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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

What’s the SBC’s future? It’s up to us

By Randy C. Davis, president and executive director, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- What will become of the Southern Baptist Convention? That question hangs above our denomination like an ominous cloud. The question is especially germane given the unprecedented decision by SBC Executive Committee Board members to waive attorney-client privilege in the third-party investigation of how the EC handled sexual abuse claims. The discussion has become strained at times. People have gotten aggressively hostile on social media to the point nothing in their comments resembles the Christian love we are commanded to extend to one another. Attitudes toward board members have become like chum in the Amazon River, feeding a frenzy of piranha. These EC board members are people; brothers and sisters in Christ who stepped out from our churches to serve. They are not the enemy.   The issue at hand, sexual abuse, is a serious matter that deserves rigorous consideration and a thoughtful response guided by the Holy Spirit whose counsel must be sought through rigorous prayer. And not just prayer by EC board members and members of the SBC Sexual Abuse Task Force. The work that lies before these men and women should be a prayer … [Read more...]

COVID claims life of missions advocate Randy Carruth

FOREST HILL, La. (LBM) – Randy Carruth, founder and president of I Am Able Ministries based in Forest Hill, died Friday, Oct. 15, after being on a ventilator for four weeks with COVID, family members shared. Carruth’s ministry consisted of finding money and volunteers for various missions projects – often church construction or vacation Bible school – across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Ukraine and Honduras. Amiable Baptist Church in Glenmora was his home church since before he made a profession of faith in Jesus as a bashful 10-year-old boy, relatives said. In time Carruth became a Sunday School teacher, youth leader and deacon. According to his wife, he turned to the ministry after a work-related accident in 1997. Reading missionaries’ prayer requests made him want to help, said Carruth’s wife of 43 years, Savannah NesSmith Carruth. His first short-term missions trip was to Mayan Indians in Mexico. That sparked Carruth’s interest in ministry with and among indigenous people. That interest culminated in Carruth working with other Southern Baptist pastors to start the All Nations Camp Meeting on the grounds of the Coushatta Indian Reservation, about 45 minutes northeast of Lake Charles, Louisiana. News outlets … [Read more...]

The soul sustaining habit of scripture memory

By Lane Corley MADISONVILLE, La. - Three years ago, our family was going through one of those down seasons in the ups and downs of life. My mental focus and physical health was declining. I was discouraged and struggling mentally and emotionally. I knew I needed to change a few habits. As part of a recovery process, I deleted a bunch of apps on my phone and dusted off an app I had dutifully downloaded but never utilized: The Bible Memory App. I’m now over three years of daily usage. I have over 1,700 verses mastered and review 25-50 verses everyday. The habit of scripture memory has greatly improved my spiritual and mental health. It’s helped my preaching, speaking, and my discipling of others, as a growing library of verses are easily recalled in conversation and speaking opportunities. While the Bible Memory App has worked for me, I don’t want to recommend that only. I want to recommend the soul sustaining habit of scripture memory. Find a way that works for you to hide God’s word in your heart. Lane Corley is a Louisiana Baptist church planting strategist and pastor of the Bridge Church in Madisonville. … [Read more...]

CENLA Pregnancy Center receives prestigious adoption award

The CENLA Pregnancy Center recently received the 2021 Always St. Elizabeth Award for their promotion and support of adoption. Executive Director Claire Lemoine and Volunteer/Education Coordinator Maria Burke accepted the award on behalf of the center during the St. Elizabeth Foundation gala Oct. 5 in Baton Rouge. Located at 1254 MacArthur Drive in Alexandria, next to the Louisiana Baptist Building, the center since it opened Dec. 4, 2017, has served 964 women through pregnancy decision coaching by trained advocates, free pregnancy tests, free ultrasounds, information about pregnancy options, maternity and physical resources and post-decision support including parenting education and abortion recovery groups. … [Read more...]

Floyd resigns after SBC EC waives attorney-client privilege

Dear SBC Executive Committee Trustees and SBC Family, I was planning to release this letter on Monday, Oct. 11; however, I delayed the publishing of this letter until today, due to the death of my mother-in-law on Sunday and then the funeral which took place on Wednesday afternoon in Bridgeport, Texas, Oct. 13. After serving as the senior pastor of the same church for over thirty-two years, I came here twenty-eight months ago in good faith because I believed in what we do together to advance the Good News of Jesus Christ to the whole world. It was this personal and pastoral commitment to the Great Commission vision that moved me to lead my church to invest heavily in the Cooperative Program and the ministries of the Southern Baptist Convention. The Bible tells us in Psalm 90:12 these words, “Teach us to number our days carefully so we may develop wisdom in our hearts.” We are told these words because each of our days are limited and we must determine how we believe God wants us to use them for His glory. While Jeana and I have no idea where we are going and what we will do in the future, today I submit my resignation as the President and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee. I will serve through … [Read more...]

Luter honored at NOBTS for 35 years of ministry, influence

By Marilyn Stewart, NOBTS Communications NEW ORLEANS (BP) – Fred Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, was honored by New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College Tuesday (Oct. 12), with the announcement that a commemorative brick paver would be placed in his honor in the seminary’s Legacy Plaza reading “Fred Luter, the pastor of New Orleans.” As he presented the award, NOBTS President Jamie Dew pointed to Luter’s wide influence and the impact he has made for God’s kingdom. “[God’s] hand has been and is all over your life and your preaching and your ministry,” Dew said to Luter. “You are not just the pastor of Franklin Avenue, you are the pastor of New Orleans, and brother, we are grateful for you.” The presentation coincides with Luter’s 35th anniversary as pastor of Franklin Avenue. The church will celebrate Luter’s anniversary Sunday (Oct. 17). Dew noted that Luter began as a street preacher in New Orleans, then stepped into the role of pastor for a “very small” congregation. Today, that congregation numbers in the thousands with satellite campuses in Houston and Baton Rouge. Franklin Avenue is Luter’s only pastorate. The chapel service marked Founders Day, held in … [Read more...]