By KELLY BOGGS   Could you provide a brief synopsis of your church planting experience?       Hope Church of Waldheim was started in October 2002. We started in homes, then a rural Fire Station in North Covington, and in 2005, just before Katrina, we purchased a former Cafe/Truck Stop and 16 acres on Hwy. 21 between Covington and Bogalusa.   [img_assist|nid=7020|title=Lane Corley|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=72|height=100]In 2008, my wife and I transitioned out of Hope to plant another church and led them to select their own pastor. Avery Dixon is now their pastor.   Bridge Church started in August of 2009. We began meeting in Bedico Baptist Church’s old sanctuary and currently meet every Sunday morning at the St. Tammany YMCA.   We’re trying an incarnational model of church life, intentionally portable and reproducible. We currently have the Worship Gathering each Sunday morning at the YMCA and at the St. Tammany Parish Jail.   Our first building was a mobile home in the largest trailer park in St. Tammany Parish. The church is about 60 percent self-supporting with Bedico Baptist as our primary sponsor, along with several co-sponsors in Central … [Read more...]

By KAREN WILLOUGHBY PINEVILLE – Pineville Grace Baptist church decided that rather than withering away, it would give its heart to another. And its pews to yet another. What became a "transplant service" took place Monday evening, Jan. 3, led by Leon Hyatt, who in 2002 brought the church now known as Pineville Grace Baptist into the North Rapides Baptist Association, Louisiana Baptist Convention and Southern Baptist Convention. "This is a special occasion done for the honor and glory of the Lord," Hyatt said to the 80 or more people in the worship center that had chairs added across the front and down the sides of the center aisle. "We want His power to permeate this place as ever before."     … [Read more...]

COMINGS & GOINGS   n Eric (wife Shiann) Bradley, new as minister to students at First Baptist Haynesville, from a similar position in Enterprise, Ala. Shelby Cowling is pastor.   n Andrew “Andy” (wife Laurie) Pierce, new as pastor at Immanuel Baptist Baton Rouge. Former Pastor Steve Johnson is now full time coach at Central High School in Central City.   n Doyle McGrew is soon to retire from Goldonna Baptist, but not from the gospel ministry, he says. A reception is to take place at 2 p.m. Jan. 23 at the Charles H. Garrett Community Center in Jonesboro.   n Alan (wife Helen) Knuckles is new as director of missions in Acadia, Louisiana and Mt. Olive Baptist Associations.   n Stan (wife Tracy) Stathan is new as director of missions in Two Rivers, Washington and William Wallace Baptist Associations, also known as Baptist Associations of Southeast Louisiana. He was pastor of Trinity Franklinton.   NEEDED   n Carey Baptist Association’s pastorless churches include Bethany, Boulevard, First Cameron, First Hackberry and Sale Street.   n Baptist Association of Greater Baton Rouge’s pastorless churches include Broadmoor, Cedarcrest, Courtableau, … [Read more...]

BERNICE – In the last five years, "The Church at Pisgah," also known as Pisgah Baptist Church, paid off the debt on the Family Life Center, planted a church, sponsored at least six international mission trips, "joined God in launching four community impact ministries," and poured the foundation for a new worship center to be built in the first quarter of 2011, wrote Pastor Jerry Dark in the church’s January newsletter.   Its goals for 2015 include the participation of 300 people in worship. Bernice, in the woods north of Ruston, is less than 20 miles from the Arkansas state line.   … [Read more...]

BY MICHAEL FOUST   NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – As Southern Baptist churches head into a time of prayer and repentance in January, Executive Committee President Frank Page says he is praying that believers "will learn the sufficiency of God’s grace" just as the Apostle Paul learned when he was battling his undefined "thorn in the flesh."   The "universality   of difficulty."     "Many of you have been a pastor or in the ministry in some way," Page said. "You know how many people come up to you and ask, ‘Why am I going through this? Why am I suffering this way?’ ... All of us have a thorn. All of us struggle in life. All of us have afflictions. They are real."     The "natural reaction   of the believer."     Paul’s first reaction to his "thorn," Page noted, was to pray.   "We all want to know, ‘God, why?’ But at least we’re talking to the right person and going to the right source. ‘God, please help me. Lord, explain this, and if you won’t explain it, hold my hand as I walk through it.’"     The "beautiful provisions   of our Lord."     "In prayer, Paul received a beautiful message [but] not the one he wanted," Page … [Read more...]

