   "The … [Read more...]