NEW ORLEANS - A billboard sponsored by Louisiana Right to Life and located at Franklin and N. Robertson in New Orleans has been vandalized. The pro-life message has been displayed in that location for several weeks. The vandalism occurred within the past few days. Benjamin Clapper, executive director of Louisiana Right to Life, said: "The pro-life message espoused by Louisiana Right to Life is one of peace. We believe every unborn baby should be protected from the violence of abortion and that mothers deserve to be supported. We are disappointed that people would stoop as low as vandalizing this peaceful message. "Sadly, our messages have been consistently vandalized over the years. We call on Mayor Mitch Landrieu and the New Orleans City Council to denounce these destructive acts in hopes of stopping them before they continue on our future billboards." … [Read more...]
Speaker challenges audience at NOBTS Chapel to “Do Your Part”
By Marilyn Stewart, NOBTS Communications NEW ORLEANS -- Rear Admiral Endel Lee, a Navy Reserve chaplain officer and North American Mission Board church planting catalyst in military communities, challenged a chapel audience at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary to "Do your part" for the Kingdom. The Feb. 8 service included the commissioning of a new Navy chaplain. NOBTS President Chuck Kelley encouraged the audience in opening remarks to consider the varied service opportunities available to chaplains. "It is a special day on our campus because we are focusing our attention on a very particular calling in ministry, one which does not get much attention -- that is, the chaplain," Kelley said. "They make a great impact." Kelley noted chaplains serve in settings ranging from "military to hospital to industry." More than in some fields of ministry, Kelley added, chaplains are "expected" to lead out in spiritual conversations. "They expect a chaplain to be a representative of faith," Kelley said. "This is a high calling indeed." Lee's 35-year military career includes more than 10 years in the Marines and 22 years as a Navy Reserve chaplain, encompassing deployments overseas and mobilizations to New York City … [Read more...]
Famed evangelist Billy Graham’s legacy left lasting impression on Louisiana, pastors
By Staff, Baptist Message News that Billy Graham died during the early morning hours of Feb. 21 prompted reaction from those who admired the famous evangelist, including those in Louisiana Baptist circles. Fred Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, New Orleans, said a highlight of his time as president of the Southern Baptist Convention was a 2012 visit to the home of Graham. “I felt like I was in the presence of Moses on Mt. Sinai,” Luter told the Baptist Message. “For a kid from the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans to be in the home of the greatest evangelist that ever lived was an unforgettable moment I will cherish for the rest of my life.” Six years earlier, Graham came to New Orleans to lift the spirits of Luter, area pastors and the residents of the area who had lost so much in Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall in August 2005. During his message, Graham told the overflow crowd of 17,800 people at Celebration of Hope in the New Orleans Arena in late February 2016 that it was one of the last evangelistic sermons he would preach and that he was looking “forward to a big reunion one day in heaven” with his long-time crusade colleagues George Beverly Shea and Cliff Barrows.” The … [Read more...]
Billy Graham, God’s Ambassador, passes away at the age of 99
By Staff, Baptist Message Billy Graham , the great Christian evangelist whose worldwide crusades and role as adviser to decades of U.S. presidents made him one of the best known religious figures of his time, died of natural causes early Wednesday morning at age 99 at his home in Montreat, N.C. according to a release by by his family. After answering the altar call at a revival during the Great Depression, this North Carolina farm boy went on to become a pastor to 12 U.S. presidents and used his crusades to alter the lives of millions of people around the world. In a career spanning more than 60 years, Graham, who was called ‘God’s Ambassador’ took his simple Christian message -- God Loves You -- to more people in history according to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association website. More than 84 million people in almost 60 countries – including multitudes of spiritually starved believers behind the communist Iron Curtain had their lives altered by Graham. Add those who heard him live, via satellite, and the numbers jump to 210 million people in 185 countries. "My one purpose in life," Graham said, "is to help people find a personal relationship with God, which, I believe, comes through knowing Christ." God … [Read more...]
Agarwal challenges students to focus on ‘Next’ things in life
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA – Rahul Agarwal challenged students attending the recent Collegiate Evangelism Conference to consider how their everyday choices impact their future. “When you ask about what’s next, are you thinking of what’s tomorrow or what’s in your future or are you thinking of what’s in light of eternity,” said Agarwal, the director of men and married couples at Gwinnett Church, a campus of the non-denominational North Point Community Church in Atlanta, Ga., and a former Baptist Collegiate Ministry director at the University of South Florida. “So many times we are so relegated to now. We just think of now,” he continued. “We worry about our own lives instead of thinking of eternity and thinking about what God has for us.” Responding to his challenge to include Christ in their future, 10 students came forward to declare Christ the Lord of their lives, while many others answered the Holy Spirit’s call to follow Christ in obedience on a daily basis. Agarwal’s messages were part of a two-day conference that included seminars, worship led by the House Band – a group comprised of former Baptist Collegiate Ministry members from around the state – and a late-night fellowship. The … [Read more...]