  DALLAS — Ministers for tax purposes will receive a small financial benefit from the recent tax compromise legislation signed by President Barack Obama on Dec. 17.   Ministers’ SECA Social Security tax rate will fall from 12.4 percent to 10.4 percent for 2011 only.   The additional Medicare tax rate of 2.9 percent remains in effect.   … [Read more...]

By BROOKLYN LOWERY NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – The National Bureau of Economic Research declared in September that the recession that began in December 2007 ended in June 2009. According to a new LifeWay Research study, pastors of Protestant churches might disagree: Data gathered Oct. 7-14 shows that 2010 is on course to be the third straight year with an increased number of churches receiving lower offerings than the prior year. Thirty-four percent of churches report receiving less offering this year than the previous year, compared to 23 percent in 2009 and 19 percent in 2008. Additionally, LifeWay Research reported that 79 percent of pastors say the economy is impacting their church negatively, reflecting media reports that overall offering dollars reportedly have declined for the first time. “It’s hard to explain in financial terms how churches have done as well as they have the last three years,” said Scott McConnell, director of LifeWay Research. “Churches actually saw average offerings rise 3 percent in 2009, but the recession -- though officially over mid last year -- has finally taken its toll on churches in 2010.” In the October telephone survey, churches reported average 2010 offerings of 3 percent less than their … [Read more...]

By KAREN L. WILLOUGHBY   DES ARC, Ark. (BP) – "Because of the Cooperative Program, we get to be a part of everything," Melvin York, pastor of First Baptist Church in Des Arc, Ark., for 17 years, said. "With the Cooperative Program, you get to support missions at every level in every area."   The Cooperative Program is Southern Baptists’ method for financially supporting state, national and international missions and ministries.   "We practice missions," York said. "I don’t have to preach it. My folks practice it.... Last year we marked $1.5 million to missions since I’ve been here, this little ol’ country church, and $1.1 million of that has been through the Cooperative Program."     … [Read more...]

  By KAREN WILLOUGBY NORTH AMERICA – Two major events for Native Peoples in Spring 2011 attest to a groundswell of Southern Baptist interest in ministry among and with Native Americans and First Nations Canadians. The Gathering, set for March 2-4 at Southern Hills Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, Okla., is to be a national conference of Native American Christian leaders discussing more effective ways than ever before of reaching Native Americans with the Gospel. The North American Native Peoples Summit April 28-29 at one of the Cross Church campuses in Springdale, Ark., -- invited by Pastor Ronnie Floyd – is to bring together Native Christians from the United States and Canada with those interested in ministering with Native Christians.   0 … [Read more...]

STAFF, Baptist Message STATEWIDE – "What’s Next?" That was the theme of this year’s Bible Drill retreat Jan. 21-22 at Tall Timbers Baptist Conference Center. More than 230 students and their leaders participated, down a bit from last year’s record 240-plus, though the number of churches increased, said Louisiana’s Bible Drill Coordinator Linda Aguillard of Greenwell Springs Baptist Church in the Baton Rouge area. The theme referred to life, not just Bible Drill, though Bible Drill prepares students for life, Aguillard said. "They study for a full year on that year’s scriptures, and years later they can still say the verse; it’s embedded," Aguillard said with a hearty laugh. "We’re seeing so many of our students going into Christian service. ... This is a leadership-development program, beyond a doubt." Peter Baehr, previously a Bible Driller in New Orleans, went on to become a screenwriter. Harrison Fredericks, a current Bible Driller at First Slidell, is the star of Baehr’s The Little Red Plane, shown at the Friday night session. The evening also included Joshua Spinks, youth minister at Greenwell Springs Baptist Church, leading in teaching self-defense using tae kwon do, and tying the self-defense to scripture verses the … [Read more...]