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"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Brewer makes executive role changes at Louisiana College

By Norm Miller, Louisiana College communications PINEVILLE - Rick Brewer, president of Louisiana College, announced Aug. 7 a shift for two senior executive team members. Brewer named Byron McGee as vice president for Institutional Advancement, a position he already has filled as interim. McGee vacates his long-tenured service as vice president for Enrollment Management. Brandon Bannon, vice president for Student Life, succeeds McGee and leaves his role as dean of students. "Although I have spent most of my career at Louisiana College in Enrollment Management, I am very excited about moving into the Institutional Advancement role,” said McGee, a 1979 alumnus of LC. “This wonderful institution has meant so much to so many through the years, and I believe that, with our new leadership, our community and alumni are ready to partner with us to make Louisiana College the best that it can be," McGee said. Beginning his thirty-third year of employment at LC, McGee joined the staff in 1983 as an admissions counselor, advanced to director of admissions in 1987, and has twice served as alumni director. “More than anything else, institutional advancement is about relationships. And Byron’s longevity of service to the college … [Read more...]

Videos lead Louisiana, two other states to defund Planned Parenthood

By Message Staff BATON ROUGE -- Louisiana is among three states that have eliminated state funding for Planned Parenthood. After Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal announced the state’s Department of Health and Hospitals was canceling its Medicaid contract with Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast as of Aug. 3, Alabama and New Hampshire followed just a few days later. New Hampshire’s Executive Council made its decision to terminate the state’s contract on Aug. 5 while Alabama ended its Medicaid agreement with Planned Parenthood on Aug. 6. “In recent weeks, it has been shocking to see reports of the alleged activities taking place at Planned Parenthood facilities across the country,” Jindal said in a news release. “Planned Parenthood does not represent the values of the people of Louisiana and shows a fundamental disrespect for human life.  It has become clear that this is not an organization that is worthy of receiving public assistance from the state.” The action came after videos surfaced showing Planned Parenthood senior directors and others affiliated with the organization discussing the sale of body parts from aborted children. Jindal then asked for an investigation into the organization. Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast … [Read more...]

As crane and construction company prepare for arrival, more volunteers needed to help with building of Georgia Barnette Conference Center

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer WOODWORTH – Volunteers are needed to assist with setting large trusses at the Georgia Barnette Conference Center. A construction company is donating the use of a crane and workers for the project, with a targeted start date of Aug. 24, but additional volunteers are needed to assist those workers. The 8,400-square-foot center on the grounds of Tall Timbers Conference Center in Woodworth will have six small group rooms and a large auditorium that can be arranged for up to 580 participants. Also included will be a state-of-the-art sound system and lighting. With the exception of professional contractors who poured the concrete slab on June 29, construction of the project has been comprised entirely of volunteers. Nearly 50 Kingdom Builders from Louisiana and Texas helped with framing work on July 13. After that, a group from Calvary Baptist Church in Alexandria, two men from Texas and a husband-wife team from Arkansas has volunteered their time. The center is named after Georgia Barnette, the first elected and paid Woman’s Missionary Union executive director/treasurer in Louisiana. Every year Louisiana Baptists collect the Georgia Barnette State Missions … [Read more...]

Gospel, politics addressed at ERLC event

By Tom Strode, Baptist Press NASHVILLE (BP) -- Political engagement by evangelical Christians calls for a witness shaped by the Gospel of Jesus, Southern Baptists were told at a conference Wednesday (Aug. 5) in Nashville.Speakers at "The Gospel and Politics" -- the second national conference sponsored by the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission -- sought to help the more than 630 registrants think about how to approach politics in a changing culture a year before the next presidential election. The conference came a day after interviews of two Republican presidential candidates -- Sen. Marco Rubio and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush -- by ERLC President Russell Moore at the Send North America Conference, an event sponsored also in Nashville by Southern Baptist missions entities. The Gospel calls for a different tone than has been demonstrated sometimes in the past by evangelicals, some speakers said. "I say this respectfully, the era of perceived, white, angry evangelicalism is officially over," said Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. Impacting culture now "requires a multi-ethnic, kingdom culture canopy that reconciles truth with love," he said during … [Read more...]

Cooperative Program 1.40 percent ahead of year-to-date budget projection

By Baptist Press NASHVILLE (BP) - Year-to-date contributions to Southern Baptist Convention national and international missions and ministries received by the SBC Executive Committee have exceeded $158 million, according to a news release from SBC Executive Committee President Frank S. Page. July's Cooperative Program allocation receipts for SBC work totaled $15,808,270.90, bringing the total to $158,859,518.38 received by the Executive Committee through 10 months of the fiscal year (October 1 through July 31). The year-to-date total for distribution through the SBC's Cooperative Program Allocation Budget is $2,192,851.71, or 1.40 percent, above the $156,666,666.67 year-to-date CP projection for support of Southern Baptist ministries globally and across North America. It is $4,945,028.86, or 3.21 percent, more than the $153,914,489.52 received through the first 10 months of 2014. Designated year-to-date giving of $185,610,814.48 is 0.62 percent, or $1,145,711.26, above the $184,465,103.22 received at this point last year. This total includes only those gifts received and distributed by the Executive Committee through close of business on July 31 and does not reflect designated gifts contributed directly to SBC … [Read more...]

