By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer BATON ROUGE – The handful of people who remained at Park Forest Baptist Church in Baton Rouge after the great flood of 2016 asked for help to revitalize their dying congregation. The Church at Addis enthusiastically stepped in and a true revival has ensued for the once-ailing Park Forest. “Our mission statement is pretty simplistic – serving God by serving others,” said Thomas Shepard, pastor of the Church at Addis. “We are going out and doing what we can to reach our community.” DISCIPLESHIP BY SOCIAL MEDIA Since taking over what is now the Church at Park Forest in September, attendance at its Sunday morning worship services has increased from nine to 35. Shepard attributes much of the growth to the discipleship method used at the Church at Addis. Through social media, a member invites his or her friends to log onto Facebook to participate in studies about parenting, marriage and finances. Once the users complete the sessions, members then invite the friends to another study at the Church at Addis. By using this approach, the Church at Addis has grown from 12 people when Shepard took over -- what was then First Baptist Church in Addis -- in 2010 to 650 at its worship … [Read more...]
Scalise’s rescuer, Paris train hero will be honored at FBC Bossier
By Staff, Baptist Message BOSSIER CITY – David Bailey, the special agent who risked his life saving House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana during a shooting while practicing at the annual Congressional Baseball Game for Charity, will share his testimony during a worship service at First Baptist Bossier City Aug. 26. Bailey, who was also injured in the incident June 14, 2017, received the Medal of Valor, the highest civilian medal awarded by the president of the United States. He will speak during the 10:30 a.m. worship service as part of the church’s “Honor Our Heroes Sunday.” Active military, police, firemen and first responders will be honored during the services and at a breakfast reception at 9:15 a.m. and lunch at 12:15 p.m. Ernie Haase and Signature Sound will provide special music. Former Air Force Staff Sgt. Spencer Stone also will share his testimony. Stone garnered international headlines in 2015 when he and his childhood friends thwarted a major terrorist attack on a Paris-bound train. French President Francois Hollande presented Stone with the nation’s highest decoration, the Legion of Honor. He later was awarded the Airman’s Medal and a Purple Heart, and was featured in the film 15:17 … [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 Marty, wife Joy, Williams is the new pastor at First Baptist Church, Zwolle. Connie Smith has retired as pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church, Dubach. David Sandez has resigned as the Hispanic Ministry Missionary for the Concord Union Baptist Association and as Pastor of Nazareth Hispanic Mission, Bernice and Filadelfia Hispanic Mission, Simsboro. B. K. Miller will be the interim pastor at Liberty Baptist Church, Marion (beginning the first Sunday in September.) Dave Ketchand is the new associate pastor at Old Zion Hill Baptist Church, Independence. HOMECOMING Bethel Baptist Church, Colfax: Homecoming Sunday, August 26, 9:45 a.m. – Sunday School; 10:45 a.m. – Worship Service; Noon – Homecoming dinner. Speaker: Charles Hutzler. Pastor: Carl Gulde. Christian Fellowship Cathedral, New Orleans: … [Read more...]
Why the Lord gives us appetizers of heaven
By Joe McKeever Often, as we serve Him on earth, the Lord gives us these little glimpses of Heaven, special moments when we know “the Lord is in this place!” Pastor Perry Sanders decided to witness to his seatmate on a plane bound for Richmond. “Do you know the Lord?” he asked the elderly gentleman. “I sure do!” the man said. “I’d love to hear about it,” said Perry. The man said, “Years ago, I was traveling the highways of South Carolina in sales. As lost and miserable as it’s possible to get. And one day I picked up a hitchhiking college student. He told me about Jesus and led me to the Lord.” Perry said, “Sir, do you recall where you let that student out?” “Yes sir. He got out in Bamberg, South Carolina.” Perry Sanders, longtime pastor of Lafayette’s First Baptist Church, said to him, “Sir, I’m that boy. I was a student at Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC and always tried to share my faith with anyone giving me a ride to my parents’ home in Bamberg.” A little foretaste of Heaven. In Heaven, they ‘re going to be coming up to you: “Do you remember that time you witnessed? Preached a sermon? Prayed a prayer? Gave an offering? Wrote a note?” And God used it. So, He lets that happen just a little in this … [Read more...]
The Southern Baptist Convention is undergoing a seismic shift
By Gerald Harris, former editor of the Christian Index Following the 1990 Southern Baptist Convention in New Orleans a host of conservative Baptists converged on the Café du Monde to celebrate another victory for the cause of biblical inerrancy. Paige Patterson, writing in the Southwestern Journal of Theology, proclaimed, “The aroma of café au lait and powdered sugar-covered beignets was discernible several hundred feet from the famous coffee house. “That night as the convention parliamentarian led the rejoicing conservatives in singing ‘Victory in Jesus,’ that coffee aroma was to conservatives the aroma of life unto life, but to scores of moderates who had tasted several years of defeat, it became the aroma of death unto death.” I have had over a month to process the events of the most recent Southern Baptist Convention in Dallas; and for me it was a Café du Monde experience. The only difference is that I felt like I smelled the aroma of death unto death – at least for the SBC I have known for a very long time. The Southern Baptist Convention is not just changing; it has changed. Many will consider it a blessed conversion. Others will feel disenfranchised, marginalized, and excluded. This convention confirmed that … [Read more...]
