By Mark H Hunter, Regional Reporter AMITE – Six local pastors were prayed over and deacons, trustees and spouses were also blessed in a recent “Call of the Captain” leadership conference presented by longtime men’s ministry leader Paul David Freed and hosted at First Baptist Church of Amite. The “Call of the Captain” conference is designed for pastoral and church leadership – for both men and women – and is the next generation ministry of Freed’s well-known and effective “Mighty Men of God” conferences. The Amite event was the first of several similar conferences set over the next several months in Louisiana. This particular conference, held Friday evening and Saturday morning, Nov. 2-3, and attended by about 40 local church leaders and spouses, was a “pilot” Freed said, designed for church leaders and their spouses. He anticipates larger crowds, similar to the “Mighty Men” conferences, at the dozens of future events already scheduled for Louisiana, Georgia and several other states. The “Call of the Captain” conference covers 24 biblical leadership titles, both Old and New Testament, and details all the attributes of all those titles, Freed said. “By the time we get through “Call of the Captain” leadership conference … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Thu, 12/06/2012 - 10:19 The purpose of the Louisiana LifeMarch is to unite the pro-life people of Louisiana, across all denominational lines, to take a stand for life in our State's Capital, and mobilize them with resources to go make a difference in their community. We believe the Louisiana Life March can lead towards an abortion-free Louisiana. This event is sponsored by Louisiana Right to Life, Louisiana Baptist Convention, Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops, Louisiana Family Forum, the Knights of Columbus, and Louisiana's Concerned Women for America and will be held Saturday, January 12, 2012 from 1-3 p.m. in Baton Rouge at the Louisiana State Capitol. Select rating Give it 1/5 Give it 2/5 Give it 3/5 Give it 4/5 Give it 5/5 Give it 1/5 Give it 2/5 Give it 3/5 Give it 4/5 Give it 5/5 … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Fri, 12/14/2012 - 13:51 Children attending a Christmas Vacation Bible School at Crossroads Baptist Church Hammond wave their light sticks to illustrate Jesus is the Light of the World. By Mark H Hunter, Regional Reporter HAMMOND – The room was completely dark until one by one, a small group of elementary age children shook their chemical light sticks. Squeals of laughter erupted as the room – now illuminated by swirling colors of green, yellow, red and blue – revealed happy faces. The exercise was just one of several to illustrate the birth of Jesus as "The Light of the World," during a unique "VBS at Christmas" that took place Saturday, Dec. 1, at Crossroads Baptist Church in Hammond. The church, located in a renovated movie theater across Oak Street from Southeastern Louisiana University, is an active group of small families and SLU students and averages about 150 in attendance, said Pastor Asah Hudgins. "Our goal with this is to start the Christmas season off for the kids by focusing on Christ," Hudgins said. As far as anyone knows, this was the first Christmas VBS in this part of the state. Two years ago a Hammond Lutheran church hosted an Easter VBS and Tara Hudgins, pastor’s … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Fri, 12/14/2012 - 13:54 A young shepherd keeps a firm hold on the halter of this donkey used during a live nativity at Mandeville Baptist Church. By Rachel Ortego, Regional Reporter MANDEVILLE – Deacon Pat Hayden of Mandeville Baptist Church is a shepherd of sorts. It is his job to round up sheep, donkeys, goats and maybe a calf or two for the church’s annual Christmas live nativity each year. But he doesn’t do it with a rod and staff. Hayden is the animal facilitator who arranges, by phone, for the mini-herd to be delivered from farms as far as 50 minutes away to the nativity scene on the church property for three afternoons in December. The church has had some interesting experiences with the animals but generally everything goes over without a hitch, Hayden says. “We have one lady who loans us between 15 to 20 sheep and we provide some funds for her expenses,” Hayden said. “Other people loan us donkeys, goats and even a calf, dropping off the animals before crowds start arriving and bringing them home afterwards each night. The owners are very good about helping and will stay around and watch, and to be there if needed. Sometimes the animals stay overnight.” This is the fourth … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Fri, 12/14/2012 - 13:57 We at the Louisiana Baptist Message wish each and everyone of you a very Merry Christmas. Thanks for allowing us to serve you. Select rating Give it 1/5 Give it 2/5 Give it 3/5 Give it 4/5 Give it 5/5 Give it 1/5 Give it 2/5 Give it 3/5 Give it 4/5 Give it 5/5 … [Read more...]

