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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Kelly: Pastors must deal with personal pain

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer RUSTON, La. (LBM) - Pastors must deal with personal pain so they will not move to the point of disconnection, Northeast and Morehouse Baptist Associational Missions Strategist Steven Kelly said during a time of tes­timony for the 2024 Loui­siana Baptist Evangelism Conference, Jan. 23. Kelly shared about how God helped him through the pain of deal­ing with the Aug. 21, 2018, death of his new­born grandson, Elijah Kelly. Elijah weighed four pounds, 13 ounces when he was born, June 6, 2018. Two days later, the doctors diagnosed him with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare condition that left the newborn with only three of four chambers of his heart working properly. In the ensuing months, the baby en­dured open-heart sur­gery, brain bleeding, kidney dialysis and countless injections at Children’s Hospital in New Orleans. On the day Elijah died, Kelly was attending a conference. He received a call that he needed to come to the hospital and arrived in time to spend four hours with family members in Elijah’s room before he passed. Kelly said he did not become angry with God, but that he did have to deal with great pain -- a pain that he has minis­tered to many times … [Read more...]

Billingsley talks medical battles, safeguarding his Christian character

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer RUSTON, La. (LBM) – Charles Billingsley has faced several medical battles, but with each trial he remained focused on praising God who eventu­ally gave him victory, he shared with the Baptist Message in an exclusive interview, Jan. 23. In 2007, Billingsley nearly lost his voice after a blood vessel burst on his vocal cords, leaving him with a polyp and unable to sing for several months. Then, in 2020, he spent Easter quarantined with COVID. Through those times, Billingsley said he rediscovered God’s gift of worship. “I remember I went up into the Blue Ridge Mountains (in 2007) and sat at a picnic table when I was reading a book by my friend David Jeremiah called ‘A Bend in the Road,’ and I couldn’t make any noise,” he said while at the 2024 Louisiana Baptist Evangelism Conference. “But it’s crazy because in the midst of all that reading I was just crying out to God asking Him to heal my voice that I would be able to sing again. And in the middle of reading -- while I was out in the middle of the woods -- this big old huge maple leaf just came and landed right smack dab in the middle of my Bible, right as I was crying out to the Lord. And I just felt like the Lord was … [Read more...]

SBC CP down, designated giving up for month, year

By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor NASHVILLE, Tenn. (LBM) – The South­ern Baptist Convention Executive Committee released the December 2023 financial summary on Jan. 9, 2024, report­ing that monthly gifts to SBC causes through the Cooperative Program were down 2.52 percent, while designated gifts were up 5.38 percent, when com­pared to December 2022. Year-to-date giving through both funding channels showed similar trends: — From Oct. 1, 2023, through Dec. 31, 2023, to­tal SBC CP contributions were 1.41 percent lower compared to the same quarter for the previous fiscal year. — Meanwhile, com­bined designated giving was 4.16 percent higher for the same months, with the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering up 1.82 percent, and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offer­ing 10.83 percent higher, respectively. LBC Giving The national report showed monthly giving by Louisiana Baptists to SBC causes in December was down 16.20 percent through CP and up 19.58 percent for special offer­ings. Cumulatively for the quarter, Louisiana Baptists’ Fiscal Year 2024 contribu­tions were lower by 11.80 percent through the CP and off 0.59 percent via designated giving. … [Read more...]

Advisory panel urges churches to submit their insurance profiles

By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – The first meeting of the Church Insurance Advisory Committee, Jan. 11, resulted in an agreement to develop a communication plan to urge congregations to participate in the data collection phase of the effort to establish a church self-insurance program in Louisiana. “Pastors need to know that submitting the information is as easy as calling their insurance agents and asking them to send a copy of their present policy and a five-year history of claims,” said Kyle Acklin, Monroe-area presi­dent with Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., an insurance, risk manage­ment and consulting firm. The documents may be mailed directly to: Louisiana Churches Self-Insurance Trust 2003 Tower Drive Monroe, LA 71201 Alternatively, the forms may be sent via FAX, (318) 322-3172. The participants in the inau­gural meeting included pastors, attorneys and others with a wide perspective on the insurance crisis that has plagued churches after the state was pummeled in 2020-2021 by Hurricanes Laura, Delta, Zeta and Ida. BACKGROUND In 2023 congregations began to receive nonrenewal notices or to see exorbitant premium hikes from the three largest insurers of … [Read more...]

Louisiana Notables

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Baptist Message provides churches an opportunity to share with other Louisiana Baptists an upcoming revival, homecoming, new pastor, new staff member, a community outreach, or a concert in Louisiana Notables. To place your event in the paper, send your information (who, what, where, when, time) to philip@bap­tistmessage.com or call 318.449.4345. Please submit your information four weeks prior to the event to insure placement in the Message. ON THE MOVE Caleb Adams is serving as full-time interim student minister at Trinity Baptist Church in Lake Charles. HOMECOMING/ANNIVERSARY Westside Emmanuel Baptist Church, Bogalusa: 75th Anniversary, February 25, 10:30 a.m. Dinner on the grounds follow­ing the worship service. Guest Speaker: Perry Hancock, former pastor and Presi­dent and CEO of Louisiana Baptist Chil­dren’s Home & Family Ministries in Mon­roe. Music: Westside Worship team. Pastor: Marcus Rosa. REVIVAL Alabama Baptist Church, Arcadia: Re­vival, January 28-31; Thursday-Saturday noon and night service, 6:30 p.m. with meal beginning at 5:45 p.m. Sunday, 10:40 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Worship: Mackey and Gail Willis. Pastor: Roland Hebert. Fort Necessity Baptist Church, Columbia: Revival, … [Read more...]

ECON 2024: Share Christ with the world

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer RUSTON, La. (LBM) – Louisi­ana Baptists were encouraged to embrace an evangelistic mindset in at home and abroad during ECON 2024, held in the facilities of Tem­ple Baptist Church, Ruston, Jan. 22-23. ECON featured Louisiana Bap­tist pastors, seminary professors, a representative from the Interna­tional Mission Board, a comedian and other evangelism associates from across North America. The event also included times of worship led by the Temple Bap­tist praise and worship team and Charles Billingsley, an award-win­ning Christian contemporary artist, as well as breakout sessions. GEORGE LEE George Lee IV, minister of com­munity engagement at Temple Bap­tist, reminded Louisiana Baptists to develop a heart of service and win others to Jesus. “How badly do we want to win as a body of believers?” said Lee, drawing from 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. “A win is seeing somebody who has a one-way ticket to hell being redeemed and reconciled to the Father by the power of the Gospel.” He reminded Louisiana Baptists that they cannot win those they do not serve, they cannot serve every­one the same way and they cannot serve God without serving people. “Every day you wake up you … [Read more...]