Mound Baptist Church Madison Baptist Association  TALLULAH – The people of Mound Baptist Church are serving God with great enthusiasm, says Pastor Jay Simms. “Our congregation is very privileged with having a great task at hand,” Simms said. This God-given task has to do with Mound Baptist Church’s location. “We’re the only church [near our community’s] five bars and two gambling establishments,” he explained. “We have a very evident mission field. We spend our time reaching out to the community.” One way Mound Baptist members reach out has to do with motorcycles. Simms said two of the bars happen to be biker bars. This gives him and others common ground with local residents. “We have several members who ride, including myself,” he said. He will stop by and chat with the bikers at these bars, and share Jesus with them. “We show people our faith,” Simms said. The church even puts on a motorcycle ride for local residents. In April, church members will host the “Second Annual Rally Around The River” motorcycle ride. “Last year we had 23 bikers,” Simms said. There are 12 people already signed up to take part this year, and he’s expecting a lot more. The entire church gets involved, even the … [Read more...]

Something related to missions education and support is happening this spring for every man, woman, teenager, boy and girl in Louisiana’s Southern Baptist churches. ALEXANDRIA – Something related to missions education and support is happening this spring for every man, woman, teenager, boy and girl in Louisiana’s Southern Baptist churches. “Mission education through WMU – or RAs and Baptist Men – in a Southern Baptist church reinforces the biblical basis of missions, while involving the individual – child, teen or adult – in missions,” said Janie Wise, director of Women’s Missions and Ministry for the Louisiana Baptist Convention. “Through missions education individuals discover that we all can be and are part of missions efforts around the world, even from our home areas.” The biggest event is national in scope: March 1-8 is the Week of Prayer for North American Missions, reflected in the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. National goal for the offering is $65 million; Louisiana’s goal: $2.1 million. News about it was in the Feb. 19 issue of the Louisiana Baptist Messageand online at www.namb.net. The Acteens weekender took place last weekend, Feb. 27-28. Read more about it in the next issue of the Message. M-Jam – … [Read more...]

Coach J.T. Curtis, the all-time winningest coach in Louisiana football history and second winningest in the nation, will be the featured special guest for the second annual Wildcat Football Celebration Saturday, March 7. PINEVILLE – Coach J.T. Curtis, the all-time winningest coach in Louisiana football history and second winningest in the nation, will be the featured special guest for the second annual Wildcat Football Celebration Saturday, March 7. Curtis, an LC alumnus, is the coach of one of the most storied football programs in Louisiana history. Under his tutelage, the Patriots have made 37 appearances in the playoffs and a remarkable 23 state championships. His 464-51-6 overall record that spans a 40-year career trails only Summerville (S.C.) Coach John McKissick, who has 565 wins. The 82-year-old McKissick has coached for 55 years. Curtis will be on campus to help the Wildcats celebrate “A Season of New Beginnings.” Last year, legendary Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden and LSU standout Jacob Hester highlighted the event. The celebration will begin with the National Championship Sponsor Dinner in the Granberry Conference Center, hosted by the senior Wildcat players with Curtis as the honored guest. The … [Read more...]

Twice a year, First Baptist Church of Choudrant sends a mission team to Arizona and New Mexico to minister to the Navajo people who live there. CHOUDRANT – Twice a year, First Baptist Church of Choudrant sends a mission team to Arizona and New Mexico to minister to the Navajo people who live there. Sunday, Feb. 8, saw the kickoff of First Choudrant’s summer mission trip, including reports from the winter team followed by lunch of tacos on Navajo fried bread. First Choudrant began sending teams in June 2002, averaging 30 people – including children, youth and adults – per trip. The church’s mission statement for this ministry is:  “It is our prayer that, through the love and compassion of others, the Navajo people will see the Lord Jesus Christ, will desire Him as ‘King of Kings’ and ‘Lord of Lords’ in their own lives, and will no longer worship ‘creation’ but worship the ‘Creator.’” The team that went in December 2008 carried food, clothing and blankets to the people in need. There were quite a few unplanned opportunities for ministry. One such instance included a battered women’s shelter, team member Carol Mizell said Sunday morning. Before the trip, neither she nor the other members knew it was there, but once … [Read more...]

Leon Cannizzaro Jr., district attorney for Orleans Parish, noted the power of prayer during his first community outreach prayer breakfast, held at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. NEW ORLEANS (BP) – Leon Cannizzaro Jr., district attorney for Orleans Parish, noted the power of prayer during his first community outreach prayer breakfast, held at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. The newly-elected official called together clergy members from across the parish to seek prayer and partnership in his efforts to combat the growing crime problem in New Orleans. About 125 religious leaders convened to hear from Cannizaro Feb. 12 at the event sponsored by Baptist Community Ministries, a foundation launched in 1995 with proceeds from the sale of Southern Baptist Hospital in the city. “I want to thank you for your thoughts, for your prayers and your support,” Cannizaro told the ministers. “People have asked me, ‘What can I do to help you?’ My most basic and standard answer has been, ‘Please pray for me.’ I know we are not going to solve our problems in Orleans Parish unless we go to that higher authority.” Cannizzaro was elected at a low point in public trust in the city’s criminal justice system. He follows an … [Read more...]

