Week of April 10, 2006 By Rhonda Havens Section Editor Potpourri LAKE CHARLES – Sale Street church: Testify in concert; April 23, 6: 30 p.m.; Eddie Simmons, pastor. DRY CREEK – Dry Creek camp:  “Be Still and Know That I Am God” ladies’ retreat; April 28, 5 p.m. - April 29, after lunch; Phyllis Elvington, guest speaker; Sandra Gray, music; $50 per person, $35 for commuters, $20 for one day; to register, call (337) 328-7531; Curt Iles, camp manager. DENHAM SPRINGS – Riverside church:  Dan Holcomb, guest speaker; April 30, 10:15 a.m. and 6 p.m.; Larry A. Hubbard, pastor. PINEVILLE – Pineville Park church: The Harrells in concert; April 23, 5:30 p.m.; Gregory R. Carroll, pastor. MONROE – Loch Arbor church:  “Growing in Grace” women’s conference; April 29, 8:15 a.m.-3 p.m.; Suzanne Grigsby, guest speaker; $25 per person/includes continental breakfast, lunch and child care;  registration deadline April 29; for registration information, call the church at (318) 343-1558 or call Melinda Davis at (318) 366-1768 or Andy Myrick, pastor, at (318) 355-2690. DENHAM SPRINGS – Hebron church: “Redemption- The Power of the Cross” musical; April 23, 6 p.m.; Destry McFearin, music minister; Joe Alain, … [Read more...]

NEW ORLEANS – Master Trooper Chris Maurin brought his two daughters and state trooper girlfriend Karen Billiot to the April 8 First Responders event at the New Orleans Arena hosted by churches in the Baptist Association of Greater New Orleans. By Karen L. Willoughby Managing Editor NEW ORLEANS – Master Trooper Chris Maurin brought his two daughters and state trooper girlfriend Karen Billiot to the April 8 First Responders event at the New Orleans Arena hosted by churches in the Baptist Association of Greater New Orleans. “They invited us to come, and we’ve got other things to do today [in the area] so for us it worked out good,” Maurin said. One of the items on the family’s to-do list was to go to Billiot’s destroyed home to see if anything might be salvaged. During Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and the breaching of levees, Maurin saw his daughters one time in 30 days. His job involved providing transportation assistance for government officials. Billiot coordinated housing, meals and other services for 200 First Responders housed in a school in LaPlace, and others elsewhere. It was for people like these that BAGNO churches put together a six-hour block-party event to say thank you, said … [Read more...]

WASHINGTON (BP) – Herbert Lusk II used to walk the streets of Memphis as a self-proclaimed “angry black man.” Now he stands behind a Southern Baptist pulpit and among fellow advisers to the nation’s president. By Natalie Kaspar Baptist Press WASHINGTON (BP) – Herbert Lusk II used to walk the streets of Memphis as a self-proclaimed “angry black man.” Now he stands behind a Southern Baptist pulpit and among fellow advisers to the nation’s president. Lusk began his newest role March 16 serving a four-year appointment to George W. Bush’s 20-member Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. “The HIV/AIDS epidemic is the greatest social issue of our time. When I think of the enormity of the problem, I am completely humbled by this appointment,” said Lusk, senior pastor of Greater Exodus Baptist Church in Philadelphia who once was known as the “praying tailback” while with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles. Advisory council members, from a range of backgrounds, provide the president advice on addressing the global HIV/AIDS issue, with the secretary of Health and Human Services serving as a liaison. Lusk began Stand for Africa in 2002, an initiative through which U.S. churches and organizations can … [Read more...]

Week of April 10, 2006 Louisiana native named Ouachita’s new president LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (BP) – Bastrop native Rex Horne, pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock the past 16 years, has accepted the presidency of Ouachita Baptist University. He will begin his duties May 1. As the 15th president in OBU’s 120-year history, Horne follows Andy Westmoreland, who begins June 1 as president of Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. “This is a wonderful opportunity for Becky, my wife, and me as we think about this next stage of service to the Lord and to Arkansas Baptists and to all of those who love and call Ouachita home,” said Horne, who once served as pastor of Western Hills Baptist Church in Shreveport. “... What I’m experiencing at this time is a call. It is not a choice I am making but a calling I am following.” Horne earned a master of divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth and a doctor of ministry degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Horne and his wife, Becky, have four grown children. Former LifeWay rep voted off ‘American Idol’ HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (BP) – Despite ‘American Idol’ contestant Mandisa Hundley’s departure from the … [Read more...]

NEW ORLEANS (BP) – Samaritan’s Purse has provided a gift of hope and joy to the children of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary – a new playground. By Gary D. Myers New Orleans Seminary NEW ORLEANS (BP) – Samaritan’s Purse has provided a gift of hope and joy to the children of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary – a new playground. Each year Samaritan’s Purse, led by Franklin Graham, gives Christmas gifts to children around the world through Operation Christmas Child. In like fashion after Hurricane Katrina, Graham wanted to do something special for the children affected by the storm. His plan: build five new playgrounds in the metro area. “We feel this is a little thing just to show the community that life is coming back and that kids are important,” Graham said. “It’s just a little investment in the kids. “If anything it’s a symbol ... a symbol of hope for the kids,” he continued. “As the community comes back to new life ... New Orleans will be changed, it will be different in the years and months ahead.... [A] playground, a little thing like this, can be an encouragement to many people.” With so much destruction and devastation still present in the city, Graham said the … [Read more...]

