By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer CAP HAITIEN, Haiti (LBM) – Four weeks after they became trapped in Port-au-Prince, two staff members of Louisiana Reach Haiti have made it safely to the ministry’s Children’s Village in Cap Haitien. Darrin Badon, president of Louisiana Reach Haiti, said the women left on a bus from the capital city early March 26 and took the eight-hour bus ride for a long-awaited reunion with the children and staff at the Children’s Village. They had been living in a relative’s home since March 4, when gang activity forced them to remain inside the house. Badon expressed gratitude for the many prayers on the behalf of the women and the children and other staff of Louisiana Reach Haiti, a partnership between the Louisiana Baptist Convention, Haiti Baptist Convention, Louisiana Baptist churches and the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home & Family Ministries. The Baptist Message published an article on March 16 regarding Badon’s plea for prayers on behalf of the staff members. “God protected them while they were there with family,” Badon told the Baptist Message. “By His grace, we got them out of there today. The kids and staff were elated to see them. Lots of hugs were exchanged and we … [Read more...]
Colyell goes all-in on discipleship, experiences revival
By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer LIVINGSTON, La. (LBM) – Colyell Baptist Church was seeing people saved and baptized each year, but their spiritual journeys seemed to stop just beyond the baptistery, according to Pastor Jeremy Glascock and his wife, Amanda, who both realized the church had to get serious about discipleship. Since the first discipleship group began meeting in September 2022, 30 women and 18 men have become involved. Additionally, Sunday worship has increased from 146 in September 2022 to 245 in February 2024, and the church has celebrated 44 baptisms during that time. “One of the biggest things we missed in church all these years was discipleship,” Glascock told the Baptist Message. “We baptized all these people, and we didn’t do much else after with them except put them in a Sunday school class. “But when we began living life with people in small groups, things changed,” he continued. “It has started a culture change. We used to revolve around just meeting together in church on Sunday mornings, but now we revolve around discipleship, too.” BACKGROUND Since Glascock arrived in 2017, 178 new believers have been baptized by CBC. During that time, he noticed that those who … [Read more...]
High school students revived through Bible study
By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer NEW IBERIA, La. (LBM) – At the beginning of the school year, Bible teacher Geran Maples challenged his eleventh-grade students at Highland Baptist Christian School to prayerfully consider if following Christ was worth everything. The answer he got, based on Nik Ripken’s book “The Insanity of God”, not only surprised him but led the entire class of 27 members to start a weekly Bible study called Juniors for Jesus, led by the students. Subsequently, three of the juniors have surrendered their hearts to Christ. “All of a sudden you have this grass roots movement of kids trying to add faith-based applications to their lives all the while saying they have sin in their own lives that they want to address,” Maples told the Baptist Message. “It started with the students really getting honest with the question Nik Ripken asked about, ‘If it’s all worth it?’ They have seen that they truly represent Christ in this world. “Detentions have dropped, and other discipline issues have really lessened,” he added. “I credit all of this to the kids focusing on their walks with Christ.” DISCIPLESHIP MOVEMENT Since Juniors for Jesus began, a discipleship movement has grown throughout … [Read more...]
LBCHFM celebrates salvations, anniversary
By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer MONROE, La. (LBM) – The Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home and Family Ministries’ campus is bustling with activity lately, including decisions for Christ, continued construction of a center that will serve the impoverished and times of celebration for its 125th year of ministry. “Everything the Children’s Home does should be pointing people to the Lord,” LBCHFM President and CEO Perry Hancock told the Baptist Message after the entity’s Feb. 23 board meeting. “We share God’s love and we share God’s love and we share the message of the Gospel. Then we allow the Lord to work in their hearts. “We do a lot of planting. We do a lot of watering, And we often get to see the harvest,” he continued. “And so that's so exciting because that’s the foundation of our ministry. It’s a biblically based ministry where we're trying to share in word and deed, God’s love and the message of Christ.” Hancock said the children and mothers who turned to Christ have been baptized by area churches and are discipled by their respective cottage parents. COMPASSION CENTER Trustees were reminded that construction of the Compassion Center continues, and that the facility should be operational … [Read more...]
Can a president nurture national righteousness?
Iorg makes about face on retirement plans, prepares to ‘lead on’ in new role
By Jane Rodgers, The Baptist Paper DALLAS (The Baptist Paper) - Jeff Iorg has been discussing leadership, calling and ministry in his weekly “Lead On” podcast for nearly seven years. What he didn’t anticipate was that he would indeed continue to “lead on” in a major capacity after his time as a seminary president. “It wasn’t very many weeks ago that we were tracking toward retirement plans,” Iorg, who is 65, said of his upcoming retirement from Gateway Seminary after 20 years as president. READY FOR THE NEXT SEASON Sharing during a March 21 press conference following his election as the next president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, Iorg said he finds the turn of events surprising but that he and his wife, Ann, are committed to the move. Ann told the Baptist Standard she feels good about the change of course and that she and Jeff are excited because they both believe this next season is what God has for them. “God gives you what you need for what He has for you,” she said. Iorg explained at the press conference that he should be considered EC president-elect as he plans to finish the semester as president of Gateway, which ends with graduation May 11. He will assume the EC … [Read more...]
