The purpose of the Louisiana Baptist Convention is to serve the churches, Executive Director David E. Hankins reiterated during his late September report to the Executive Board members. ALEXANDRIA – The purpose of the Louisiana Baptist Convention is to serve the churches, Executive Director David E. Hankins reiterated during his late September report to the Executive Board members. It does so through resourcing churches, equipping members, and providing a listening ear for pastors or, as it says in the LBC mission statement, “The LBC exists to serve the Baptist churches in Louisiana as a catalyst for igniting a passion for Jesus and His kingdom, a consultant for strengthening the congregations, and a conduit for accomplishing cooperative missions.” A look at recent and upcoming events organized by the state convention staff illustrates this. Age-graded Sunday school training has been going on for the last month. The last regional event is this Saturday, Oct. 13, at First Lafayette. If you missed it in your region of the state, or want to come back for more, you’re welcome to join in at First Lafayette, says Sean Keith, LBC Sunday school/discipleship specialist in the evangelism/church growth team. Training teachers … [Read more...]

When Victor Pulido scheduled a carpet cleaning, he had no idea that he was confirming a God-ordained appointment.  MODESTO, Calif. – When Victor Pulido scheduled a carpet cleaning, he had no idea that he was confirming a God-ordained appointment. Pulido produces “Llego la Hora” (The Time Has Arrived), a new Christian television program from California’s Hispanic Southern Baptists through Telemundo. When Pulido’s wife suggested that he get the carpets of the Llego la Hora television studio cleaned, he called a man who had left a flier on the studio door. The carpet cleaner arrived Sept. 10 and noticed Pulido’s Bible. “Excuse me; that is your Bible?” the man asked. “I’m interested in speaking about the Bible.” The man told about a television program that had fueled his interest. That program, Pulido realized, was Llego la Hora. Soon Pulido was leading the carpet cleaner to Christ. The carpet cleaner is just one of many whose lives have been changed through Llego la Hora. Additionally, people have been connected to churches and even a new church has been planted. Llego la Hora is aired on California’s Telemundo Channel 33 every Saturday and Sunday from 6-7 a.m., with different programming each day. Each one-hour … [Read more...]

Here is a neat way to serve as a Christian witness in a foreign country at almost no expense and without ever having to leave your home. Here is a neat way to serve as a Christian witness in a foreign country at almost no expense and without ever having to leave your home.  High school and middle school English teachers in China have asked for hundreds of letters from American students, for their students to answer in their English classes. An ongoing pen-pal relationship (by air mail or e-mail) often develops from this correspondence, and the American student may have an opportunity to share his faith and become a Christian witness in a country where Mission work is restricted.        Sunday school classes, Acteens, and all kinds of Christian youth groups can actually be the agents for  helping to carry the gospel into a country where mission work is restricted. The Fellowship of Baptist Educators coordinates this project, which has been carried on for the past 16 years. This year the plan is being modified  upon the advice of  the Chinese teachers, with the first letters being written by  the American students, rather than the Chinese. The Fellowship of Baptist Educators is the coordinator of this project, … [Read more...]

"May I share a prayer with you that changed my life 74 years ago?" LONGVIEW, Wash. – "May I share a prayer with you that changed my life 74 years ago?" That’s how Ted Cotton tells others about Jesus. Or, at least that’s how he starts. The prayer is a witnessing tool which Cotton, 84, has printed on a small card. It reads: “Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned and done wrong. Please forgive me of my sin and give me eternal life. I now trust You Lord Jesus as my Savior. Help me to have a growing relationship with You, and to become the Christian person that You want me to be. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” Trained in Evangelism Explosion and FAITH -- programs that equip Christians to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ -- Cotton says Christians “constantly get witnessing mixed up with preaching or with sharing the Gospel. We have the impression that we’re not witnessing unless we’re presenting the plan of salvation. “In the Book of Acts, Jesus is recorded as saying that we are to be His witnesses. You can share with people the change that Jesus has brought into your life without having one Scripture memorized,” he said. “You don’t even have to know John 3:16 to be a witness. The Gospel is right there in the prayer.” Cotton said … [Read more...]

About 500 families on a regular monthly basis receive “gap” groceries from Delta Storefront Mission. FERRIDAY – About 500 families on a regular monthly basis receive “gap” groceries from Delta Storefront Mission. Gap groceries are those that fill in the gap until the next government check or food stamps arrive. “I can’t keep enough in storage,” said Ruby Holder, who with her pastor husband Preston Holder of Ridgecrest Baptist started the poverty relief center in the late 1970s. “In addition to our regular 450-500 families who come to us each month, we keep 10 to 15 emergency boxes stocked with ready-to-eat foods for transients.” Churches in Delta Baptist Association contribute regular support to Delta Storefront, which also receives support from the Southern Baptist Convention’s World Hunger Fund. Delta Storefront is one of the poverty relief centers of the SBC’s Mississippi River Ministry. MRM is a partnership of eight state conventions on the Mississippi River – Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee – the North American Mission Board and Women’s Missionary Union. “The need along the Mississippi River is akin to that of a third-world country,” said MRM’s director, Cindy … [Read more...]

