By Message staff Ben Waites, a Christian musical recording artist and 2010 graduate of Louisiana Christian University, will appear on an episode of the upcoming season of America’s Got Talent. While the exact date of his appearance on the national talent show is not known, Waites expressed excitement about the opportunity on his Facebook page. The 17th season of the show premieres Tuesday, May 31, 7 p.m. on NBC. “Thank you for always believing in me and showing so much support,” Waites wrote on his Facebook page. “I couldn’t do this without you. I covet your prayers that God would use this opportunity to reach a lot of people.” … [Read more...]

By Baptist Community Ministries staff NEW ORLEANS, La. - The United Way of Southeast Louisiana and Baptist Community Ministries will name the recipients of the inaugural Summer Impact Grants during a news conference Thursday, June 2. The two organizations allocated $500,000, collectively, to help youth-serving organizations strengthen education, health and workforce during the summer in undeserved neighborhoods in Orleans Parish. More than 30 summer program providers won the awards, which ranged from $5,000-$20,000, based on qualifications that included operating in Orleans Parish and focusing on serving young people of color, ages 11 to 24, that live below the ALICE Threshold. According to the United Way website, ALICE is an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. Those who are ALICE workers earn just above the Federal Poverty Level but less than what it costs to make ends meet. … [Read more...]

By staff ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – The Louisiana Baptist Foundation has launched ‘ChurchBiz Conversations’, a free service that has been specifically developed for church administrators, pastors and other staff involved in managing the business side of ministry for their congregations. The online portal provides a platform to discuss church business administration topics, provide/receive recommendations for church-related products/services, place churches’ job postings, while connecting church staffs around the state to maximize efforts. Jeff Steed, LBF executive director, told the Baptist Message this was an effort by the Foundation to continue to provide services that “add value to churches and ministries.” He said it was another way for the LBF to come alongside churches, and mentioned Ecclesiastes 4:9, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor” (NKJV). Steed offered that individuals can start or join conversations now, by registering on LBFinfo.org/forums. “The Foundation is very grateful for the partnership in ministry we enjoy with Louisiana Baptists,” Steed shared, “We hope the ‘ChurchBiz Conversations’ online platform will help their ministries advance the Kingdom!” … [Read more...]

By Message Staff After taking time to examine a 288-page report from a task force that oversaw an independent review of the SBC Executive Committee over allegations of mishandling reports of sexual abuse, Louisiana’s three Executive Committee trustee members shared their thoughts on the findings with the Message. The Task Force released its findings on May 22. The report — that can be found on sataskforce.net — outlines the Executive Committee’s handling of sexual abuse cases between 2000 and mid-2021. The independent investigation was conducted by Guidepost Solutions. All statements are in their entirety as sent to the Message. MIKE HOLLOWAY Mike Holloway is pastor of Ouachita Baptist Church, West Monroe. He said: “As a member of the Executive Committee Trustees representing Louisiana since 2014, I want to say that it has been an honor and most of the time a joy to serve. I rotate off as a trustee at the SBC Annual Meeting this June. As all the others on the EC, I want to express my disappointment or sorrow about the many things that were revealed in this investigative report. Can I begin by explaining that there is a difference between the Executive Committee and the Executive Committee trustees? As a … [Read more...]