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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

LBC entities share reports with Executive Board

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer WOODWORTH, La. (LBM) – The Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home and Family Ministries’ campus is bustling with activity lately, President and CEO Perry Hancock told Executive Board members, Sept. 28. He said that three years after the project was announced, a new recreation and activity center has opened that replaces the former gymnasium and pool, which were more than 60 and 40 years old, respectively. Hancock also said Hope Cottage has been transformed into a building that houses the Ministerial Care Residential Program, which was restarted after COVID-19 temporarily halted it. Louisiana Baptist terminated ministers, and International Mission Board missionaries on stateside assignment, transitioning to a new ministry or recently retired are eligible to receive a free apartment on the LBCH[1]FM’s campus in Monroe for up to one year. “It is very easy to overlook the needs of pastors and missionaries in crisis,” said Dennis Phelps, director of the Ministerial Care Residential Program and director of church and alumni relations. “And we hope that this relaunch of this ministry will respond to the desperate need of our pastors as well as missionaries.” Hancock thanked Louisiana … [Read more...]

LC football players experience victory in Christ

By Brian Blackwell, Message staff writer DEVILLE, La. (LBM) – On Oct. 2, the Louisiana College football team posted their first victory as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, but the following day scored an even bigger win as six players shared their newfound faith before classmates and friends during a special baptism service at Philadelphia Baptist Church, Deville, which also has a campus on Horseshoe Drive in Alexandria. Coach Drew Maddox said he was overcome with emotion as he watched so many of his players, one[1]by-one, stir the baptistery waters. Fifteen other new believing wildcats were unable to attend the special service but have since been baptized at other churches or they plan to take part in baptism soon. “It’s such a great feeling seeing these guys take such a bold step in their faith,” Maddox told the Baptist Message. “From the first day we meet as a team, I share with them my testimony and use others to also plant those seeds that hopefully will result in some of them accepting Christ. Anytime you meet the Lord it’s bigger than football.” Jaden Conley, a freshman from Springfield, said he was convicted to give his life to Christ after hearing Maddox share his testimony … [Read more...]

Five reasons why CP is so important

By Matt Tullos Yes, Southern Baptists are legendary for lots of reasons. We are the largest protestant association of churches. People see our Disaster Relief hats, trucks and chain saws on the news, and traveling down the interstate.  Our seminaries train over 23,000 students every year. And some would say we invented the casserole! But the greatest thing about being a Southern Baptist often flies under the radar. We work together. While each Baptist church is autonomous with no real hierarchy, we realize that the glue of our partnership is cooperative giving.  And because churches give cooperatively, we comprise the greatest missions movement in the long history of the church. We know we can do so much more together, and the Cooperative Program makes it all happen.  It’s been an unofficial tradition that we celebrate the Cooperative Program in October, and this is a great time to cast a worldwide vision for giving. Here are five great advantages of working together: (1) Every church gets in on the action. The genius of the Cooperative Program is that no matter how small or large your church is, you have an opportunity to do missions all over Tennessee and around the world. Is your church planting a church in … [Read more...]

Executive Board meeting highlights personal revival, disaster relief

By Brian Blackwell, Message staff writer WOODWORTH, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Baptist Executive Director Steve Horn encouraged Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Board members to seek revival, and others shared an encouraging update on the massive disaster relief response to Hurricane Ida during the Sept. 28 meeting. DISASTER RELIEF UPDATE Horn distributed copies of his newly published devotional, Change Me, and invited the Executive Board to be part of the 28-day experience that is shaped to spur personal revival. He also thanked those who have led and responded in the wake of Hurricane Ida, and shared a large portion of the time allotted for his report to allow disaster relief officials to present an update on recovery efforts. “It’s one thing to just hear a report but it’s another thing to be encouraged that mission dollars that have been given through churches, individuals, other state conventions,” Horn said in a prayer he led at Tall Timbers Baptist Conference Center in Woodworth. He asked anyone present who had been impacted by the hurricane to stand, and for the remaining Executive Board members to silently pray for them. “We rejoice in the salvations, some 150 that have been reported, over 500 Gospel … [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 Roland Fontenot is the new pastor at First Baptist Church, New Iberia. His first day at the church was Oct. 10. Aaron Watson is the new music minister at Calvary Baptist Church, Shreveport. Will Englerth will be ordained for the Gospel ministry October 17, 3:00 p.m. at Conway Baptist Church, located at 4323 HWY 549 in the Conway community in Union Parish. The council will meet at 2 p.m. Friends and family are invited to attend. HOMECOMING New Prospect Baptist Church, Dry Prong 97th annual Homecoming, October 10, 10 a.m. Dinner will be served after the service. Speaker: John Willie, pastor of Alpine Baptist Church. Worship: Robert Willie. Pastor: Trey Lewis. REVIVAL New Hope Baptist Church, Elmer: Revival, October 10-13; Sunday 10:45 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday-Wednesday 6:30 p.m.. Evangelist: Sam Moore. … [Read more...]

Kennedy, Cornyn, colleagues press Biden administration for answers on release of illegal immigrants into U.S.

By Office of Sen. John Kennedy WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) has joined Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and more than 30 other senators to urge Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to address reports that thousands of illegal immigrants in Del Rio, Texas were released into the interior of the U.S. instead of facing removal as the Biden administration had previously pledged. “While we applaud the Administration’s original stated intent to expel the majority of migrants under the CDC’s Title 42 order or to expeditiously remove them, we are concerned that DHS did not actually carry out this plan, deployed resources in a manner that weakened border security, and undermined the deterrent effect of any future statements that the Biden Administration will enforce our immigration laws at the border,” the senators wrote. “DHS has openly admitted that the rapid influx of Haitian migrants into the interior was orchestrated by smuggling organizations, which only makes some aspects of the agency’s response more puzzling. . . . And Administration officials have communicated to congressional staff that smuggling organizations strategically bused migrants into Ciudad Acuña in order to concentrate migrants at a … [Read more...]