Aset Mutsuyeva lives in a barn - and believe it or not, for that, she counts herself lucky.   After all, some of the dozens of other Chechen refugees housed in a former farm in Karabulak, Russia, live with actual cows, whose smell becomes overpowering when temperatures soar past 100 degrees. Aset Mutsuyeva lives in a barn - and believe it or not, for that, she counts herself lucky.   After all, some of the dozens of other Chechen refugees housed in a former farm in Karabulak, Russia, live with actual cows, whose smell becomes overpowering when temperatures soar past 100 degrees.   However, Mutsuyeva does not consider herself completely fortunate. At 63 years old, with shrapnel in her right leg from a Russian bomb and coming up on her fourth year in the refugee settlement, Mutsuyeva admits she has given up hope that she will live to see peace in a region where war has raged and sputtered for years now.   "(With) Iraq, no one will pay attention to our problem," Mutsuyeva explains as she sits on a tiny stool in a friend’s cubicle in the barn. "Maybe it would be better if it were all ended with a nuclear bomb, and we were killed that way."   Refugees’ poverty, … [Read more...]

The Cecilia Mission used to meet in a converted bar - now, they meet in an old pizza parlor.   Soon, they hope to be meeting in a brand new church building.   Change continues. The Cecilia Mission used to meet in a converted bar - now, they meet in an old pizza parlor.   Soon, they hope to be meeting in a brand new church building.   Change continues.   What began as a small, in-home Bible study in 1994 has grown into a family church almost ready to stand on its own merit.   With between 40 and 60 people in attendance weekly, the mission in Cecilia, just five miles to the north of Breaux Bridge, plans to seek a charter to receive full-time church status.   The mission was begun by Roland Fontenot, who was the pastor of nearby First Baptist Church of Arnaudville at the time. From its launch, the mission’s focus mainly was on reaching children.   The mission congregation began to experience rapid growth when Francis Soileau became the pastor.   "He was the one who really got it going as far as reaching adults," says Perry Hubbs, pastor at First Baptist Church of Opelousas, which serves as the Cecilia Mission’s sponsoring … [Read more...]

The Louisiana newspaper editorial puts it plainly - "The state is facing a moral crisis. ...   "The crisis is characterized by the exploitation of sex, the arrogance of vulgarity, the popularity of the lewd, the triumph of the criminal element and the muzzling of the defenders of decency."   Strong words - even for 2003. The Louisiana newspaper editorial puts it plainly - "The state is facing a moral crisis. ...   "The crisis is characterized by the exploitation of sex, the arrogance of vulgarity, the popularity of the lewd, the triumph of the criminal element and the muzzling of the defenders of decency."   Strong words - even for 2003.   But these words are not from 2003.   They were written in a Shreveport newspaper years ago - in 1942. The nation was at war - and the strains of the conflict were fraying at the edges of the social fabric.   What could be done?   Eventually, a call went out for religious leaders to gather several weeks later at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Alexandria.   On Sept. 25, 1942, more than 100 persons did just that, determined to do something about the moral crisis in the … [Read more...]

For the week of May 1, 2003 Potpourri • BATON ROUGE - Woodlawn church: "English as a Second Language" certification workshop sponsored through North American Mission Board; May 29-30, 6-10 p.m. and May 31, 8 a.m.- 4 p.m.; $20 per person; limited seating; to register, call Darlene Deal at (225) 753-3316 or Mike Self at (225) 753-1667; Tommy Middleton, pastor.   • HOUMA - Christ church: Community Gospel singing and crawfish boil; May 10, 5 p.m.; $5 per person/$15 per family; for reservations call (985) 868-3091; John C. Baye, Jr., pastor.   • JENA - Fellowship church: Al Denson, contemporary gospel artist, in concert; May 3, 7 p.m.; $12 per ticket; for ticket information, call (318) 992-2874 or (318) 992-7714; Randy Ray, pastor.   • SHREVEPORT - Shreve City church: Mission Jamboree with featured artists, Set Free, Heart’s Cry, The Watkins, Bubba Talbert and more; May 2, 7 p.m.; no admission; Gene Nix, pastor.   • LAKE CHARLES - Cary Associational office: Disaster Relief Training Session; May 3, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. with lunch included; $10 fee for training materials; for information, call Tracey Ostrander or Cal Jones at (318) 449-4280 or (800) 622-6549; J. P. Miles, director of … [Read more...]

Worship leader Bob Kauflin thinks Christians have reacted too extremely to the contemporary praise and worship movement.   Instead of either wholeheartedly embracing praise and worship music or completely rejecting it, Kauflin encourages a middle approach - appreciate the benefits of contemporary praise and worship but recognize that some concerns accompany those benefits. Worship leader Bob Kauflin thinks Christians have reacted too extremely to the contemporary praise and worship movement.   Instead of either wholeheartedly embracing praise and worship music or completely rejecting it, Kauflin encourages a middle approach - appreciate the benefits of contemporary praise and worship but recognize that some concerns accompany those benefits.   Such an approach ultimately may allow worshipers to learn a new vocabulary for declaring God’s glory, said Kauflin, director of worship development for Sovereign Grace Ministries, an organization that seeks to establish and nurture churches.   During an address as part of the Institute for Christian Worship at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Kauflin urged churches to consider the benefits of contemporary praise and … [Read more...]