MARINGOUIN – Jamie Womack is a living miracle. By Brian Blackwell Staff Writer MARINGOUIN – Jamie Womack is a living miracle. Her prognosis at birth was hopeless. Without oxygen the first 32 minutes of her life, Womack’s doctors believed her future was bleak. Though she survived her birth, doctors informed Womack’s parents that she would be a vegetable the rest of her life and should be institutionalized. But God had other plans. “God miraculously intervened,” said the 32-year-old Louisiana Baptist. “Though I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, God has blessed me tremendously. It’s taken me longer to do things, but He’s given me the strength to overcome physical challenges.” The youngest of four sisters, Womack endured years of therapy to master walking, talking and eating. Through the faith her family exhibited, Womack persevered. “It has been a blessing in a way because it has taught me to lean on God’s Word and grace more,” Womack said. Perhaps her biggest struggle has been discrimation. Throughout high school, Womack said it was an everyday battle to gain acceptance from classmates who teased  her on a daily basis. “The other kids would not know how to relate to me,” Womack … [Read more...]

ALEXANDRIA – God intends tension be a blessing and not a burden, Joe Loughlin said last week. By Brian Blackwell Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA – God intends tension be a blessing and not a burden, Joe Loughlin said last week. “Tension is one of those things where you’ll learn to master it or it will master you,” he told 43 people attending the  Youth Ministers Network Friday Forum at the Louisiana Baptist Convention Building in Alexandria. One of three such events scheduled this year, the forum was a day of spiritual inspiration, worship and networking among the state’s youth ministers and lay leaders. Loughlin, founder and president of ReKindle Ministries in Waco, Texas, told participants five facts about tension. They are: • Tension is a constant reality. “You have to make sure your life is built on a solid foundation when storms come,” he explained. • Too much or too little tension is harmful. “What we have to understand is tension has to serve us rather than us serve it,” Loughlin said. • Tension validates and redifines a person’s foundation. “If you want to see what you hold dear, be under tension,” he said. “Then it will validate and redefine your priorities.” • Tension does not … [Read more...]

PINEVILLE – “God has a heartbeat to bring revival to our nation,” Ken Hemphill told participants at the Encouraging Kingdom Leaders Minister’s Conference last week. “But it will not occur until we have a revival in our giving.” By Kelly Boggs Editor PINEVILLE – “God has a heartbeat to bring revival to our nation,” Ken Hemphill told participants at the Encouraging Kingdom Leaders Minister’s Conference last week. “But it will not occur until we have a revival in our giving.” Hemphill, former president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and currently national strategist for the Southern Baptist Convention’s Empowering Kingdom Growth (EKG) emphasis, was the featured speaker at the conference which took place April 4 - 6 at Louisiana College in Pineville. The inaugural conference, a joint venture of the Louisiana Baptist Convention and LC, offered a variety of workshops ranging from “Understanding the DaVinci Code” and “Nine Critical Questions for the 21st Century Church” to “Building a Kingdom Church” and “Encouraging the Discouraged.” Hemphill, who spoke five times during the three-day conference, debuted material from Making Change: A transformational guide to Christian Money Management, a … [Read more...]

While on a preaching tour of Japan several years ago, I was given the opportunity to visit a Buddhist temple. My guide was a young lady who appeared to be in her early 20s. We discussed a variety of topics during the course of the tour. Eventually, our conversation turned toward religion. By Kelly Boggs Editor While on a preaching tour of Japan several years ago, I was given the opportunity to visit a Buddhist temple. My guide was a young lady who appeared to be in her early 20s. We discussed a variety of topics during the course of the tour. Eventually, our conversation turned toward religion. When I asked the young lady her thoughts about Jesus Christ, she was polite but pointed. She believed that Jesus was a good teacher but nothing more. When I pressed her about his claim to be God, she dismissed the notion. “In the history of the world,” she said, “many have claimed to be divine.” I smiled and replied, “Perhaps, but only one rose from the dead!” Easter is the exclamation point to Jesus Christ’s claim that he is “the way, the truth, and the life,” and that “no man comes to the Father, but through Me.” The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the event that sets Christianity apart from all … [Read more...]

ALEXANDRIA – Some of the best-known names among Southern Baptist women will be speaking Saturday, April 29 at Calvary Baptist here. By Karen L. Willoughby Managing Editor ALEXANDRIA – Some of the best-known names among Southern Baptist women will be speaking Saturday, April 29 at Calvary Baptist here. It’s the annual Kaleidoscope event for women, hosted by the Louisiana Baptist Convention’s Women’s Missions and Ministry Team, where Cindy Townsend is team leader. “You’re going to discover practical ways you can impact your Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth every day of your life,” Townsend said about the conference with an Acts 1:8 theme. “You’re going to learn how you can make a difference in the world right where you are.” Carrie McDonnall, IMB missionary to people from Iraq; Terri Blackstock, best-selling novelist; Paula Hemphill of IMB and Jaye Martin of NAMB are among the headliners. Participants will find out answers to questions like “How can my home become a haven of hope for those in need?” Registration opens at 8:15 a.m. April 29. Tickets: $25. … [Read more...]