Cancer is an ugly visitor. It enters your home without asking. It rearranges your life. It takes over with or without your consent. ALEXANDRIA (BP) – Cancer is an ugly visitor. It enters your home without asking. It rearranges your life. It takes over with or without your consent. I remember a conversation about cancer with my friend Ricky several years ago. He told me his story of his father battling cancer, and I was quick to say I didn’t ever want to go through that with a family member. But Ricky said he viewed the issue differently. Ricky told me how his father’s cancer was the greatest blessing of his life. For the first time, he and his father had man-to-man conversations, instead of father-to-son talks. The two spent hours during the chemotherapy, telling each other the things they had always wanted to tell. Their love for each other grew deeper. Instead of sadness, there was great joy. I thought about Ricky’s story these past 20 months as I watched my mother-in-law, Claudia, and my wife, Wendy, walk side-by-side as Claudia became a breast cancer survivor. The two who were already close became even closer. I gave both Claudia and Wendy a double-banded ring to wear to remind them to pray for one … [Read more...]

Jan. 22 will mark the 35th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic and horrific Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion on demand in America. Southern Baptists won’t be celebrating, though. ORLANDO, Fla. (BP) – Jan. 22 will mark the 35th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic and horrific Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion on demand in America. Southern Baptists won’t be celebrating, though. Instead, they can celebrate the fact that due to hundreds of crisis pregnancy centers across the United States supported by SBC churches, an estimated 3,500 babies were spared from abortion during 2007. Additionally, some 5,000 women accepted Christ because pregnancy center staff members shared the Gospel with them. Through October 2007 – the period through which exact statistics were available – almost 94,000 clients had received counseling and free services from the centers; center staff had shared the Gospel with 28,000 girls and women; and almost 2,700 Southern Baptist volunteers were trained to present the Gospel to center clients. One life-saving example is in Florida, where more than 700 infants are alive today because of the work in 2007 at First Life Center for Pregnancy, an outreach of First … [Read more...]

ARCHIBALD About 100 people participate in Sunday morning worship at First Baptist Archibald, where John Cleveland has been pastor since April 2007. Members give 12 percent of undesignated receipts to missions through the Cooperative Program and Richland Baptist Association. “Arms in Motion for Christ” is a traveling puppet ministry led by Tammy Woods and perhaps a dozen First Archibald members. Call to set a time they can minister at your church: 318.334.2938. About 60 youngsters participate in Awanas each Wednesday evening. Senior adults throughout the community gather at First Archibald once a month for DMA – Don’t Mention Age – which includes a program and mission projects. “This is a church that truly has a heart for people and for service to the Lord,” Cleveland said. The church in downtown Archibald is often identified as the one with the blue metal gym, the pastor said. It also has a red brick worship center, topped by a white steeple. NATCHITOCHES  Lambda Chi, the girls ministry at First Baptist Natchitoches, sponsors the annual “Princess Retreat,” which this year is set for Saturday, Jan. 19, at the church. It’s an opportunity for sixth- through twelfth-grade girls to come together for a day filled … [Read more...]

COMINGS, GOINGS   Sarabeth Parker, resigned as pianist/organist at First Baptist,  Bastrop.   Alton Achord (wife Maedean), new as associate pastor at Calvary Baptist, Gardner.  Dan Clancy, new as minister of youth at Summer Grove Baptist, Shreveport.  Jack Duke, new as minister of music at Emmanuel Baptist, Vivian.  Virgil Ragland (wife Susan), new as pastor at Linda Lay, Gilliam.  Jerry Elkins, retires as minister of music, from Airline, Shreveport.  Lewis Attaway, retires as pastor of Fillmore, Princeton.  Jamey Droddy, director of Baptist Collegiate Ministries, Shreveport.   LOTTIE MOON CHRISTMAS OFFERINGS   Fair Park Baptist, West Monroe, Goal: $15,000; Received: $15,571.25. Waymond Warren, pastor  First Baptist, Franklinton, Goal: $7,500; Received: $15,106.50. Luther Stanford, pastor.  First Baptist, Oak Grove, Goal: $2,400; Received: $4,196.50. First Baptist, Houma, Goal: $18,000; Received: $20,735.44 CONCERTS AND RELATED EVENTS   PINE PRAIRIE – Altar’d is to be in concert at Friendship Baptist, 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19. Love offering. Barry Trindle is pastor.  DEVILLE – The Louisiana College Chorale is to be in concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, at Philadelphia Baptist. … [Read more...]

The 2008 Compensation Survey for Southern Baptist churches, provided through the joint efforts of Baptist state conventions, LifeWay Christian Resources and GuideStone Financial Resources, is now available online atwww.LifeWay.com/compensationsurvey. DALLAS — The 2008 Compensation Survey for Southern Baptist churches, provided through the joint efforts of Baptist state conventions, LifeWay Christian Resources and GuideStone Financial Resources, is now available online at www.LifeWay.com/compensationsurvey. All ministers and employees of Southern Baptist churches are encouraged to participate. Answers to the online survey are kept confidential and are not reported individually. The survey takes, on average, less than 10 minutes to complete. In addition to salary and benefit information, participants in the survey will need to have available their church’s average weekly worship or Bible study attendance, resident membership and annual budget. LifeWay and GuideStone are pooling resources to provide the online survey, compile the data and make available an online reporting tool for users to access results. The survey is available through mid-April, and results will be released in time for the Southern Baptist … [Read more...]

