By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Since January, 11 churches have been planted in the state, a pace that will allow Louisiana Baptists this year to achieve a goal of establishing 300 new congregations “in a decade,” originally intended to be completed by 2020. But COVID-19 was a major factor in the two-year delay, Louisiana Baptist Church Planting Director James Jenkins said. The milestone is one of 10 action steps identified in the President’s 2020 Commission Final Report, which was affirmed by messengers during the 2013 LBC Annual Meeting. Jenkins said reaching this benchmark is evidence of a commitment to do whatever it takes to sustain the spread of the Gospel throughout Louisiana. “The continued push forward to plant churches in the state tells me we are still an evangelical group,” Jenkins told the Baptist Message. “Our churches are committed to the Great Commission and are generous to help us start new churches that further the Gospel in communities around the state.” STRATEGIZE, EVANGELIZE The strategy for church planting has been to target the regions of the state where most Louisianans live, with an emphasis on cities and communities along the I-10 corridor and … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer PELICAN POINT, Bahamas (LBM) – Most work on the rebuild of the structures of the St. Matthew Baptist Church is complete, making way for a July 24 re-dedication of the facilities leveled by Hurricane Dorian in 2019. According to Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief Strategist Stan Statham, only carpet installation and some interior painting need to be done. A LBDR team of six people put most of the finishing touches on the project, May 2-11. While there, the team installed doors on the worship center and classrooms, completed work on restrooms and placed air conditioning units throughout the building. “This is a ‘Thank you, God’ moment,” Statham told the Baptist Message. “When you think of COVID-19, and another tropical storm that hit the island, you can’t help but praise the Lord. The project has given people in the community hope that they will get through the rebuild of the island.” LBDR member Howard Turner, who participated in the most recent trip to St. Matthew Baptist, said he is awestruck at God’s faithfulness throughout the project. “The reward of being part of the St. Matthew rebuild for many trips is two-fold,” he said. “First, it’s the joy and privilege of … [Read more...]

Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer LAKE CHARLES, La. (LBM) – Sutton Trombatore had been curious about Jesus for a while but finally realized his need for a Savior in late 2021. Soon after witnessing a baptism at Trinity Baptist Church, Lake Charles, in December, the youngster, 6, had an in-depth conversation about salvation with his parents, Chris and Dani, and church staff members. Sutton accepted Christ at the meeting and on April 24 was baptized by his dad. “I told Sutton that day that he had always been my son, but I now got to baptize him and call him my brother,” Chris Trombatore told the Baptist Message. “There is no bigger reward for a father than getting to baptize your son.” Trombatore is among 125 new converts the church (which averages 1,400 for worship) has baptized, collectively, every Sunday since Oct. 31. Another 53 have professed Jesus as Lord and are awaiting baptism. Pastor Steve James said his goal each year is for at least 100 people to decide to follow Christ and get baptized. Since Jan. 2, Trinity Baptist has baptized 99 and is on pace to have its most baptisms (197) since 2012. James credits the wave of baptisms to the congregation inviting others to attend worship, which many … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer WARSAW, Poland (LBM) – More than 100 years after Jake Roudkovski’s great-grandfather accepted Christ in World War I, Roudkovski witnessed for himself how God could use war to bring others to a relationship with Jesus, this time with at least 75 Ukrainian refugees. Roudkovski, a professor with New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary as well as interim pastor with First Baptist Church, Zachary, accompanied four of his church members, as part of a 12-member team, to minister to Ukrainian refugees and Belarusian pastors, May 25-June 2. The trip, which included volunteers from Florida and Georgia, was organized by Byelorussian Mission in-country ministry. Team members led Bible studies and worship services for Ukrainian refugees at a hotel leased by several churches in Warsaw, Poland, and they witnessed at least 75 profess Jesus as Lord. The team also led a training conference for 250 pastors in Korbin, Belarus. “God is at work in spite of the brutality of war,” Roudkovski told the Baptist Message. “My great-grandfather was saved in the trenches during World War I in Russia when a British chaplain led him to faith in Christ. God told me back in March -- when we could have … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer NEW ORLEANS, La. (LBM) – Since 2020, Baptist Community Ministries Chaplain Doug Daspit has been on a mission to give Christ-centered hope to the people on the streets of New Orleans. Daspit, who joined BCM two years ago, has used even the darkest circumstances as an opportunity to shine Jesus’ light. “Chaplaincy is a cool ministry,” Daspit told the Baptist Message. “It allows me to engage my community in places that a lot of other ministers don’t have the opportunity to step into. There have been lots of ministry conversations, people I have prayed with, individuals I have counseled with and many I shared Scripture with that I never imagined I would be able to do.” During his time with BCM, Daspit has responded to 144 incidents, with the most memorable, so far, a May 2021 shooting outside a Mid-City coffee shop, he said. Hearing a cry for help from a man who was shot, he issued a call via a police dispatcher, Daspit shared. Within a minute, officers and emergency medical services personnel responded. He remained at the scene to offer prayers and comfort until the victim was taken to a hospital, where he recovered. Leaving the coffee shop, Daspit thanked God for … [Read more...]

By Will Hall, Message executive editor NASHVILLE, Tenn. (LBM) – As early as April, lawsuits have been stacking up against the Southern Baptist Convention, then, in large part, due to the Executive Committee having waived attorney-client privilege in response to a messenger’s 2021 motion pertaining to the handling of sexual abuse allegations and survivors. Now, lawsuits are being filed and claimants are being sought in national ads launched by legal firms after the release of the controversial “Report of the Independent Investigation” by Guidepost Solutions, and the subsequent adoption of recommendations from the SBC Sexual Abuse Task Force by messengers at the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting. LAWSUITS MOUNT In an April 12 report by The Pathway, the news service of Missouri Baptists, Rolland Slade, pastor of Meridian Baptist Church in El Cajon, California, and the then-chairman of the SBC Executive Committee, announced that as of April 1 there were 23 lawsuits against the SBC related to sex abuse issues, with 19 cases in North Carolina and 4 in Virginia. After the release of the Guidepost report, however, scores of law firms began running ads online and elsewhere seeking clients to join class action cases. One ad read: … [Read more...]

By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM)—Louisianan Christians and social conservatives can celebrate several sweet victories won during the 2022 Regular Session of the legislature, but several developments likely will leave a bitter taste. PIVOTAL ISSUES Governor John Bel Edwards vetoed H.B. 953 which would have improved R.S. 13:5233, the state’s Preservation of Religious Freedom Act, by preventing the state from putting a greater burden on houses of worship than it enforces on any secular business, service, or assembly. In a letter to House Speaker Clay Schexnayder, Edwards said that the bill “would go far beyond” the lawful protections of religious liberty deemed constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court, adding that “a regulation would fail under this bill if it treats any business or entity differently than religious organizations, not just comparable entities. This would lead to unfair, and, in the case of emergencies, a potential danger to the public.” Rep. Alan Seabaugh, a member of Broadmoor Baptist Church in Shreveport and the sponsor of the legislation, rejected the governor’s rationale, saying such logic had already been rejected by the Louisiana Supreme Court in a case that … [Read more...]