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary students and student families have a new place to “shop” on campus. Best of all, it is a place without price tags. NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary students and student families have a new place to “shop” on campus. Best of all, it is a place without price tags. On Jan. 30, NOBTS President Chuck Kelley cut the ribbon on the seminary’s brand new S.W.A.P. (Surplus with a Purpose) Shop. The shop is designed to meet immediate needs for seminarians free of charge. Since 1989 the S.W.A.P. Shop has helped students outfit their apartments, clothe their families and make ends meet. The ministry relies entirely on donated items. Hurricane Katrina forced the closure of the S.W.A.P. Shop. The shop’s  original location, flooded by Katrina, was damaged beyond repair. Now the S.W.A.P. Shop is once again open ready to serve the seminary community. Thanks in part to a generous hurricane recovery gift from the Georgia Baptist Convention, a new metal building was built at the rear of campus to house the S.W.A.P. Shop. And with the slumping economy, the reopening could not come at a better time. “The S.W.A.P. Shop is one of my favorite things to reopen after Katrina,” … [Read more...]

A proposal to bring gambling to the Northshore in southeast Louisiana was conspicuously missing from the St. Tammany Parish Council meeting agenda last Thursday, March 5, signaling an apparent victory for religious leaders. COVINGTON – A proposal to bring gambling to the Northshore in southeast Louisiana was conspicuously missing from the St. Tammany Parish Council meeting agenda last Thursday, March 5, signaling an apparent victory for religious leaders. On Friday, March 13, Parish President Kevin Davis in a prepared statement said he is abandoning a controversial proposal to create an entertainment district anchored by a casino barge south of Slidell. He said he began pursuing the project in hopes of generating $8 million to $11 million annually in local revenues from the district that could be used to lower citizens property taxes. “I made it very clear that I could only support this project if it was tied into a reduction of property taxes,” Davis said in the statement. “I am told by our attorneys now there is not a responsible way for this to be done. As a result, I will not continue with the project in its present form.” Davis made the proposal in spite of the fact that in 1996 the citizens of St. Tammany Parish … [Read more...]

Pastors and other leaders in the five Baptist associations of what is known as “District Eight” have been working for a year on the 2009 Festival of Hope, set for Sunday, March 22, in and around Prather Coliseum on the campus of Northwestern State University. NATCHITOCHES – Pastors and other leaders in the five Baptist associations of what is known as “District Eight” have been working for a year on the 2009 Festival of Hope, set for Sunday, March 22, in and around Prather Coliseum on the campus of Northwestern State University. Prayer meetings have been taking place at various locations; personal witnessing counselors have been trained by a member of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association; and Fred Lowery, pastor of First Baptist Church, Bossier City, has been prayerfully selected as guest speaker. “Churches all across District Eight are requested to ‘transfer’ their Sunday evening service and be a part of this exciting time of spiritual renewal and evangelistic outreach,” wrote Lee Dickson, director of missions for the DeSoto, Natchitoches, North Sabine, Red River and Sabine Baptist Associations in his March newsletter to churches in District Eight. “As you know, there are many ‘festivals’ in our state, but we need a … [Read more...]

Perhaps unique within the Christian world is the annual Greer-Heard Point-Counterpoint Forum, set this year for March 27-28 in the Leavell Chapel at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. NEW ORLEANS – Perhaps unique within the Christian world is the annual Greer-Heard Point-Counterpoint Forum, set this year for March 27-28 in the Leavell Chapel at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. The forum, established in 2005 at NOBTS with a major gift by Businessman Bill Heard and his wife Carolyn Greer Heard, brings together evangelical scholars and their non-evangelical peers so the seminary family and general public can hear divergent views on the same subject, presented in a conversational tone rather than an acrimonious debate.  “In our culture there really isn’t a place of fair-minded conversation on important issues,” said Robert Stewart, professor of philosophy and theology at NOBTS. Stewart is the director of the forum. “We live in a time of sound bytes and gotcha journalism, and particularly we evangelicals are victims of that. ...  “We need a type of place, a forum, a venue, where differing ideas can be aired in a setting not as confrontational as a debate could be,” Stewart continued. “Our goal is to generate … [Read more...]

“Yes We Can!” is a day devoted to celebrating the abundant life of special needs families. COVINGTON – “Yes We Can!” is a day devoted to celebrating the abundant life of special needs families. A ministry of First Baptist Church of Covington, the four-hour no-cost event Saturday, April 4, is open to all special needs families in Louisiana. For an extra dollop of ministry, Jill Kelly, wife of Hall of Fame Quarterback Jim Kelly, will share the story of their family from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday at the church. (Cost for this: $10.) This the third-annual special needs event for First Covington, which has had one of the nation’s few special needs ministries for the last four years. “My husband and I have a 7-year-old son with significant development and health issues,” said Melinda Robinson, coordinator. “This situation prompted us to start examining what the church community does to reach out and address the needs of these very unique types of families.” Their search led First Covington to start a special needs ministry, called Hands in HAND, which addresses the needs of families with special needs children, as well as adults with special needs. And that led to “Yes We Can,” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 4 … [Read more...]