For the week of May 1, 2003 Disaster relief training A Louisiana Baptist disaster relief training session has been set for Carey Baptist Association offices in Lake Charles on May 3 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch will be provided. Cost is $10 per person for training materials. The training provides certification for persons to be placed on waiting lists as disaster crews to be called in event of needs. For more information, call the Louisiana Baptist Men’s Ministry office at (800) 622-6549 or (318) 448-3402. Iraqi relief As fighting ends in Iraq, the country is in need of an influx of volunteers to help in assisting relief efforts, Southern Baptist leaders emphasize. Indeed, Iraq presents a unique opportunity to demonstrate the love of Christ - but the window of opportunity will be narrow, they say. A checklist of steps that need to be taken before volunteering to serve in Iraq is available at going.imb.org/vim/main/default.asp. The fact that Southern Baptists and other evangelicals intend to assist with relief efforts has drawn worldwide attention - and criticism from some who claim it represents Western imperialism. However, Southern Baptist leaders have defended the need to serve Iraqis in the name of Christ. … [Read more...]

Generations of Southern Baptists, since the convention’s birth in 1845, have seized the opportunities presented them by history. They have not always been as quick or effective as they should have been, but they have eventually stepped to the plate of opportunity. In almost every economic, political, cultural and international development, Southern Baptists, because of their flexibility and decentralized organization, have been able to affect their times. Generations of Southern Baptists, since the convention’s birth in 1845, have seized the opportunities presented them by history. They have not always been as quick or effective as they should have been, but they have eventually stepped to the plate of opportunity. In almost every economic, political, cultural and international development, Southern Baptists, because of their flexibility and decentralized organization, have been able to affect their times.   And now, William Van Dusen Wishard, president of WorldTrends Research, declared that our nation "appear(s) to be at some major junction in human affairs."   To validate his thesis, Wishard points to whom he calls a leading American psychologist in 1952, Rollo May, who wrote, "The chief … [Read more...]

Aset Mutsuyeva lives in a barn - and believe it or not, for that, she counts herself lucky.   After all, some of the dozens of other Chechen refugees housed in a former farm in Karabulak, Russia, live with actual cows, whose smell becomes overpowering when temperatures soar past 100 degrees. Aset Mutsuyeva lives in a barn - and believe it or not, for that, she counts herself lucky.   After all, some of the dozens of other Chechen refugees housed in a former farm in Karabulak, Russia, live with actual cows, whose smell becomes overpowering when temperatures soar past 100 degrees.   However, Mutsuyeva does not consider herself completely fortunate. At 63 years old, with shrapnel in her right leg from a Russian bomb and coming up on her fourth year in the refugee settlement, Mutsuyeva admits she has given up hope that she will live to see peace in a region where war has raged and sputtered for years now.   "(With) Iraq, no one will pay attention to our problem," Mutsuyeva explains as she sits on a tiny stool in a friend’s cubicle in the barn. "Maybe it would be better if it were all ended with a nuclear bomb, and we were killed that way."   Refugees’ poverty, … [Read more...]

The Cecilia Mission used to meet in a converted bar - now, they meet in an old pizza parlor.   Soon, they hope to be meeting in a brand new church building.   Change continues. The Cecilia Mission used to meet in a converted bar - now, they meet in an old pizza parlor.   Soon, they hope to be meeting in a brand new church building.   Change continues.   What began as a small, in-home Bible study in 1994 has grown into a family church almost ready to stand on its own merit.   With between 40 and 60 people in attendance weekly, the mission in Cecilia, just five miles to the north of Breaux Bridge, plans to seek a charter to receive full-time church status.   The mission was begun by Roland Fontenot, who was the pastor of nearby First Baptist Church of Arnaudville at the time. From its launch, the mission’s focus mainly was on reaching children.   The mission congregation began to experience rapid growth when Francis Soileau became the pastor.   "He was the one who really got it going as far as reaching adults," says Perry Hubbs, pastor at First Baptist Church of Opelousas, which serves as the Cecilia Mission’s sponsoring … [Read more...]

The Louisiana newspaper editorial puts it plainly - "The state is facing a moral crisis. ...   "The crisis is characterized by the exploitation of sex, the arrogance of vulgarity, the popularity of the lewd, the triumph of the criminal element and the muzzling of the defenders of decency."   Strong words - even for 2003. The Louisiana newspaper editorial puts it plainly - "The state is facing a moral crisis. ...   "The crisis is characterized by the exploitation of sex, the arrogance of vulgarity, the popularity of the lewd, the triumph of the criminal element and the muzzling of the defenders of decency."   Strong words - even for 2003.   But these words are not from 2003.   They were written in a Shreveport newspaper years ago - in 1942. The nation was at war - and the strains of the conflict were fraying at the edges of the social fabric.   What could be done?   Eventually, a call went out for religious leaders to gather several weeks later at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Alexandria.   On Sept. 25, 1942, more than 100 persons did just that, determined to do something about the moral crisis in the … [Read more...]

For the week of May 1, 2003 Potpourri • BATON ROUGE - Woodlawn church: "English as a Second Language" certification workshop sponsored through North American Mission Board; May 29-30, 6-10 p.m. and May 31, 8 a.m.- 4 p.m.; $20 per person; limited seating; to register, call Darlene Deal at (225) 753-3316 or Mike Self at (225) 753-1667; Tommy Middleton, pastor.   • HOUMA - Christ church: Community Gospel singing and crawfish boil; May 10, 5 p.m.; $5 per person/$15 per family; for reservations call (985) 868-3091; John C. Baye, Jr., pastor.   • JENA - Fellowship church: Al Denson, contemporary gospel artist, in concert; May 3, 7 p.m.; $12 per ticket; for ticket information, call (318) 992-2874 or (318) 992-7714; Randy Ray, pastor.   • SHREVEPORT - Shreve City church: Mission Jamboree with featured artists, Set Free, Heart’s Cry, The Watkins, Bubba Talbert and more; May 2, 7 p.m.; no admission; Gene Nix, pastor.   • LAKE CHARLES - Cary Associational office: Disaster Relief Training Session; May 3, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. with lunch included; $10 fee for training materials; for information, call Tracey Ostrander or Cal Jones at (318) 449-4280 or (800) 622-6549; J. P. Miles, director of … [Read more...]

Worship leader Bob Kauflin thinks Christians have reacted too extremely to the contemporary praise and worship movement.   Instead of either wholeheartedly embracing praise and worship music or completely rejecting it, Kauflin encourages a middle approach - appreciate the benefits of contemporary praise and worship but recognize that some concerns accompany those benefits. Worship leader Bob Kauflin thinks Christians have reacted too extremely to the contemporary praise and worship movement.   Instead of either wholeheartedly embracing praise and worship music or completely rejecting it, Kauflin encourages a middle approach - appreciate the benefits of contemporary praise and worship but recognize that some concerns accompany those benefits.   Such an approach ultimately may allow worshipers to learn a new vocabulary for declaring God’s glory, said Kauflin, director of worship development for Sovereign Grace Ministries, an organization that seeks to establish and nurture churches.   During an address as part of the Institute for Christian Worship at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Kauflin urged churches to consider the benefits of contemporary praise and … [Read more...]