Adrian Rogers: Prophet of the Conservative Resurgence
By Ron F. Hale Adrian Rogers probably stepped on more toes than any preacher in Southern Baptist history! We loved him for it because he always spoke the truth in love. Few sounded more like a first century Apostle than the pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, from 1972—2005. I first heard Dr. Rogers at the old mid-town campus. His rich, resonant voice was captivating. Every point, pause, and phrase pulled at your heart-strings. The power of Rogers came from his character, content, and connection with all firmly rooted in the authority of Scripture; those “golden pipes” helped! From his character you sensed that he had been with God and deep into the Word. From his content or the words that he spoke came the ring of truth with meaning for today. He connected with his hearers through a passionate delivery of words, interpretation, arguments, alliteration, and illustration that demanded a decision. Many young Southern Baptist leaders are ill-informed concerning the defining decades of the 1980s and 1990s in the Southern Baptist Convention and the price some leaders paid. Cicero once said, “To be ignorant of what happened before you were born is to remain a child always.” It is called the … [Read more...]
Foundation weathers summer market conditions
By Jerry Love, LBF director of planned giving ALEXANDRIA – Excessive summertime heat surrounded the mid-year meeting of the Louisiana Baptist Foundation Board of Trustees on July 24. However, board members were cool and calm as they took care of the business at hand which proved to be fairly mild, observers noted. Chuck Murray, LBF CPA and controller, reviewed the financial positions for the quarter- and year-to- date. Assets under management as of June 30, 2018 stood at $162,540,914, which is less than the beginning year assets by about $4.5 million. This difference is due to at least one church using funds for a building project, combined with the normal cycle of churches and entities withdrawing funds during late spring and summer months. Murray and Executive Director Wayne Taylor jointly reviewed a summary of the data regarding the performance of the Foundation’s investments for the year, thus far, and reported the following returns: -- Short Term Fund: 1.2 percent actual annualized yield; -- Group Investment Fund, comprised of various market sectors: 0.28 percent total return; -- Diversified Income Fund, conservative income-oriented fund: -0.51percent total return. The funds are all generating … [Read more...]
Army recommends chaplain be charged with ‘dereliction of duty’ for rescheduling marriage retreat
By First Liberty Institute communications BRAGG, NC—First Liberty Institute has responded to new charges against its client, Chaplain Scott Squires, by an Army investigator—acting under the command of MG Kurt Sonntag—recommending that the chaplain be found guilty of “dereliction of duty” for taking three business days to reschedule a marriage retreat he was prohibited from facilitating. “The United States Army, acting under the command of Major General Sonntag, is threatening to punish one of its chaplains because he followed the rules,” said Mike Berry, Deputy General Counsel and Director of Military Affairs to First Liberty. “The Army, or Congress, must hold Major General Sonntag accountable for allowing this aggressive anti-religious hostility against its military chaplains to occur under his command.” The investigation follows a complaint that Chaplain Squires discriminated against a same-sex couple when he quickly rescheduled a marriage retreat his chaplain endorsing agency, the North American Mission Board (NAMB) of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), prevents its chaplains from facilitating. Despite Department of Defense (DOD) regulations that require chaplains to adhere to their endorsers’ rules and religious … [Read more...]
Unity leads to spiritual growth for black, white congregations
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer BATON ROUGE – Manuel Pigee boldly prayed in 2015, asking God to lead United Believers Baptist Church to a rebirth at a new property. After three years of fasting and praying, God presented the steadily growing African-American congregation with the opportunity to move into a facility utilized by Oakcrest Baptist Church, a predominantly Anglo congregation, whose Sunday morning worship attendance was in steady decline. Since United Believers Baptist Church said, “Yes,” in January to sharing the campus, the congregation has seen God move in more ways than they ever imagined. “When I became pastor of the church, I said to them I want you to know I am praying God would do something no one could take credit for -- that God would get the glory,” he said. “The way He opened the door and solidified this partnership has generated a great spirit of joy and peace. We are overwhelmed by God’s grace.” BACKGROUND United Believers Baptist Church was formed after Hurricane Katrina forced Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans to meet at three separate locations, including the Baton Rouge campus. Within a year, many members of the Franklin Avenue congregation returned to New … [Read more...]
Mortician discovers Life in Belarus
By Will Hall, Message Editor MINSK, Belarus (LBM) – Albert and Olga Melnichuck are typical Belarusians in their experiences with the deep despair that grips the people of this former republic of the former Soviet Union, but also in their life-changing transformation after encountering the Gospel. The middle-aged Belokonevs were caught in an ever tightening downward spiral in life, according to Andrew Ryzhkov, founder of the Byelorussian Mission ministry, who told their story to the Baptist Message. “He was a drunk because of a stressful job, always dealing with death, and the economy went down,” Ryzhkov described. “His wife was constantly complaining and their marriage was falling apart. “But in the midst of all this turmoil, they came to the local church during our team’s most recent visit, and received Bibles we were distributing [Good and Evil Illustrated Bible], and they became curious,” he observed. Ryzhkov said the couple reached out to him and his wife, Inna, and asked to meet at a coffee shop to answer their questions. “We began meeting them, and they were asking about some of the things they were reading in their Bibles. We explained the stories and shared how these pointed to Christ, and we shared … [Read more...]