Life on mission celebrated at Send Conference

By Joe Conway, North American Mission Board NASHVILLE (BP) - A sold-out crowd of more than 13,000 from all 50 states and four Canadian provinces flooded into Nashville's Bridgestone Arena to celebrate the call of Jesus and the response of life on mission at the 2015 Send North America Conference Monday. North American Mission Board President Kevin Ezell and International Mission Board President David Platt welcomed the assembly and challenged attendees to serve wherever God calls them. "This is where I want to call 13,000 plus people in this arena, from the beginning [of the conference], to put a blank check of our lives on the table for God -- no strings attached," Platt said. Ezell noted, "We need pastors, students, men and women to rise up. We want this to be more than a conference you attend, we want it to be a life-altering experience." The mission entity leaders were joined on the platform by Southern Baptist Convention president Ronnie Floyd, Tennessee Baptist Convention executive director Randy Davis and others who helped lead prayer. Opening session keynote speaker J.D. Greear told attendees they have a call to leverage their talents and lives for the Great Commission. "True growth … [Read more...]

Fight to defund Planned Parenthood ‘far from over’

By Tom Strode, Baptist Press WASHINGTON (BP) - The legislative effort to defund Planned Parenthood failed Aug. 3 in the U.S. Senate, but pro-life advocates said they will not give up. The Senate voted 53-46 to bring to the floor a bill to eliminate federal funds for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and its affiliates. While a majority of senators favored consideration of the proposal, the attempt to invoke cloture, as it is known, fell short of the 60 votes needed to begin debate on the legislation and establish a path to its passage. The failure to move the bill, S. 1881, to the floor came in spite of the release during the previous three weeks of videos revealing Planned Parenthood's trade in baby body parts. The four undercover videos show PPFA officials discussing the sale of organs from aborted children for research. A fifth video was released Tuesday (Aug. 4). Pro-life leaders expressed their dismay, as well as their devotion to continuing the defunding campaign. Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), said he is disappointed the Senate "did not show the moral leadership to stop funding this violence. Now Senators are on record as … [Read more...]

Pro-life Dems see path to defund Planned Parenthood

By David Roach, Baptist Press WASHINGTON (BP) - To win enough Democratic support to become law, proposals to defund Planned Parenthood must emphasize the transfer of funds to other women's health care providers rather than the mere removal of money from America's largest abortion provider, according to a pro-life group within the Democratic Party. Democrats for Life of America, a Washington-based group that works to elect pro-life Democrats to public office, also said a push to transfer Planned Parenthood's funding should follow a congressional investigation of the abortion giant and target Democratic House and Senate members in districts with few or no Planned Parenthood clinics. "Planned Parenthood is not the only game in town," said Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats for Life of America. "They're not the only providers of health care for women, especially for low-income women." Some 9,000 government-backed community health centers provide women's health services without performing abortions, "are more readily available" and "are not just focused in big cities" like the 700 U.S. Planned Parenthood clinics, she said. Some Democrats may vote to transfer Planned Parenthood's funding to community health … [Read more...]

Bombs at 2 New Mexico churches halt services

By Diana Chandler, Baptist Press LAS CRUCES, N.M. (BP) - Small bombs exploded within minutes of each other Aug. 2 at two Las Cruces, N.M., churches - including a Southern Baptist congregation - cancelling Sunday morning services and necessitating evacuations at other churches across the city. No one was hurt in the explosions that caused minimal damage at Calvary Baptist Church, 1800 S. Locust St., and Holy Cross Catholic Church, 1327 N. Miranda St., the Associated Press reported. No arrests had been made as of today, Aug. 3, but New Mexico state police described the bombs as improvised explosive devices, IEDs, designed to cause harm. About 50 worshippers had already gathered for the 8:30 a.m. traditional service at Calvary Baptist Church when the bomb exploded at 8:20 a.m. in a mailbox attached to the building, Scott Rodgers, pastor of core groups, told Baptist Press. Worshippers remained calm as police arrived and evacuated Calvary Baptist, ushering individuals to the church's south parking lot, Rodgers said. He preached the Sunday morning service in the parking lot, as youth arts pastor Gregg Higgins led music. But the 9:45 a.m. and 11 a.m. services were cancelled, as police blocked adjacent streets while … [Read more...]

Former NFL player and sportscaster Craig James sues Fox Sports for religious discrimination

DALLAS - Former Fox Sports broadcaster Craig James has sued his former employer for religious discrimination. The lawsuit comes nearly two years after Fox Sports fired James for his public expression of his religious views on marriage and civil unions. According to a news release from Liberty Institute which is representing James, the lawsuit alleges that Fox Sports fired him for one reason only – his religious beliefs about marriage. In so doing, Fox Sports violated the law, including the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act (“TCHRA”) and Texas contract law. In an interview with The Dallas Morning News, Fox Sports spokesperson Lou D’Ermilio said, “We just asked ourselves how Craig’s statements would play in our human resources department. He couldn’t say those things here.” In response, Liberty Institute complained to the Texas Workforce Commission on behalf of James and filed a lawsuit against Fox Sports. “This case is much bigger than me," James said. "It affects every person who holds religious beliefs. I will not let Fox Sports trample my religious liberty. Today, many people have lost their jobs because of their faith. Sadly, countless are afraid to let their bosses know they even have a faith. This is America and I … [Read more...]