By Kelly Boggs, Editor Festooning home and hearth with lights, garland, mistletoe and other “Christmas” paraphernalia is a long-standing tradition for many. I have participated in the annual decoration festivities, but only mildly. Rather than go for glitz and glitter or class and sophistication in my decorating scheme, I have always chosen to opt for meaning. My yearly contribution to the neighborhood kaleidoscope of color has always been rather simple. A couple of weeks before Christmas day, I place an eight-foot-tall cross in the middle of my yard. The cross is wrapped in lights so as to make it visible at night. Plastic lighted figurines representing Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus are placed at the foot of the cross. No other lights have accompanied my display. It has always been a cross and a simple manger scene. The message I hope to communicate via my display is that the real meaning of Christmas is found only when the manger and the cross are taken together. Without the cross, the manger is meaningless. Additionally, the lack of many lights indicates my belief that Christmas should be celebrated with simple dignity and not gaudy excess. Everyone does not always grasp or appreciate my effort to convey meaning at … [Read more...]

By David Jeremiah, Senior Pastor, Shadow Mountain Community Church Though few people have the stingy soul of Ebenezer Scrooge, many – even some Christians – are miserable during the season the world celebrates Jesus’ birth and are in desperate need of the Christ of Christmas present. To those who struggle and have a hard time experiencing joy during the Christmas season, the Bible provides the following, “For a child will be born, a son will be given to us… and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor…” How can we tap into the encouragement of the ever-present Wonderful Counselor and become free from Christmas blues? VERBALIZE Tell the Lord all about it. Consciously draw near to Him in prayer. He always hears and understands. Then pick up the phone, share your emotions with a trusted friend or family member, for “Thoughts disentangle passing o’er the lip.” Avoid woe-is-me self-pity (“Lord, you know I’m lonely, pitiful, sad, isolated.”) Pray honestly, but offer a prayer of faith. “Lord, I feel discouraged today, but I’m here to claim one of Your promises. With Your help, I’ll stand on Your Word.” Say with the psalmist: “I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the … [Read more...]

By Joe McKeever, Preacher/Cartoonist A pastor friend told us of the time he took his family to a neighboring church’s Christmas Eve midnight service. He and his wife loved it – they could enjoy the presentation without worrying about the details, a rarity for a minister – but for his 7-year-old daughter, it was a different matter. The little girl was eager to get home and into bed so Christmas could arrive on time. As the worship service dragged on, the child became impatient. When the minister began reading the second chapter of Luke – “Now, it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus ...” – she said in a voice that carried into the next county, “I have HEARD this story!” We have all heard it. But it bears repeating again and again. One of the reasons the Luke 2 passage is so well-loved is that it nails down the time-frame when these things occurred. The birth of Jesus Christ is historical, it is factual, it is well-documented and reliable. It occurred at a real place in real time. As the Apostle Peter wrote in the second epistle bearing his name, “We did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses … [Read more...]

Dear Editor I read the editorial titled “Christmas celebrations indicate Americans penchant for secularism” (Baptist Message, Dec. 6) with much interest.  It echoes many things I have observed over the 89 years I have witnessed changes in our culture’s approach to Christmas. What we have arrived at in 2012 is what a devout Christian friend of mine calls “Shopmas!” Any reference to Christ can hardly be found!  In truth, this date for Jesus’ birth is in error from the start. The date of His birth is not known, therefore perhaps Christians should re-think this, and set a new date stipulating no trees, no gifts, (note that I am not saying “no giving”), no Santa Claus, no Christmas wreaths, bows, decorations, etc, etc (ad nausea), ....but music – much music – and Scripture reading, more than we have now.  And more worship and more praise of Him! Let the Dec. 25th date stay as is, only let it be known as a “Winter Festival” which it was from before the time the early fathers decided it might be a good idea to combine the two things, and thus it passed down to us as a cele-bration of Jesus’ birth. Alas, we know this will not be done, but at Christians I think we should rebel against some of the pagan practices that have gotten … [Read more...]

By Ryan Lister, LC's Caskey School of Divinity This is the season of giving and sometime between my last article and my last lecture of the semester at Louisiana College someone was kind enough to give me the flu, that gift that keeps on giving. Over the past few days quarantined in my bedroom I have had a good amount of time to think. Granted, not all those thoughts have been lucid due to the fever, and when they were they often took the form of very specific and very bold prayers of petition. But as my body began to mend and my prayers turned from petitions to thanks, my mind began to think about God’s grace and even turned to contemplate Christmas in a very new way. You see I am used to seeing Christmas in its full wonder and amazement, surrounded by loving family and beautiful church services, not boxes of tissues and medications.  The flu has a way of knocking reality back into everything – even the beauty of Christmas. But, I think this was a good realization. It shows us exactly what is at the heart of advent: God came to this world.  As I thought about this I considered first what it meant for God to enter this world. When he came it was not into a world filled with beautifully lit trees hung with … [Read more...]