 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)  – A new study of attendance at Southern Baptist Convention annual meetings shows the percentage of messengers in the 18-39 age group steadily declining since 1980 – the early days of the SBC’s Conservative Resurgence – and dropping sharply since 2004. The percentage of messengers in the 60-plus age group, however, has increased dramatically. Conducted by LifeWay Research, the study analyzed messenger registration survey data for every annual meeting since 1980 for three major age groups: 18-39, 40-59 and 60-plus. The findings include: n Messengers ages 18-39 represented 33.6 percent of the total in 1980 but dropped to 13.1 percent by 2007. n The 40-59 group stayed fairly constant: 49.9 percent in 1980, compared to 51.6 percent in 2007. n Registrants age 60 and above accounted for 12.9 percent of the messengers in 1980, but 35.4 percent in 2007. “This sample represents all messengers, and historically 40 percent of the messengers have been senior pastors,” said Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research. “The percentage of senior pastors attending the annual meeting has remained relatively constant, but the age of attendees has risen dramatically,” he said. “Simply put, the … [Read more...]

Proclaiming God’s word while challenging women to use their gifts to bolster the body of Christ is the goal of the Women’s Leadership Consultation, set for Feb. 7-9 at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. NEW ORLEANS – Proclaiming God’s word while challenging women to use their gifts to bolster the body of Christ is the goal of the Women’s Leadership Consultation, set for Feb. 7-9 at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.  The theme of this year’s event is “Beyond Hearing.” Open to all women, the three-day seminar opens with a free rally on Thursday night. Featured speakers on Friday and Saturday include Priscilla Shirer, Dorothy Patterson and Jackie Kendall, with worship leader Diane Machen.  For over twenty years, Machen and her husband, Chris, have served the Lord in full-time music ministry. Traveling throughout the country, they have performed at concerts, led worship, and ministered in ladies retreats and marriage conferences.  Rhonda Kelley, professor of women’s ministry at NOBTS, outlined the vision for the conference. “It is the prayer of the steering committee that God who reveals Himself through His Word will challenge women leaders to also teach and live the Word,” Kelley said.  This year … [Read more...]

There’s a link between a church’s relevance and the Cooperative Program, as pastor Daniel E. (Danny) Crosby sees it.  CLEBURNE, Texas (BP) –There’s a link between a church’s relevance and the Cooperative Program, as pastor Daniel E. (Danny) Crosby sees it. “We must continually force ourselves to be relevant in a culture that always seeks to push us toward irrelevance,” said Crosby, pastor of First Baptist Church in Cleburne, Texas. “I think this culture doesn’t think it needs us. They don’t think we have anything they need or anything to do with their lives.” One reason First Baptist continues its commitment year after year to reaching people through the Cooperative Program is that it keeps the church relevant in global missions while its members reach out locally, the pastor said. The “DNA” of First Baptist, he noted, encompasses helping missions and ministries around the world and supporting churches and starting churches closer to home. “I’ve seen the Cooperative Program work overseas through the missionaries my wife and I worked with for a year in Monterey, Mexico, as well as on many short-term overseas trips,” Crosby said. “I’ve seen it work in the U.S. in pioneer areas and in areas where the work would not be … [Read more...]

When it comes to Roe v. Wade, Americans are, at best, inconsistent, and at worst, confused. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – When it comes to Roe v. Wade, Americans are, at best, inconsistent, and at worst, confused. Polls show that a majority of U.S. adults support the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide while at the same time also backing greater restrictions – restrictions that Roe, as the courts have interpreted it, prohibits. To coincide with the 35th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s controversial decision a number of pro-family groups have joined together to launch a website to test America’s Roe knowledge. The site – RoeIQTest.com, asks 12 simple questions to see how much the nation knows about the ruling that has led to the killing of nearly 50 million unborn babies. “We really believe that a lot of Americans have been misinformed,” Mike Johnson, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal group, told Baptist Press. “Nearly 80 percent of Americans want restrictions on abortion which Roe essentially forbids, but about half of America claims to support Roe. The idea is, when Americans have all the facts, their support for Roe decreases dramatically.” Here’s a sample from the test, … [Read more...]

Youngsters from Rachel Sims Baptist Mission in New Orleans sent hand-drawn cards and letters to Geoff Hammond last summer, shortly after he was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board. SLIDELL/NEW ORLEANS – Youngsters from Rachel Sims Baptist Mission in New Orleans sent hand-drawn cards and letters to Geoff Hammond last summer, shortly after he was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board. They were messages of welcome to Hammond, and thanks for all that NAMB has done in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina keelhauled the region in August 2005 and Rita ravaged it again less than a month later, in September 2005. “Thank you for your kind words,” Hammond said to the youngsters clustered around him on Saturday, Jan. 12. “They made me very happy.” Returning to Greater New Orleans was something he had been looking forward to, Hammond said later. Less than three weeks after Hurricane Katrina’s landfall, he and media missionary Brandon Pickett served side-by-side with disaster relief volunteers from the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia, where Hammond was senior associate director. “We went down to tell the story of how God was … [Read more...]