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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

SBC CP, designated giving down for month, year

By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor NASHVILLE, Tenn. (LBM) – The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee released the September 2023 financial summary, Oct. 4, reporting that monthly gifts to SBC causes through the Cooperative Program and via designated giving were down 1.95 percent and 4.13 percent, respectively, compared to September 2022. Year-to-date giving through both funding channels was also below 2022 levels: -- From Oct. 1, 2022, through Sept. 30, 2023, total SBC CP contributions were 4.29 percent lower compared to the same timeframe for the last fiscal year. -- Likewise, combined designated giving was 2.90 less for the same months, with both of the two largest designated funds down compared to last year. The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering was off 4.38 percent, and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering was lower by 0.22 percent (less than one-quarter of a percentage point). LBC Giving The national report showed monthly giving by Louisiana Baptists to SBC causes in September was up 6.73 percent through CP and 3.72 percent for special offerings. The yearly data was similarly positive. Louisiana Baptists’ 2023 contributions were higher by 1.50 percent through the CP and 9.36 percent via designated … [Read more...]

RPSO arrests LBC employee

By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – The Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office website, rpso.org/inmates, has posted notice of the Oct. 6 arrest of Louisiana Baptist Convention employee Joshua Glenn Bumgardner. The online records state that Bumgardner was charged with two counts of “unauthorized entry: of an inhabited dwelling.” No other details were provided. Bumgardner has been employed at the LBC Tall Timbers Conference Center since 2013, according to his LinkedIn account, and news reports indicate he was named interim camp director in December 2017 with the provisional status removed the next year. Updates will be provided as new information becomes known. … [Read more...]

Southern Baptists fight for control of U.S. House

By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor WASHINGTON (LBM) – Eight Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives together with 208 Democrats voted, Oct. 3, to oust Kevin McCarthy, a member of Valley Baptist Church in Bakersfield, California, as speaker. Matt Gaetz, a member of First Baptist Church, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, initiated the removal process, filing a motion, Oct. 2, to vacate the office of speaker, which precipitated the vote of no confidence that removed McCarthy from this key leadership role. McCarthy had known of his precarious position since January when he failed to win the office of speaker after 14 votes. He was successful on the 15th ballot only after he agreed to several concessions to a core group of Republicans, including Gaetz, who were reluctant to back him. One of the changes was made to the rule about the motion to vacate. McCarthy agreed to allow a single person to request such a vote instead of the previous requirement that a majority of the speaker’s party bring the issue to the floor. Consequently, eight Republicans, out of 220, were able to swing McCarthy’s ouster. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a member of St. Catherine of Siena Church in Metairie, Louisiana, and Rep. … [Read more...]