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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

The impact of the Georgia Barnette Offering

By Janie Wise, Louisiana Baptists women’s missions and ministry strategist What would Louisiana missions be like without the Georgia Barnette State Missions Offering? It's a scenario I would not want to imagine. It is like asking, “What if churches had no desire or conviction to share God's great love with the lost in our state?” It is like asking, “What if we didn't care that our neighbors and co-workers were dying without knowing Jesus?” -- Without the Georgia Barnette State Missions Offering providing assistance to church planting, the 2,908 persons baptized by our church plants since 2010 likely would not have heard the Gospel. -- The 200 congregations of the church plants established since 2010 would not have met for discipleship, for worship and fellowship, and, they would not have been reaching and teaching people who were not being reached by existing churches. -- Without the Georgia Barnette State Missions Offering to provide an allocation for children's mission events, sixteen girls and boys would not have heard the Gospel at M-JAM in the spring of 2016 and responded in faith for salvation. Six girls at Girls' Mission at mission camp may have waited longer to accept Jesus as Savior. -- Without … [Read more...]

Louisiana Baptist churches appear to have escaped damage from Harvey

By Message Staff Tropical Depression Harvey appears to have left Louisiana Baptist churches without any structural damages. As of Thursday, Aug. 31, no Louisiana Baptist churches had reported damage from a storm that wreaked havoc on nearly 750 Southern Baptist churches in Texas since Harvey made landfall in the Lone Star State Friday, Aug. 25. However, at least one pastor’s home took in water. Jerry Key, pastor of New Life Baptist Church in DeRidder, reported that his home took in a few inches of water come inside his home off Vernon Lake in Leesville. He said since water got into one room on the lower level, they are staying on the second floor in the house. “We had minimal flood damage but would cherish the prayers for the clean up,” Key said. “Hopefully the water will go down soon so we can begin drying out.” Meanwhile, Vernon Baptist Association Director of Missions Morris Goins was forced to evacuate from his home off Anacoco Lake late Wednesday evening after a Vernon Parish Police Juror knocked on his door and advised him to leave. He stayed the remainder of the night at the association office. “We just gathered up our things and left,” Goins said. “We still had the lights on and are waiting to see what … [Read more...]

VIDEO: Trinity Baptist students on mission in Arlington

Students from Trinity Baptist Church in Pineville gave up some of their summer to be on mission in Arlington, Texas. While there in late July, the students ministered through yard work and backyard Bible clubs. https://www.facebook.com/trinitypineville/videos/1341532309299395/ Source: Trinity Baptist Church Facebook page … [Read more...]

VIDEO: More than 400 students enjoy time of worship at Camp Fuego

More than 400 middle school students enjoyed a time of worship July 10-14 at Camp Fuego during at Acadian Baptist Center in Eunice and grew closer to Christ as the week progressed. Since the camp in its 20th year now moved to Acadian Baptist Center in 2011, it has grown by leaps and bounds from its first year, when 250 students attended. This year, 80 campers made a first-time decision to follow Christ, 70 rededicated their life to Christ and 62 surrendered to Christian ministry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU2F27TOzRE … [Read more...]

VIDEO: Pastor Jeffery Friend praises God for Suburban Baptist rebuild volunteers

Four months after an EF-3 tornado heavily damaged Suburban Baptist Church, the congregation assembled Sunday, June 11, for the first gathering on its campus since the storm. The message to the community during this block party was strong – the members have not given up and plan to return to full ministry in the neighborhood when their facilities are rebuilt. Many of the congregants who showed up shared moments of laughter and a few thankful tears about how far God had taken them since the tornado destroyed the worship center and damaged two other buildings, Feb. 7. Pastor Jeffery Friend said with the help of others, they have not missed a worship service as a church family and are thankful for the help of about 100 other churches who have volunteered their time and financial resources to help with the rebuilding effort. “It’s a miracle we didn’t have to go without meeting for a single Sunday,” Friend said. “It amazes me that people showed up onsite to do the work, the exact work I needed to be done. God preplanned and pre-trained individuals to work in the situation that was predestined to happen so I don’t have to worry about if it wasn’t going to happen. I just wondered who. “We always preach and teach ‘anyway you … [Read more...]

Notables

HOMECOMING Emmanuel Baptist Church, Monroe: 75th Anniversary, June 4, 10 a.m. Meet & Greet, 10:30 a.m. worship service. Dinner on the grounds will follow the service. Special Music: Preston Allen, choir director. Pastor: Terry Mims. Mt. Gilead Baptist Church, Vivian: 157th Anniversary/Homecoming, June 4, 10 a.m.  Covered dish luncheon provided by the church to follow the service. Speaker:  Ed Baswell. Special Music: Simple Faith, from Largo, Florida. Pastor:  Bill Treadway Lanier Baptist Church, Baton Rouge: 60th Anniversary, June 4, 10:20 a.m.  Greg O’Neil and Tim Hill (former music ministers) will be leading the worship service.  Lanier will begin with worship in its newly renovated sanctuary. Former pastors and ministers will be in attendance. Afterward, they will have dinner on the grounds, the dinner provided by the church. Pastor: Michael Ferguson. Briarwood Baptist Church, Saline: Homecoming, June 11. Speaker: Scotty McDowell. Pastor: Trey Ethridge. REVIVAL Lake St. John Community Baptist Church, Ferriday: Revival, May 31-June 3, 6:30 p.m. Evangelist: Scotty McDowell. Pastor: Mark Richardson. Fellowship Baptist Church, Mansfield:  Revival, June 2-4, Friday and Saturday, 6:30 p.m.; Sunday, 9 … [Read more...]

Science education matters in understanding the value of life

By Wade Warren PINVEILLE – Once a sperm cell has fertilized an egg cell, a zygote is formed combining the genetic material, or DNA, of the sperm and the egg. All of the biological information necessary to form a new individual being is present in this cell, and stopping this process, abortion, terminates a human life. Since 1973, more than 55 million abortions have been performed in the United States alone, representing a profound disregard in our country for the value of human life. One of many factors contributing to this tragic death toll of the pre-born has been the prevalence in our schools of a Darwinian view of life. This secular dogma is presented as indisputable fact to young people, promoting the proposition that all life on earth can be explained without God as the Creator. Indeed, many science texts ardently present the Darwinian evolutionary ideas of random mutation and natural selection as a substitute for the biblical creation narrative. Meanwhile, doubters of Darwin’s theory are depicted as primitive, uninformed thinkers. One need only read the history of the eugenics movement in our country, or the writings of Adolf Hitler, to grasp the grave consequences to which Darwinian thought … [Read more...]