Three seminaries in the Southern Baptist Convention graduated students this spring with Louisiana ties. Three seminaries in the Southern Baptist Convention graduated students this spring with Louisiana ties. SWBTS -Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas, graduated 239 students, including: Bertha J. Vaughns, Alexandria, La., Master of Arts Christian Education. SEBTS -Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, N.C., graduated 230 students, including: Patrick G. Willis, Jena, La., Master of Divinity, pastoral ministry. NOBTS -New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, New Orleans, La. graduated 184 students, including: Margaret Elaine Cherry Fredericks, Slidell, Associate in Christian Ministry Amie Marie Cooper, Ponchatoula, Bachelor of Arts in Christian Ministry Katelyn Lea O’Connor, Luling, Bachelor of Arts in Christian Ministry Clay Spinks Jr., Greensburg, Bachelor of Arts in Christian Ministry Adrian Scriber, Lisbon, Master of Music in Church Music, Lisbon Leah Catherine Brown, Lafayette, Master of Arts in Missiology, Lafayette Paul Gregory Bland, Rayville, Master of Arts in Christian Education Dave Deal, Baton Rouge, Master of Arts in Christian Education Laura Kay Hyman, Baton … [Read more...]

Almost 100 Baptist high school students from every corner of the state will converge June 18 at Louisiana College to begin three days of rehearsal before setting out on a mission choir trip across the Southland. ALEXANDRIA – Almost 100 Baptist high school students from every corner of the state will converge June 18 at Louisiana College to begin three days of  rehearsal before setting out on a mission choir trip across the Southland. The Louisiana Baptist All State Youth Choir includes Louisiana high school students from Louisiana Baptist churches. They were selected by audition from churches as far south as Covington and as far north as Haynesville. The three days of rehearsal is to be led by Stephen Holcomb, director of Choral Music at Dallas (Texas) Baptist University. After the rehearsal days, the All State Choir is to head directly for Nashville, Tenn., their first stop on a Southland concert tour. They are scheduled to sing at several venues such as First Baptist Church Nashville, Country Music Hall of Fame, and Opryland Hotel.  “They are currently scheduled to sing at least 11 concerts in seven days in both Nashville and Memphis,” said Randy Turner, LBC church music strategist. “Over the  past 26 years God … [Read more...]

Frank Page is coming to dinner. INDIANAPOLIS (BP) – Frank Page is coming to dinner. The Southern Baptist Convention’s president will be the guest speaker at a Woman’s Missionary Union dinner kicking off its June 8-9 Missions Celebration and Annual Meeting preceding the SBC’s annual meeting in Indianapolis. Page, pastor of First Baptist Church in Taylors, S.C., will share insights from his new book, “The Nehemiah Factor: 16 Characteristics of a Missional Leader,” to be released by New Hope Publishers, a WMU subsidiary, in June. New Hope publisher Andrea Mullins said Page’s latest book highlights the characteristics of a missional leader as authenticated in the Book of Nehemiah and challenges today’s leaders to refine their leadership skills to match those found in the Scriptures. Page voiced a prayer that his address at the Sunday evening dinner “will be not only an encouragement, but an inspiration to encourage God’s people in doing the work which He commanded to us. To be a partner in such an endeavor is an honor.” The theme for Monday’s WMU sessions, “For God So Loved ...,” is drawn from John 3:16. The keynote speaker Monday evening will be Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research and coauthor with Philip … [Read more...]

Prayer is news at this year’s Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Indianapolis. INDIANAPOLIS (BP) – Prayer is news at this year’s Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Indianapolis. A chaplains’ luncheon and a Missional Network discussion also may yield a few lines of ink. This year’s prayer emphasis at the Southern Baptist Convention has been boosted by the efforts of Indianapolis-area pastors who have caught a vision of what can happen when people spend more time praying. At last year’s meeting of the State Convention of Baptists in Indiana, a first-of-its-kind prayer room featured videos, maps and other visual aids along with Bible verses, specific requests and journals to facilitate prayer. The room was filled throughout the annual meeting, and the results were overwhelming, Dale Eakes, this year’s SBC prayer team coordinator, told Baptist Press. “Churches are discovering more creative and innovative ways to incorporate prayer into their congregations,” said Eakes, pastor of Warren Baptist Church in Indianapolis. “A local pastor shared with me that his church knew what worship was and that they were good at it, but prayer was not something practiced very much together. “He has changed his … [Read more...]

The Southern Baptist Convention’s six seminaries will host luncheons for alumni and guests in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention’s June 10-11 annual meeting at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. INDIANAPOLIS (BP) – The Southern Baptist Convention’s six seminaries will host luncheons for alumni and guests in conjunction with the Southern Baptist Convention’s June 10-11 annual meeting at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. GOLDEN GATE – Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary’s president, Jeff Iorg, will be the featured speaker at the seminary’s annual Alumni and Friends Luncheon at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 11, in Rooms 208-209 at the Indiana Convention Center. MIDWESTERN – Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary will host its annual Alumni & Friends Luncheon at noon Wednesday, June 11, at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, in Marriott Ballrooms 7, 8, 9, 10 on Level 2, across the street from the convention center. MBTS President R. Philip Roberts will be the featured speaker. NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary’s annual Alumni & Friends Luncheon will be a time to reconnect with friends and hear the latest news from campus. The June 11 luncheon will be in … [Read more...]

The Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists will honor its founding generation and reach out to a new generation of lost souls as it convenes for a 50th anniversary celebration June 6-9 in Indianapolis, immediately prior to the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. INDIANAPOLIS (BP) – The Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists will honor its founding generation and reach out to a new generation of lost souls as it convenes for a 50th anniversary celebration June 6-9 in Indianapolis, immediately prior to the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. The group will honor the first group of inductees of the COSBE Hall of Faith – recognizing vocational evangelists who have dedicated years of service to the task of soul-winning. Their meeting will conclude with a high-energy youth evangelism event called “ONE: One night ... one purpose.” The annual evangelists’ gathering, with “Running the Race” as the theme, will open June 6 with an evening banquet in the Crowne Plaza Hotel’s Illinois Street Ballroom, honoring the first class of Hall of Faith inductees, said Brian Fossett, president of the Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists. Johnny Hunt, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in … [Read more...]

Two longtime pastors will be honored during the June 8-9 meeting of the National African American Fellowship of the Southern Baptist Convention, while Mark Croston Sr. will recap his unprecedented three-year term as NAAF president. INDIANAPOLIS (BP) – Two longtime pastors will be honored during the June 8-9 meeting of the National African American Fellowship of the Southern Baptist Convention, while Mark Croston Sr. will recap his unprecedented three-year term as NAAF president. The NAAF, encompassing 4,500 African American churches in the SBC, meets each year in conjunction with the SBC’s annual meeting, slated for June 10-11 in the Indiana Convention Center. “We would hope our convention would find constructive ways to respond to all the current issues the church is confronted with,” Croston said in response to a question about political matters; he specifically cited the idea of an open dialogue on race relations. “We shouldn’t just pick some issues and be silent on others,” Croston said. “We live in such a media-driven society that the voice of Southern Baptists needs to be heard with consistency, clarity, conviction and conscience – on all issues our people are confronted with.” While the NAAF has no plans to … [Read more...]

Among several events to be held in conjunction with the SBC annual meeting: INDIANAPOLIS (BP) – Among several events to be held in conjunction with the SBC annual meeting: n Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Douglas L. Carver will be the featured speaker at the chaplain’s luncheon on June 9. Last June, Carver became the first Southern Baptist since 1954 to lead the U.S. Army’s chaplains when he was promoted to a two-star general. The luncheon, from 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m. on Monday, will be held in the Indiana Convention Center’s Sagamore Ballroom 7 on Level 2. Carver, a native of Rome, Ga., grew up in a Christian home prior to graduating from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary with an M.Div. n The North American Mission Board’s Missional Network will hold a dinner and discussion on Monday, June 9 at Buca de Beppo restaurant in Indianapolis. Participating in a panel discussion will be Kerry Shook, founding pastor of Fellowship of the Woodlands in The Woodlands, Texas; Brian Bloye, founding pastor West Ridge Church in Hiram, Ga.; and Daniel Floyd, lead pastor of Lifepoint Church in Spotsylvania, Va. “Networking has become a critical part of our culture and to this … [Read more...]

The presidents of three Southern Baptist Convention entities will speak at the Southern Baptist Conference of Associational Directors of Missions’ June 8-9 annual meeting in Indianapolis, featuring the theme “Growing the Kingdom, Church by Church.” INDIANAPOLIS (BP) – The presidents of three Southern Baptist Convention entities will speak at the Southern Baptist Conference of Associational Directors of Missions’ June 8-9 annual meeting in Indianapolis, featuring the theme “Growing the Kingdom, Church by Church.” The meeting, the organization’s 46th, will begin with a worship service at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, June 8, at the Sheraton City Centre, with Jim Futral, executive director-treasurer of the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board, preaching. The service will be followed by a lunch at noon (meal ticket required) sponsored by GuideStone Financial Resources. At 1 p.m., the first of three sessions of the SBCADOM meeting will begin. Also at 1 p.m., the SBCADOM wives meeting will take place with the theme of “Joy In the Midst of It All.” The SBCADOM’s first session will focus on the theme of “Growing Simple Churches,” with Thom S. Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resourses, and Russell Cook, SBCADOM president and … [Read more...]

COMINGS AND GOINGS -Roger Stoffer, new as pastor Memorial Baptist, Monroe. -Emily Tribble Hummel, new as director of student ministries Mt. Vernon Baptist, West Monroe. -Ralph G. Parks, new as interim pastor of  Bethel Baptist Church, Franklinton coming from Idaho. NEEDED -Northeast  Association needs pastors at Fairbanks Baptist Fairbanks, First Baptist Swartz, Peniel Baptist West Monroe. Ministers of Music needed at Clark Springs Baptist Eros, Edgewood Baptist West Monroe, First Baptist Monroe, Lighthouse Baptist Monroe, Loch Arbor Baptist Monroe. Ministers of Youth needed at Bethel Baptist West Monroe, Clark Springs Baptist Eros, Emmanuel Baptist West Monroe, Lighthouse Baptist Monroe, New Light Baptist Monroe. Children’s Minister needed at Fairbanks Baptist Fairbanks, Mt. Vernon Baptist West Monroe. Pianist needed at Emmanuel Baptist Monroe, Highland Park Baptist Monroe. -Morehouse Association needs pastors at Grace Baptist Bastrop. Ministers of music needed at Cherry Ridge Baptist Bastrop, Faith Baptist Bastrop, First Baptist Bastrop, White Avenue Baptist Bastrop. ANNIVERSARIES AND CELEBRATIONS -First Baptist Longville celebration service honoring Stuart Graves, pastor. Dinner on the grounds following … [Read more...]