By Joanne Brechtel, Administrative Editor
MINDEN – Youth of Webster–Claiborne and Bienville Associations participated in a mission trip to New Orleans in January. Randy Hales is director of missions.
DUBACH – Six members of Fellowship Baptist and First Baptist participated in a Concord–Union Association mission trip to Thailand December 26 through January 9. Barry Joyner is director of missions.
RUSTON – Rolling Hills Ministries is accepting donations for its Thrift Store. The ministry reminds everyone that garage sale pickup is available in the Ruston area the week following a sale. Items must be boxed or bagged and ready for pick up. Call Chris at 318.251.0065 to schedule a time.
RUSTON – Baptist Collegiate Ministries of Louisiana Tech sent 85 students and staff to Mission Arlington in Arlington, Texas where they helped feed 20,000 plus people for Thanksgiving and lead Sunday services in 25 apartment churches. They also served the poor and needy in the metroplex area by helping with meals, furniture delivery, clothes, medical clinics and other ministries.
During spring break March, 2 through March 9, the ministry is to travel to Miami, Florida to participate in Mission Miami 2010. They will assist and support the Baptist Collegiate Ministry of the University of Miami and do evangelism on the campus of Florida International University in cooperation with Lighthouse Church of South Beach Miami.
Also, a team is to do some tutoring and outdoor activities at the Florida Baptist Children’s Home. Kevin Inman is director.
RUSTON – The February On Mission Celebration of Concord Union Baptist Association included 19 churches: Culbertson, New Hope, Sardis, Providence, Downsville, First Farmerville, Litroe, Paron, Fellowship, Shiloh, Pine Grove, Evergreen, Camp Creek, First Spearsville, Mt. Union, Longstraw, Cook and Emmanuel. Barry Joyner is director of missions.
FARMERVILLE – A Hunters for Christ Sportsman’s Banquet Fundraiser for Randy White and Xtreme Missionary Adventures was held in February. Barry Joyner is director of missions.
SHREVEPORT – The 2nd Annual LSU–Shreveport BCM Rummage Sale for Missions is set for Friday, March 12 and Saturday, March 13. Jamey Droddy is BCM director.
SHREVEPORT – A team from First Baptist goes to a Rescue Mission monthly and works with school age children in a Bible School setting while parents attend classes after school and evenings. A group also packs boxes of food for the needy and peanut butter for children’s back packs.
HAUGHTON – Several First Baptist members teach Bible study each Sunday at a Bossier Parish correctional center. They also work with a group at the Veterans Lighthouse of Shreveport. Each person received a gift bag at Christmastime that the church supplies.
RUSTON – Temple Baptist is participating again this year in the Nicaragua Feed the Children program. Members are requested to give a dollar each month to provide for the children. The Norwegian Christian Home and Health Care in New York City recently thanked a mission team from the church for their visit to the home, the music, message and fellowship the team provided, saying “it was noticeable that members of the team have hearts for the Lord and everything about your visit felt like it had God’s special touch upon it.”
The church’s annual chili cook–off and missions fair took place Feb. 28. Rick Byargeon is pastor.
MINDEN – First Baptist participated in a New Orleans Mission Trip in January and worked with Gentilly Baptist for a week. Many in the area were witnessed to and help was provided to a homeless shelter in the form of meals and dispensing clothes. The team also spent time at the Maritime Ministry Center ministering to crews from the cargo and cruise ships in port.
The Collecting Pennies for Romania and Jamaica project for forgotten children is in progress and the collection is to be sent to Price Harris Ministry.
SHREVEPORT – Kingston Road Baptist is participating in Loving the People of Haiti with “Buckets of Hope,” homebound members with “God’s Promise Boxes” and the community with a service evangelism project. Trey Lewis is pastor.
WALKER – Eastern Louisiana Baptist Association Baptist Builders participated in building a mission church in Marksville February 15–19. Donald Rushing is coordinator of the team.
An associational mission trip to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma is set for July 17–23, 2010. Cost for the trip is $140 per person and a deposit of $50 is due by March 31. The team is to minister at a church and home for abused women, do light construction projects and conduct Vacation Bible School. For more information, seewww.easternlabaptists.org. David Brown is director of missions.
ST. FRANCISVILLE – First Baptist recently shared in the relief effort in Haiti with a $3,500 offering to be used by missionaries in Haiti. Joe Ratcliff is pastor.
TIOGA – Tioga First Baptist participated in Children’s Ministry Day recently and collected disposable diapers which the children delivered to Hannah’s Plea, a crisis pregnancy center in Pineville.
The theme of a recent WMU meeting was “How does your heart beat for missions?” Tim Hisaw is pastor.
ALEXANDRIA – Parkview Baptist is participating in a Nicaragua Mission Trip to build a model home April 11–16. The cost is $750–$950 per team member; call 318.445.5331 for information. Items are collected monthly for Operation Christmas Child. Soap and washcloths are to be collected during the month of March. David Shaw is pastor.
LAKE CHARLES – Sale Street Baptist youth set Saturday, March 13, for a local missions project by doing yard cleanups and painting; call 337.477.4214 or 337. 794.6182 for more information.
The church participates in the Manna Ministry and its pantry. Items needed are canned goods, dried beans, canned meats, soups and oatmeal.
God’s Girls participated in its 1st Annual Widow Cookie Day, Saturday, Feb. 13.
A missions banquet took place March 3.
