Spurred by a vast reservoir of oil shale and a readiness to share the Gospel, Hazen Christian Fellowship wants to be ready for an influx of workers and their families in western North Dakota. HAZEN, N.D. (BP) – Spurred by a vast reservoir of oil shale and a readiness to share the Gospel, Hazen Christian Fellowship wants to be ready for an influx of workers and their families in western North Dakota. According to a U.S. Geological Survey news release in April, the 25,000-square-mile Bakken Foundation has an estimated 3 to 4.3 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil. A Kiplinger report described the Bakken field as “twice the size of Alaska’s reserves.” About two-thirds of the oil-laden shale is located in western North Dakota, but the formation also extends into Montana and Saskatchewan, Canada. Hazen Christian Fellowship pastor Bob Pittman envisions a hoped-for activities center at the church as an extension of its missions vision. Even so, the vision starts with giving 15 percent of the church’s undesignated offerings to missions, including 10 percent through the Cooperative Program, the Southern Baptist way of combining the efforts and resources of local churches to make a difference in the lives of people across … [Read more...]

RUBY – Too often people are judged by their outward appearances, and not for whom they are,” says Pete Reed of Ruby, “which causes them to feel unwelcome.” RUBY – Too often people are judged by their outward appearances, and not for whom they are,” says Pete Reed of Ruby, “which causes them to feel unwelcome.” Reed knows this only too well, because he has firsthand experience. The 45-year-old Reed, who was baptized early in his life, felt out of place around the very people who had known him his entire life. Over time he, and his family, drifted further and further from all the places – which even included church – that made him feel uncomfortable. “I had been a member of a church earlier in my life,” Reed said. “I grew up not two miles from the church, and I was baptized there when I was young. But I didn’t feel I was saved because of the way they did it.” Cross Branded Cowboy Church, a ministry of Pine Grove Baptist Church, though, was different, Reed says. They accepted him, as he was – a giant of a man with a bad back and knees, and a hunger for the Lord – who loved to make children laugh. Like Reed, Dwayne Rogers, pastor of Pine Grove Baptist and Cross Branded, discovered many of the country boys – the … [Read more...]

Donny Kimball, a member of Emmanuel Baptist Ruston, is onsite in Iowa as Incident Commander – White Cap – for Southern Baptist Disaster Relief. ALEXANDRIA – Donny Kimball, a member of Emmanuel Baptist Ruston, is onsite in Iowa as Incident Commander – White Cap – for Southern Baptist Disaster Relief. No other Louisianian Disaster Relief volunteers are known to be involved yet with flood and tornado disasters across the nation’s midsection. “We’re still on standby,” said Gibbie McMillan, LBC Men’s Ministry/Disaster Relief strategist. “Cedar Rapids and Cedar Falls [both in Iowa] are in bad shape. “However, they’ve pretty much got [feeding people] under control,” McMillan continued. “Meal counts were 6,000 and dropped to 4,000 in one day.” The flood waters still are high – in some cases, 10 feet deep – and the flooding along the Mississippi River is moving south. “Up in Iowa and Indiana the Mississippi is not as deep or wide as it is along the Louisiana/Mississippi border,” said McMillan in explaining why he did not expect the flooding to affect Louisiana. “We have these spillways – gates that can be opened and relieve pressure; they don’t have that up there.” According to The Bridge (to volunteer mission … [Read more...]

Every once in a while, a facility is so good it makes others sit up and take notice. Then, after a closer look, they’re even more impressed. Such is the case with the Acadian Baptist Center. EUNICE – Every once in a while, a facility is so good it makes others sit up and take notice. Then, after a closer look, they’re even more impressed. Such is the case with the Acadian Baptist Center. Hidden away in the heart of Cajun country, this former Baptist school – Acadia Baptist School – provides a wonderful setting on its sprawling 84-acre campus for year-round conferences, retreats, and camps for thousands of campers. “When the school closed it was taken over by Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church and the Home Mission Board, who would eventually transfer the school and facilities to the Louisiana Baptist Convention. It closed in the early ’70s and stood vacant for several years before it finally reopened,” said Camp Manager James Newsom.  “We pretty stay busy just about all year round, but it can get pretty hectic during the summer with all the camps we put on,” Newsom said. Featuring such amenities like seven conference rooms, a full size gym, two worship areas, three dormitories capable of accommodating 400, two dining areas … [Read more...]

African drumbeats will throb across Tall Timbers Baptist Conference Center July 14-17 for an anticipated 200 third- through sixth-grade girls. ALEXANDRIA – African drumbeats will throb across Tall Timbers Baptist Conference Center July 14-17 for an anticipated 200 third- through sixth-grade girls. They’ll meet a “real, live missionary” who serves in Mozambique, and hear stories about the nation on the southeast coast of Africa that is neighbors with Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia. Mozambique is known for its 25 major rivers – including the storied Zambezi that provides access to central Africa. The missionary – in order to maintain the highest level of security the Message doesn’t give the names of personnel with the International Mission Board – will tell the girls about the nearly 21 million people in Mozambique, a nation about six times the size of Louisiana, where the annual income is the equivalent of $700/U.S. and the average lifespan is less than 41 years. The missionary will describe her work and the people she has met in Mozambique, and will let the girls know they can be involved even at their age with missions overseas or in North America. “It is my hope, my prayer, that with this week at GA Camp … [Read more...]