The 160th annual meeting of the Louisiana Baptist Convention is set to start at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 12, at the Riverfront Convention Center here. ALEXANDRIA – The 160th annual meeting of the Louisiana Baptist Convention is set to start at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 12, at the Riverfront Convention Center here. It is to continue with Tuesday morning and afternoon sessions, and to conclude after Evangelist Bill Britt brings the convention message at 4 p.m. “The 2007 annual meeting has the potential to be an extraordinary event,” said John Yeats, director of LBC communications. “Seeing old friends, making new ones, electing a president, voting on business, singing great music and hearing great preaching and Bible teaching – we’re going to be reminded again how great it is to be a Louisiana Southern Baptist!” The time of the annual meeting actually starts with CrossOver, which opens Friday night, Nov. 9, and continues through Sunday. Many volunteers from across the state are needed to help with three major evangelistic events plus four block parties. The annual pastor’s conference starts at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 12, at Kingsville Baptist in Pineville. Guest speakers include Chad Grayson, Bill Britt, Paige Patterson, … [Read more...]

Kevin Roberts will never be mistaken for the Energizer Bunny, but for the past 16 months, he has been going, and going, and going. STATEWIDE – Kevin Roberts will never be mistaken for the Energizer Bunny, but for the past 16 months, he has been going, and going, and going. Starting last August, Roberts – and a core committee – have been attending one meeting after another, working the telephones, and crisscrossing the state in preparation for an event they hope will turn into an evangelistic explosion at the end of a three-day period in early November in Alexandria and Pineville. The event, which precedes the 160th annual meeting of the Louisiana Baptist Convention on Nov. 12-13 at the Alexandria Riverfront Convention Center, is the second one held in Louisiana. Lake Charles hosted the state’s first last year. Crossover, sponsored by the North American Mission Board in cooperation with local churches and associations, is an evangelistic thrust to reach the unchurched in the host area. It is patterned after the national event, which for the past 19 years has taken place the weekend before the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. During this time, thousands of volunteers have brought the Gospel of Jesus Christ … [Read more...]

Several of our 10 grandchildren enjoy playing the game of Monopoly. Once we have completed the game and all participants have sufficiently demonstrated their greed and avarice I insist on being the one to put all of the components of the game back in the box. Several of our 10 grandchildren enjoy playing the game of Monopoly. Once we have completed the game and all participants have sufficiently demonstrated their greed and avarice I insist on being the one to put all of the components of the game back in the box. I know precisely where everything goes – each denomination of currency, the houses and hotels, the cards of Chance and the Community Chest, the dice, the deeds to the property, and the tokens. I want each component to go in its specific compartment. I don’t want $10 bills to get mixed in with the $100 bills and I would be horrified to find the Baltic and Mediterranean property mixed in with Park Place and Boardwalk. That is also the way I like my closet. There is an item of clothing for every place and a place for every item of clothing. Some may say I am obsessive compulsive, but that is nonsense. However, in my opinion there is a divinely-ordained place for white shirts, a supernally-ordered location for … [Read more...]

I’ve read maybe 100 books about World War II. Biographies, battle reports, unit histories, technological development – all these fascinated me as a boy and the human stories still interest me as an adult. I’ve read maybe 100 books about World War II. Biographies, battle reports, unit histories, technological development – all these fascinated me as a boy and the human stories still interest me as an adult. Recently, we have been blessed to have filmmakers and historians who are capturing the stories of the veterans of the WWII era for the ages. Some 130 million Americans lived during the Word War II era; it seems that all of them have a riveting story to tell. Still, I’ve been surprised at how breathtaking Ken Burns’ The War, shown on PBS, is to me. I knew the timeline already – Guadalcanal, Tunisia, Tarawa, Anzio, and so on – but it’s those 130 million stories that continue to arrest my attention. Actually, I expected that his approach of selecting four American towns for the focus of the 15 hours of film would be sentimental and maybe dull. It’s not. The towns located in Alabama, Minnesota, Connecticut, and California experienced everything that typified the era. There were race riots among ship builders in … [Read more...]

The sum total of all the technology in the world will not replace the need for a real person to share the Good News of the Lord Jesus with a seeker.   ALEXANDRIA—The sum total of all the technology in the world will not replace the need for a real person to share the Good News of the Lord Jesus with a seeker. This reality birthed the North American Mission Board’s Evangelism Response Center (ERC), which has arrived in Louisiana. The ERC is a 24/7/365 network of Great Commission, Southern Baptist volunteers who use the telephone and/or the Internet to assist people who are receptive to the gospel message.  In 2005, the ERC received 17,000 calls. In 2006, more than 41,000 calls were received which resulted in 8,000 plus significant decisions and more than 1,000 of those decisions were professions of faith. “This is so easy for a Christian to do,” says Keith Manuel, LBC evangelism associate director. “Telephone and Internet encouragers never have to leave the convenience of their homes to help someone receive Christ. You might call this ‘Convenient Evangelism.’ Using television, radio, printed ads in magazines and billboards, Internet testimony programs, and printed tracts, the message goes out that there is … [Read more...]