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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Catching up on new & noteworthy Notables

First Baptist Church, Blanchard: Terrific Tuesdays, July 11, 6 p.m., John Fream, Cypress Baptist Church; July 18, 6 p.m., Casey Johnson, Bonita Road Baptist Church, July 25, 6 p.m., Lane Moore, Associational Mission Strategist for Northwest Louisiana Baptist Association. Pastor: Clay Fuqua. Bellaire Baptist Church, Bossier City: Harvest Sunday, June 16, 8:15 & 10:15 a.m., Evangelist: Lyndon Longoria. Pastor: Randy Harper. Zion Baptist Church, Georgetown: Revival, July 17-20, 7 p.m. nightly. Speaker: Brent Smith. Worship/music will be provided by area church including East Winnfield, Friendship Baptist and Zion Baptist. A nursery for ages three & under will be provided. Pastor: Don Wright. First Baptist Church, Merryville: Strength for Today Ministries presents a Bible conference, July 23-25, 6-8 p.m. The ministry of Evangelist Lyndon Longoria is celebrating its 25th year. Speakers: Dalton Isbell, DeRidder, Wesley Jackson, Anacoco, Asa Longoria, DeRidder, Robert McClelland, Kirbyville, Texas, Jim McKeithen, Hebert, Johnnie Phillips, Olla, David Richmond, Columbia, and Lyndon Longoria. Worship will be provided by Kerry Longoria and Mark Humble. Pastor: Wayne Squyres. Willow Point Baptist Church, Shreveport: … [Read more...]

Goza to be LBC president nominee

By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – David Goza, pastor of the Jefferson Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, will be nominated for president of the Louisiana Baptist Convention. Tommy Middleton, director of missions for the Baptist Association of Greater Baton Rouge, notified the Baptist Message, June 27, of his intentions to make the nomination, calling Goza “a faithful man of the Word, who loves his family, his church and the Louisiana Baptist Convention.” Louisiana Baptist messengers will vote for officers and conduct other business matters during the 2023 LBC Annual Meeting, Nov. 14, in the facilities of the Franklin Avenue Baptist Church of New Orleans. STATEMENT OF SUPPORT Middleton said he has known Goza for more than 15 years, and he shared that they have worked together in missions overseas and co-labored to share the Good News in the capital city. He told the Baptist Message his friendship with Goza and their work together for the Gospel has grown, and he emphasized that “after I became director of missions, my wife and I joined Jefferson Baptist so that he would be our pastor.” “David has been leading Jefferson Baptist for almost 15 years,” Middleton added. “When you … [Read more...]

EDITORIAL: Hallowed be thy name

By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – The 10 Commandments may be viewed from several perspectives: -- Some believers see them simply as a list of dos and don’ts. -- Others consider them in the context of their origins: As the first formal instruction to the Hebrew nation after escaping from Egypt, these were something of a primer for Israel to transition from being a people of Pharoah for 400 years to becoming the people of the one true God in perpetuity. -- More, still, look at these basic tenets in terms of how they are grouped (the first four address a relationship with God; the fifth involves family relationships; and the last five broadly describe relationships with everyone else). Together, these commandments reveal a hierarchy of relationships within the relational world God created for us as relational beings. In other words, God tells us to make Him the priority in our relationships, then family (and by inference, marriage) and, finally, yet importantly, our neighbors. Regardless, in all three perspectives, the stricture in the third commandment is the same: Do not use God’s name in vain. It is a key to obedience. It is an essential element of how we set ourselves apart … [Read more...]

Dwayne Monk, former LBC Second VP, Executive Board president, passes

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer CHOUDRANT, La. (LBM) – Dwayne Monk, a former vice president of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, died suddenly June 23 while cutting grass. He was 60. Monk had served as pastor of New Hope Baptist Church, Choudrant, since 1999, but he also was a well-known leader at all levels of Louisiana Baptist life. According to the office of Louisiana Baptist Executive Director Steve Horn, Monk was LBC second vice-president (2013), and an Executive Board member (2003-2008 and 2013-2019), serving as president (2007-2008), nominating committee member (2014-2017), administrative committee chairman (2018-2019), and search committee member for Executive Director David Hankins and Steve Horn. Moreover, Monk served on the LBC committee on committees (2009-2010), committee on the order of business (2020-2023) and President’s Study Group (2014-2021). During his tenure at New Hope Baptist, which averages 91 worshipers for its Sunday morning service, 139 new converts have been baptized since 1999. Before serving at New Hope Baptist, Monk pastored Fairdale Baptist Church, Hot Springs, Arkansas, for seven years. “Louisiana Baptists lost an incredible friend and supporter of our cooperative … [Read more...]