In 1 Kings 17:18, Elijah is called the man of God because he spoke forth the words and the will of Jehovah God. Today we need prophets of God to boldly stand up for the things of God. We call them pastors! We need men who will speak forth the truths of God’s Holy Word by saying “Thus says the Lord!” In 1 Kings 17:18, Elijah is called the man of God because he spoke forth the words and the will of Jehovah God.  Today we need prophets of God to boldly stand up for the things of God.  We call them pastors!  We need men who will speak forth the truths of God’s Holy Word by saying “Thus says the Lord!”  Have you noticed that there is a shortage of such men? A large number of our churches cannot find “men of God.”  My association alone has twelve churches that are currently without pastors and they are having trouble finding men willing to serve.  Churches seeking bi-vocational pastors are finding it especially difficult to find men to serve. Why is this becoming normal in most of our associations?  Have we stopped preaching about the call of God on men’s lives to the gospel ministry?  I don’t think I have addressed the subject enough from the pulpit.  Is the pastor shortage due to ministers expecting too much to follow the … [Read more...]

Paul Harvey News this week reported that the four greatest factors for longevity are these: quit smoking, drink only moderately, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and exercise. In that case, I said to myself, I’m here for the duration. Paul Harvey News this week reported that the four greatest factors for longevity are these: quit smoking, drink only moderately, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and exercise. In that case, I said to myself, I’m here for the duration. But not so fast. There are more factors than these four, surely. I’m not a social scientist – or any other kind of scientist for that matter – but I can name several. Here are my additional top five ways for long life.... 1) Obey and honor your parents. I’ll bet that one doesn’t make any scientific list, but it made God’s. “Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the earth.” (Exodus 20:12) In Ephesians Paul called it “the first commandment with a promise” attached to it. It’s tempting to be cute here and say that if I had not obeyed my dad, he would have killed me – thus fulfilling this promise. But, this was no joking matter to God’s people in Scriptures. 2) Don’t take foolish chances. I read somewhere of a soldier … [Read more...]

This concerns the letter in the June 5 issue of the Baptist Message concerning the loss of contributions to the retirement program and the loss of $17.50 matching contributions to GuideStone retirement accounts. This concerns the letter in the June 5 issue of the Baptist Message concerning the loss of contributions to the retirement program and the loss of $17.50 matching contributions to GuideStone retirement accounts. When GuideStone was created, I rolled my old annuity program over. My church treasurer was a retired AT&T employee and realized the value of investing in a 401K. When my last child graduated from school, she approached me about taking a salary reduction of $100 per month and putting that in the program. At that time I was putting about $550 per month in GuideStone. That is not a lot by today’s standards. It was at that time. As a result of GuideStone, I retired at age 62 without any problems. I still attend every traveling meeting that GuideStone puts on in the Lake Charles area. At the last meeting, there were six church employees present out of 62 churches listed in a recent church annual. The facilitator told me that low attendance at the meetings was normal. I have talked to pastors … [Read more...]

My small grandchildren often use the phrase “more better” to express their opinion about something they prefer. In spite of the bad grammar, I know exactly what they mean when they tell me the PB &J sandwich is “more better” without the crust. It’s the best! My small grandchildren often use the phrase “more better” to express their opinion about something they prefer. In spite of the bad grammar, I know exactly what they mean when they tell me the PB &J sandwich is “more better” without the crust. It’s the best! I am convinced the Cooperative Program is a “more better” way to accomplish the mission tasks the Lord has instructed us to pursue. It is not the only way to do missions. It is not the only thing being done for the Kingdom nor should it be. But for the assignments Southern Baptists want to accomplish together, the Cooperative Program is unparalleled in its effectiveness and its efficiencies. It is “more better” (the best)! First of all, it does “more.” I use these paragraphs from time to time to remind all of us of the many, many ministries the churches have through the Cooperative Program (international missions, collegiate evangelism, church planting, seminary education, disaster relief, children’s … [Read more...]

It seems that HIV ‘is a gay disease.’ It seems that HIV ‘is a gay disease.’ How should society respond to a behavior – a lifestyle choice – that places those who engage in the behavior at a high risk for poor health and grave disease? If the behavior in question is smoking, American society does everything in its power to discourage the behavior to the point of passing laws that make it illegal to puff in public places, even if the public venue is privately owned. However, if the behavior that results in probable poor health and potentially fatal disease is promiscuous sex, particularly homosexual sex, society only encourages those who engage in the behavior to do so safely. The result of America’s collective attack on smoking is that the rate of those who smoke has decreased dramatically in the United States. Additionally, the attitude toward smokers has shifted from tolerant acceptance to intolerant disgust. What has society’s “safe” approach to immoral and aberrant sex produced? Sexually transmitted diseases that are rampant and commonplace, so much so that drugs designed to deal with them are now routinely advertised on television. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has adopted … [Read more...]