MINDEN – First Baptist is leading an emphasis for children and preschoolers to raise money to purchase Bibles for Applachian Regional Ministries. Plans are being formulated for family mission trips to Cincinnati, Ohio and Wichita, Kansas. Items still needed for the March Medical Mission Trip to Nicaragua include children’s vitamins, children’s pain medicine and prenatal vitamins. The Wade Correctional Center Kairos Prison Ministry team is to contribute over 2,000 dozen homemade cookies.
JENA – First Baptist participates in a community mission action food pantry with monthly contributions of various items. Canned corn is being collected during the month of March.
LONGVILLE – First Baptist hosted a mission trip fundraiser Jambalaya Dinner in January.
Several church members are to participate in a July 8–18 mission trip to Belo Horizonte, Brazil, volunteering in the areas of construction, Vacation Bible School, evangelism, sports clinics, street ministry, prison teams, medical clinics, drama and music.
MANY – First Baptist’s Youth Mission Trip Fundraisers included a baked potato lunch and a dinner and movie night held recently. The youth are to minister to people in Buffalo, New York, through World Changers.
MANY – Siloam Baptist was the host church for Sabine Association’s Missions Celebration Banquet that took place in February.
WEST MONROE – Fair Park Baptist youth are to participate in a NAMB World Changers Mission Trip March 17–20. Waymond Warrren is pastor.
JONESBORO – Ebenezer Baptist has entered the North American Mission Board’s new “Missionary Encourager” (adopt–a–missionary initiative) by adopting a church planter who serves in Amite and is to visit the church in March. The church also participates in the Pure Water, Pure Love ministry that provides missionaries and people they serve with clean drinking water, which is free from disease–causing micro–organisms at no cost to them. Randy Lee is pastor.
PINEVILLE – Pineville Park Baptist is participating in the Zimbabwe 2010 Shepherd Ministries International project.
Items collected for the ministry to be used by mission teams during the summer included generators, medical supplies and equipment, school supplies and books; toys and food.
Assistance with pick-up, packing boxes and meals for workers was provided by several church and youth groups as well as civic organizations. Cost for shipping, clearing and receiving the container in February was approximately $15,000.
WEST MONROE – Ridge Avenue Baptist is participating in Family Promise of Ouachita, a ministry for displaced families, March 28 through April 4. David Brown is pastor.
HAUGHTON – First Baptist collected more than 700 pairs of socks for the Bayou Dorchete Correction Center and provided 350 Christmas cards and postage for men to send Christmas messages to their families. Gevan Spinney is pastor.
ZWOLLE – First Baptist “Sewing” Seeds of Love mission project makes dolls and dresses for children in Honduras, which are to be distributed during the upcoming Honduras mission trip. Brett Campbell is pastor.
HAYNESVILLE – First Baptist student ministry recently held its Chicken Spaghetti Fundraiser to aid in their mission trip to Williamsburg, Kentucky, where they will minister to the Appalachian Mountain people. Shelby Cowling is pastor.
BASTROP – First Baptist is to participate in three mission trips in 2010.
The trips include Belize, Canada and Walker, Louisiana. Jim Ingram is pastor.
PONCHATOULA – Several members of First Baptist are to participate in the Spoken 4 Mexico Mission Trip May 29 through June 5. Deposits are due by March 7. David Cranford is pastor.
BLANCHARD – Items are needed for First Baptist’s Mission Auction set for May 7. For pickup call 318.347.7444 or 318.296.4336. Members also prepare 30–35 meals twice a month for Grace Home, a hospice care facility. The Preschool and Children’s Departments have collected enough funds to purchase 11 goats for a third world country. The church has also purchased three flags to fly over their Ten Commandments Monument, an American flag, Louisiana flag and Christian flag.
NEW IBERIA – Several Highland Baptist members are participating in the July 8–19 Brazil mission trip. David Denton is pastor.
SULPHUR – First Baptist is to participate in the March 27–April 2 spring mission trip to the Navajo Indian Reservation Mission Trip in Nahodishgish, New Mexico.
BOGALUSA – Westside Baptist collected canned goods for the local Help Center. Marcus H. Rosa is pastor.
DENHAM SPRINGS – Hebron Baptist collected useable coats for adults at a local homeless shelter. Joe Alain is pastor.
ZACHARY – First Baptist Youth on Mission raised money during the month of February to provide an ultrasound machine for the Caring to Love Pregnancy Center, part of its spring emphasis.
SPRINGHILL – WMU Ladies of Calvary Baptist provided Christmas goodie bags for truckers at Truckstop Ministries. Inc.
HOMER – WMU Ladies of First Baptist and Pleasure Point provided Christmas goodie bags for truckers at Truckstop Ministries, Inc.
HAUGHTON – Koran Baptist: Parade of Nations and Taste of Nations 10 a.m. Saturday, March 13; George Rogers, pastor.
BALL – Kingsville Baptist members contributed to the Shepherd Ministries International project in February and are in the planning stages of mission trips to Canada and Ecuador; Bart Walker is pastor.
RINGGOLD – Ringgold Baptist is accepting donations of furniture, clothing and household items for their Thrift Store. To schedule a pickup, call 318.894.2004 or 318.894.2755; Ronnie Osborne is pastor.
LONGVILLE – First Baptist: Brazil Mission Trip Fundraiser Friday, March 5; Saturday, March 6; call 337.725.6203 to donate garage sale items; Stuart Graves, pastor.