SBC amendment on male pastors passes first vote

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer NEW ORLEANS (LBM) – Messengers to the 2023 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting voted by a two-thirds majority to adopt an amendment to the SBC Constitution that specifies the role of pastor is limited to a man. Article III, Section 1, currently lists five requirements for congregations to be SBC members. If the proposed amendment receives a second favorable two-thirds vote during the 2024 SBC Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana, a sixth requirement will specify that a church in friendly cooperation with the SBC “affirms, appoints, or employs only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture.” The vote resulted from a motion made during the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting by Mike Law, pas[1]tor of Arlington Baptist Church in Virginia. However, Law’s proposal, which was referred to the SBC Executive Committee last year, was amended this year by a motion offered by Juan Sanchez, pastor of High Pointe Baptist Church in Austin, Texas. The change did not alter the intent of the amendment, but states “only men” are qualified to serve as pastors rather than the original wording that “a woman” is disqualified from that role. If amended next year, the SBC … [Read more...]

EDITORIAL – Paid family leave: A ‘peace’ agreement for a post-Roe world.

By Gene Mills, Louisiana Family Forum president BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) -- After working my entire career to promote principled family policy and protect human life, I am still moved with emotion by the gigantic shift which occurred on June 24, 2022, when the U.S. Supreme Court announced its correct decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. I am privileged to be in Washington D.C. on the anniversary of this historic moment leading a delegation of the next generation of Louisiana leaders. In many respects, the work is just beginning as we forge a path forward in crafting family policy. One issue provides an opportunity for agreement across the political spectrum. Most Americans agree that there is a need for paid leave after the birth or adoption of a new baby. Seventy-one percent of registered voters support paid gamily leave for parents, crossing party, gender, and ideological lines (65% of conservatives, 68% of moderates, 83% of liberals).1 Parents need time to bond with their newborns. Mothers need time to recuperate physically after childbirth. Both fathers and babies benefit from the connection established in those first weeks. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 23% of workers (9% of low-wage workers) have … [Read more...]

SBC annual meeting helped mobilize a new generation of Southern Baptists

By Joe Luna, Director of SLU BCM NEW ORLEANS (LBM) - Equipping students to be mature followers of Jesus who impact the campus and become catalysts for advancing the Gospel globally is at the heart of the mission of Baptist Collegiate Ministries across Louisiana, according to Mark Robinson. He is the director of Baptist Collegiate Minis[1]tries for Louisiana Baptists. Louisiana BCMs accomplish these growth objectives by training students in evangelism and mission outreach as well as preparing them through church life and leadership experiences, Robinson said. Moreover, he was enthusiastic about the extraordinary opportunity the 2023 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting provided in giving insights to these young men and women about the size and scope of the work Southern Baptists do worldwide, while giving these students the opportunity to serve and grow as leaders. As Louisiana Baptist BCM student ambassadors, these volunteers helped register, greet, and be the face of Louisiana Baptists to the more than 12,000 messengers who came to New Orleans this year. “The ambassador program is a reimagining of the state council from the past, expanding it to involve more leaders,” Robinson said. Moving forward, … [Read more...]

Louisiana notables

EDITOR’S NOTE: Do you have a Revival, Homecoming, a new pastor, a community outreach or a concert? The Baptist Message would love to share your church news with the rest of the state. It is very easy to do, just send in your information (who, what, where and when) to philip@baptistmessage.com or call 318.449.4345. To get your event in the paper, please submit your information three weeks prior to the event. ON THE MOVE Larry Anderson retires as music minister at First Baptist Church, Bastrop. Seth Forque is the new youth minister at Highland Baptist Church, West Monroe. Thomas Hodge is the new youth minister at First Baptist Church, Swartz. Freddie Williford resigned from Ford Park Baptist Church to take the pastorate at Beulah Baptist Church, Mansfield. Dan Lay, business administer has retired from Trinity Heights Baptist Church, Shreveport. Grant, wife Kara, Rose takes the pastorate at Springs of Grace Baptist Church, Shreveport from Denton, Texas. Josh, wife Teresa, Jacobs resigns from Potsboro, Texas to become youth minister at Woodridge Baptist Church, Shreveport. Logan, wife Lyndsy, Brock is the new pastor at Trinity Baptist Church, Natchitoches. Philip Caples is the new pastor at First Baptist … [Read more...]

LBDR teams serving residents impacted by weekend storms

By Baptist Message staff SHREVEPORT, La. (LBM) – After powerful storms caused damage to homes and businesses and left thousands in the dark in the state over the weekend, Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief teams have continued to “give a cup of cold water in Jesus’ name” to those impacted. According to LBDR Disaster Relief Coordinator Stan Statham, a quick response feeding team from central Louisiana and Rolling Hills Ministries in Ruston have cooked and served 500 meals and manned a cooling station in the community room of an apartment complex in Shreveport since arriving in the area on June 19. Chainsaw teams also were activated for debris removal in Blanchard, Bossier City, Shreveport and Wisner. Additionally, since June 18, First Baptist Church, Haughton, has hosted a cooling station and shower trailer, washing machines and driers (provided by Mt. Olive Baptist Association) for 135 residents. FBC Haughton church members also distributed seven generators that were donated by area businesses, according to Equipping Pastor Brandon Lewis. LBDR teams working in the area are staying at Calvary Baptist Church’s Hispanic mission, Shreveport. According to the National Weather Service office in Shreveport, an EF-1 … [Read more...]