‘Plenty of good news’ highlights LBF Board meeting
By Jerry Love, LBF donor relations ALEXANDRIA (LBM) – Positive economic news, the welcoming of two new trustees and a budget surplus to finish 2017 highlighted the quarterly meeting of the Louisiana Baptist Foundation Board of Trustees meeting February 6 Members also learned that $1.7 million in donations benefiting Louisiana Baptists’ ministries had been received in 2017 and the Foundation was still seeking new accounting software. Trustees also discussed changing the current format of the Board’s meeting. INVESTMENT UPDATES Lee Morris, Investment Consultant with Graystone Consulting, gave trustees a glowing update on the performance of the LBF portfolio and general overview of market conditions. In his remarks, Morris described the equity markets as “having a banner year” with emerging markets and developed international equities leading the way. He said the expectation is for international equities to continue to outperform domestic equities, possibly for several years. Other issues he addressed: --Fixed income positions are, as expected, are producing very modest returns. -- Convertible securities and preferred stocks, have done well compared to their indices and added value to the fund mix in … [Read more...]
Mother, son become ‘family’ in Christ
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer JENA (LBM)—Anthony Paul became a babe in Christ a mere three days after turning 14 years old, but he was not alone in becoming a part of the family of God. He was blessed to have his mother April join him in celebrating the transformation that had taken place in both their hearts. The mother and son joined four others for the special baptism service Aug. 12 at the First Mount Nebo Baptist Church in Jena. “There are no words to describe the joy I felt as I watched him get baptized and then I followed,” April Paul recalled. “This day was on the level of excitement that I felt when he was born, and that experience helped make real to me the concept of rebirth that we were declaring publicly to my family and friends.” Paul credited her son’s example of stepping forward in faith with her being obedient in being baptized. She told the Baptist Message she had accepted Christ a decade earlier but had not followed through with baptism because she did not fully comprehend its importance. “When I came out of the water, I was excited that I was following through with obedience that I had been putting off for 10 years,” Paul said. “I got past the discouragement Satan was trying to … [Read more...]
Pro-life movement marches on in state
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA (LBM) - More than 12,000 people, combined, turned out across the state to march for life on three separate weekends in January and February. According to information provided by Louisiana Right to Life, a crowd of 1,200 gathered in Baton Rouge; 5,600 assembled in Shreveport/Bossier and another 5,600 rallied in Alexandria/Pineville. “It was such blessings to witness more than 12,000 Louisiana citizens at our three Louisiana Life March events boldly proclaim that every life deserves a lifetime,” Louisiana Right to Life CENLA Coordinator Brian Gunter told the Baptist Message. “We will never stop marching until every life is protected by law and welcomed with love into our world. We pray that we will see soon the end to abortion and assistance for all mothers.” A large contingent led the procession with a “Louisiana Life March” banner. Others held up signs proclaiming “Unborn Lives Matter,” “Abortion Kills Babies” and “A True Feminist Would Fight For The Rights of Unborn Women.” Some held signs urging action by pro-lifers, such as “Be A Voice For the Voiceless” and “Stop Abortion Now.” The theme of the marches —held Jan. 20 in Baton Rouge, Jan. 27 in … [Read more...]
Mark Tullos receives LACOSBE Lifetime Achievement Award in Vocational Evangelism
Gary Maroney, past president of the Louisiana Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists, presents the Lifetime Achievement Award in Vocational Evangelism posthumously to Mark Tullos. Accepting the award was (from left) Melodye Tullos Willie (daughter), Melinda Draper (daughter) and Matt Tullos, associate director of communications and stewardship for Louisiana Baptists (son). Mark Tullos, who passed away Oct. 24, 2017, served churches in Louisiana for 65 years as an evangelist, musician and music minister. Tullos also was executive director of the Louisiana Moral and Civic Foundation. … [Read more...]
Joe Aulds awarded LACOSBE Lifetime Achievement Award for Vocational Evangelism
David Hanna, president of the Louisiana Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists, presents Joe Aulds with the Lifetime Achievement Award in Vocational Evangelism. Aulds has shared the Gospel in the 38 states and at 900 crusades and revivals. Before entering evangelism in 1990, Aulds was a pastor of churches in Marion, Shreveport and Winnsboro. Aulds and his wife, Donna, are members of Calvary Baptist Church, Ruston. … [Read more...]