Southern Baptists continue to post bare numerical growth - while Louisiana Baptists reported a largely down year.   Total membership in Southern Baptist churches reached a record 16,247,736 in 2002, an increase of 194,816 persons (1.2 percent) from the previous year. Southern Baptists continue to post bare numerical growth - while Louisiana Baptists reported a largely down year.   Total membership in Southern Baptist churches reached a record 16,247,736 in 2002, an increase of 194,816 persons (1.2 percent) from the previous year.   At the same time, total membership in Louisiana Baptist churches fell from 592,288 in the 2001 LBC Annual to 585,600 in the 2002 LBC Annual. That translates to a loss of 6,688 persons (1.1 percent).   Numbers for both conventions are based on annual church profiles filed each year by local congregations. Figures for Louisiana Baptist churches are compiled in state convention offices. Figures for Southern Baptist churches are compiled by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.   As for Southern Baptists:   • The total number of churches grew to 42,775 in 2002, an increase of 441 (1 percent) from the … [Read more...]

For the week of May 8, 2003 Cooperative Program Gifts through the Southern Baptist Cooperative Program totaled $14 million last month, an increase of $43,447 (0.3 percent) from the previous April. For the fiscal year, gifts total $107,173,388, an increase of $1.4 million (1.3 percent) from the same time last year. The total also stands more than $3.9 million (3.8 percent) ahead of budget at this time. Meanwhile, designated gifts totaled $10 million last month, a decrease of almost $2.3 million (18.5 percent) from the previous April. For the year, designated gifts total $111.8 million, a drop of more than $5.6 million (4.8 percent) from the same time last year. New Orleans Seminary New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary officials have announced plans to pursue development of a graduate extension center program in Pensacola, Fla. Currently, the closest graduate extension center is about 130 miles away in Graceville, Fla. Seminary trustees also have approved expansion of the Jacksonville, Fla., extension center program to include graduate-level courses. The seminary operates graduate and undergraduate extension centers throughout the Southeast. Graduate centers are located in Pineville; Shreveport; Clinton, Miss.; … [Read more...]

At just three years old, Amy Baughman found herself completely alone - after the death of her mother, she was left without parents in what seemed a hopeless situation.   Now, 19 years later, Baughman is part of a loving family and is very close to accomplishing more of her goals than she ever thought possible. At just three years old, Amy Baughman found herself completely alone - after the death of her mother, she was left without parents in what seemed a hopeless situation.   Now, 19 years later, Baughman is part of a loving family and is very close to accomplishing more of her goals than she ever thought possible.   With no living family members able to care for Baughman and her five brothers and sisters, the child was placed into a foster home for two years while awaiting a permanent home placement elsewhere.   However, a worker involved in the bus ministry at First Baptist Church of Baton Rouge heard about Baughman’s situation and soon her life began to change.   Through the bus ministry, Baughman and the four younger children in her family were brought to live at the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home.   At the age of five, Baughman was moved to … [Read more...]

Want to see the difference Cooperative Program makes? Look at changed lives   The following pair of stories are part of a series of articles to be published in the Baptist Message regarding the Cooperative Program and how it is at work throughout Louisiana and the rest of the world. Subsequent articles will appear in the newspaper during the year to highlight Cooperative Program missions and ministry work. Note: The following pair of stories are part of a series of articles to be published in the Baptist Message regarding the Cooperative Program and how it is at work throughout Louisiana and the rest of the world. Subsequent articles will appear in the newspaper during the year to highlight Cooperative Program missions and ministry work.   Week in and week out, Louisiana Baptists across the state make donations - unselfishly, on good faith, and without reservation - to the Louisiana Baptist Cooperative Program?   Where do they go?   Do they actually do any good?   As an answer to that question, meet Kevin Celestine, a student whose testimony tells how he turned his life away from heathenism and toward Jesus Christ.   Celestine’s tale identifies one … [Read more...]

Similar to the biblical story of Esther, Rhonda Mann insists God placed her family and the members at East Leesville Baptist Church in the military community "for such a time as this." Similar to the biblical story of Esther, Rhonda Mann insists God placed her family and the members at East Leesville Baptist Church in the military community "for such a time as this."   The seeds of Operation Embrace really began long before the recent war against Iraq, when Mann and her family were living in Oregon. Mann says she knew that her family would be moving to Louisiana and started to ask God for guidance.   "I began to pray that wherever I was going, God would give me a place to minister," she recounts.   Located within 10 miles of Fort Polk, a military base in Leesville, the church has more than 128 active military families.   "We knew the war was soon to start," Pastor Gil Arthur says. "We thought, we can’t sit here and say that we’re in the military community and not be prepared."   When the deployment of troops began, the effect on the church was massive.   "They began to deploy one-by-one, leaving their families here in Leesville," Arthur says. … [Read more...]