Gift of life: Pastor grateful to God and kidney donor
By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer VIOLET, La. (LBM) – Pastor David Gonzalez is thankful for the gift of life he recently received a through a new kidney from a stranger-turned-best-friend. Gonzalez, who is pastor with Celebration Church’s Lower St. Bernard campus in Violet, in 2020 was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare form of blood cancer. Since then, Gonzalez has battled a myriad of emotions and has seen God move through others’ encouragement, prayer and His healing power. “The Lord keeps reminding me that to get through anything you have to be the one to encourage yourself in the Lord -- like King David had to do when nobody was around,” Gonzalez told the Baptist Message. “I said ‘Lord, help me to learn apart from hustle and bustle how to try to encourage myself.’” Since his diagnosis, Gonzalez has spent time at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans and at home as he underwent extensive hospital stays, kidney biopsies, bone marrow biopsies, chemotherapy, infusions, blood transfusions, plasmapheresis, a stem cell transplant, dialysis and most recently a kidney transplant, Dec. 1, 2023. “At one point I had lost my will to continue and remember thinking that all hope was lost,” he recalled. “It … [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 Larry Linson is the new pastor at New Hope Baptist Church, Monroe. Linson will share pastoral responsibilities at Highland Park and New Hope. Clay Corley is the new student pastor at Cheniere Baptist Church. Katie Gordy is the new children’s minister at North Church, Bastrop. REVIVAL Summerfield Baptist Church, Colfax: Guest Speaker Robert Dukes. March 24. Pastor: Jeremy Brister. Clarks Baptist Church, Clarks: Spring Revival, March 24-27. Guest speaker: Scotty McDowell. Pastor: Kyle Bryan. Temple Baptist Church, DeRidder: Revival – Refresh Week, March 24-27, Sunday 10:45 a.m. Monday – Wednesday 6 p.m. Pastor: Quincy Gill Reeves Bible Church, Reeves: Revival, March 24-27. Evangelist: Mackey Willis. Mackey preaching. Pastor: Charlie … [Read more...]
Jeff Iorg elected next SBC Executive Committee president and CEO
By Staff, The Baptist Paper DALLAS (The Baptist Paper) - Jeff Iorg, retiring president of Gateway Seminary, was elected as the next Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee president/CEO during a special-called trustee meeting in Dallas, March 21. Iorg transitions to the new role after 20 years at Gateway. He enters the position at a crucial moment in SBC life, as the EC copes with financial and legal challenges amid the denomination’s reckoning with sexual abuse and declining baptisms, among other concerns. “Jeff Iorg is who we have been praying for,” said search team chair Neal Hughes, director of missions and executive director of the Montgomery (Alabama) Baptist Association, in announcing Iorg’s nomination March 1. Sixty trustees were present at the March 21 meeting held at the Grand Hyatt in the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. The vote to call Iorg was unanimous. “Southern Baptists are a force for good,” Iorg said following the vote. GODSEND Hughes noted that Iorg’s “calm demeanor, communication skills, executive administrative ability and thorough knowledge of Southern Baptist life will be a godsend to the SBC.” EC chair Phillip Robertson called Iorg “a leader that all Southern … [Read more...]
Jeffreys named acting president of Louisiana Christian
By Elizabeth Clarke, LCU News PINEVILLE, La. (LCU News) - David Jeffreys has been named acting president of Louisiana Christian University by the board of trustees, following the March 8 retirement announcement of Rick Brewer, LCU’s ninth president. “Prior to this assignment, he served in an executive leadership role at the university, gaining substantial knowledge about its operations and objectives,” said Board of Trustees Chairman Anthony Bunting. “On behalf of the board, we would like to congratulate Dr. Jeffreys on his appointment and look forward to his leadership in continuing the vision and mission of the university.” Jeffreys has served as the executive vice president and chief operating officer of the university under Brewer since January 2022. “I know Louisiana Christian University is in faithful and capable hands as David Jeffreys steps into the role of interim president,” Brewer said. “For the past two years, he has been an invaluable asset with resource development, facilities management, denominational relations, strategic planning and special projects.” Brewer also worked with Jeffreys during his six-year tenure on the board of trustees Jeffreys holds a Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Arts, … [Read more...]