By Staff, Baptist Message   [img_assist|nid=7825|title=2011 Cottage Parents of the Year|desc=Steven and Faith Smith|link=none|align=right|width=640|height=616]MONROE – Steven and Faith Smith, cottage parents at Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home were named 2011 Cottage Parents of the Year.   The award, which is voted on by the entire campus, is based on the cottage parents’ total contribution to the ministry over the past year.   High school sweethearts Steven and Faith, LaSalle Parish natives, already knew they wanted to work with children as teenagers. Although the young couple, married in 1990, could not have children of their own, they knew God had a plan for their lives involving young people. Since then, the Smiths have touched the lives of countless boys and girls around the world.   After participating in several mission trips overseas, the Smiths realized they could help children full-time right here at home. They began their service at Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home & Family Ministries in 1998. The Smiths were already very familiar with the ministry because Faith’s parents, C.H. and Debbie Boyd, had served as cottage parents at the Children’s Home for several … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message   [img_assist|nid=7827|title=Bell Ringers|desc=About 125 members of Temple Baptist Church in Ruston hung “jingle bells” on the doors of every home in Ruston, – about 10,000 homes – and prayed for each as they did so.|link=none|align=right|width=640|height=640]RUSTON – More than 125 members of Temple Baptist Church spread out in early December across the town of about 10,000 housing units.   Each was given an area of about 100  homes. The members placed a “jingle bell” on the doorknob of each home, and as they did, they prayed for the people who live there.   “We prayed again this year for their awakening,” said Loy Seal, minister of education for the last six years at Temple Ruston, where Rick Byargeon is pastor. “This is the fourth year in a row we’ve done this.   “We’re thrilled that we can pray over every house in Ruston,” Seal said. “And to couple that prayer this year with the Awaken emphasis – we’re estatic to be able to do this for the city of Ruston.”   Members reported back that they had seen previous year’s bells hanging on some of the doors, as if the Christmas use of them had become a tradition for the family. One member reported that when … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message   ARRIVALS/DEPARTURES   Ron (wife Lauren) Ball: new as pastor of New Sharon Baptist in Husser, from Roxie Baptist Church in Roxie, Miss.   Joseph Ott, new as youth minister at Don Avenue Baptist in Denham Springs. Pastor: David Taylor.   Ken Spivey, new as interim minister of music at Don Avenue Baptist in Denham Springs. Pastor: David Taylor.   Jodie Williams, retires as music minister for 33 years at Temple Ruston. Pastor: Rick Byargeon.   Don Bassett, new as pastor of Mt. Calvary Independence.   Jared Flynn, new as worship minister at First Lacombe.   Jonathan (wife Amy) LaFleur, new as BCM director at Nicholls, from associate pastor of music and discipleship at Mulberry Houma.   Tim LaFleur, retiring after 20 years as BCM director at Nicholls.   Matt Taylor resigns as pastor of Conway Farmerville.   Jill (husband Claude) Crocker, new as children’s director of Gray Jefferson.   Danny Richardson, new as education director at Gray Jefferson.   Chanin (wife Mandy) Barker, new as music minister at Cross Point Bossier City.   Jacob Adaway, new as youth … [Read more...]

By Mickey Noah, Baptist Press   ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) -- If the North American Mission Board's Send North America evangelistic church planting initiative is to succeed, it must include thousands of bivocational pastors who are willing to plant churches.   "We must leverage the laity to plant churches," said Aaron Coe, NAMB's vice president of mobilization, "and we need to do it through a bivocational church movement.   "There are thousands of men sitting in church pews listening to their pastors each week who more than meet the qualifications for being pastors and church planters. We need to mobilize them to be involved in church planting if we're serious about the Great Commission," Coe said.   NAMB church planting leaders and members of the SBC-wide Bivocational and Small Church Leadership Network (BSCLN) have begun to explore ways for bivocational pastors to become involved.   Ray Gilder, the BSCLN's national coordinator from McMinnville, Tenn., and a retired bivocational pastor himself, describes a bivocational as a pastor who has another source of income over and above his church. Gilder says an SBC church running a weekly attendance of 100 or less probably has a … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Press   [img_assist|nid=7831|title=SBC Study|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=291|height=640]NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- The majority of Americans have a favorable impression of Southern Baptists, according to a recent LifeWay Research study. However, 40 percent of respondents have an unfavorable view of the denomination; more than a third strongly assume an SBC church is not for them; and the negativity is higher among the unchurched.   The LifeWay Research study was conducted in September 2011 after Bryant Wright, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, appointed a task force to consider a possible name change for the 166 year-old convention.   The study indicates a segment of Americans have unfavorable opinions of Southern Baptists in comparison to other faith groups. However, with 53 percent being favorable toward Southern Baptists (including 15 percent very favorable), both sides need to be considered, said Ed Stetzer, vice president of research and ministry development at LifeWay Christian Resources.   "On one hand it does look like the SBC has higher negatives than other faith groups -- and the unchurched numbers are particularly disconcerting," Stetzer said. … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message   VILLE PLATTE – When Rachel Ortega retired last February, she volunteered to take over the annual cookoff sponsored by First Baptist Church of Ville Platte.[img_assist|nid=7845|title=Top Chef|desc=Rebecca Graves of Lakeshore Monroe (left) who was named Overall Grand Champion by a team of 20 judges for the food, men’s dessert, costume, decorated hat and ugly tie contests. Graves also took first place in the Poultry division. Graves won an LSU canopy, ice cooler, two LSU chairs, the Grand Champion and Poultry chef hats, and an electric roaster. To Graves’ left is Carey Lemoine, a volunteer from Lafayette.|link=none|align=right|width=640|height=427]   The community outreach that takes place the first week in November had dwindled over time to a dozen booths. Ortega had a vision for more.   “Armed with  brochures about the cookoff I visited businesses in and around Ville Platte, talking about our church and how the cookoff is strictly a ministry outreach,” Ortega said. “I explained what Jesus had done in my life as a single parent with five children and how my passion was to provide a place where people could go just to be loved on.   “We generated a lot of … [Read more...]