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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

‘All in’ soul-winning effort unveiled for LBC

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer WOODWORTH – Louisiana Baptists are being asked to commit to a massive two-year evangelism initiative that could be the largest joint effort ever by the denomination to share the Gospel. WIN THE STATE During the Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Board’s spring meeting at Tall Timbers Conference Center, state leaders announced a Harvest Initiative whose end goal is involve at least 700 churches to pray for and share Christ with every household in Louisiana. “The spiritual impact could be enormous,” said Wayne Jenkins, evangelism and church growth director for Louisiana Baptists. “It could be the thing God could use for a genuine awakening in the life of our state. “If 700 churches would get involved, it would create a greater concern for the lost, create a greater impact in our local churches for wining people for Christ and better discipleship, and create a greater excitement in the life of the church. What would it be like if we could say at the end of 2018 we have prayed for and shared with every dwelling place in Louisiana the Gospel? The thought of what could happen is exciting.” PILOT & PREPARE After spending 2016 planning and enlisting leaders and churches, and using … [Read more...]

Louisiana AG Jeff Landry declares Obama transgender mandate unlawful Federal overreach

BATON ROUGE – Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry announced he would vigorously defend the state and its citizens from unlawful action threatened by the Obama Administration’s recent mandate that public schools allow students to use bathrooms and locker rooms of the opposite sex. In a letter to the leaders of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, Board of Regents, Louisiana High School Athletic Association, Louisiana School Boards Association, Louisiana Community and Technical College System Board, and Office of Juvenile Justice – Landry asserted the administration’s threat to remove the state’s Title IX monies jeopardizes the safety of the student body and creates a public education funding crisis. “Let me be perfectly clear, President Obama and his appointees do not have legal authority to require our children to share locker rooms and bathrooms with children of the opposite sex,” wrote Landry. “The administration’s interpretation of Title IX constitutes an improper attempt to commandeer state-owned property in pursuit of a federal policy that has uniformly been rejected by the federal courts.” “The policy position adopted by the Obama Administration irresponsibly creates an environment in which children may be … [Read more...]

Little Sisters of the Poor, other non profits win at Supreme Court

By Joni B. Hannigan, Christian Examiner ***This article was previously posted at the Christian Examiner and is used by permission. CLEVELAND, Ga. (Christian Examiner) – Following a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court today to unanimously overturn the lower court rulings against the Little Sisters of the Poor, the president of Truett-McConnell University said he was "thrilled" a six year "battle of ups and downs" has finally come to an end. "That's as strong as it gets," Emir Caner told Christian Examiner, about the high court's decision that ordered the government to leverage no fines and work with the Little Sisters' and others who do not want to participate in directly supplying contraception, to offering other ways to provide services that do not require them to forfeit their religious liberties. "You can tell [the Supreme Court justices] have had enough of the government dictating to our conscience what we can or cannot do," Caner said.  The Court, according to a Beckett Fund Fund attorney, vacated the lower courts' decision. To Read the Full Article click here. … [Read more...]

‘Remembering the Goal’ movie is running with purpose

By Dave Christiano “Everybody needs a purpose in life” says Dave Christiano, the movie’s director “and one simple verse in the Bible provides the direction we all need.” Remember The Goal is an inspirational dramatic movie about a girls cross country team coming to theaters on August 26th.  It follows the story of a new coach, fresh out of college, who takes over the girls cross country program at a private Christian school and attempts to lead them to a state title. “The coach has great wisdom for her young age and imparts this to the girls by covering many situations and issues in the story” says Christiano. “Allee-Sutton Hethcoat plays the lead role of Coach Courtney Smith-Donnelly” says the director. “She is terrific in this role and a strong role model and leader with high character. We need more people like her in real life and my hope is that she will be a positive influence to many.” The theme of the movie is based on 1 Corinthians 10:31: “whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”  That phrase 'whatsoever ye do' includes running. Remember The Goal will speak to many important issues. For example, the movie is a visual example of the humility and the character of Christ. It … [Read more...]

A call for compassion in Louisiana Criminal Justice

By Gene Mills, President of Louisiana Family Forum There is a movement in the Louisiana Legislature this session to bring principled, faith-based reform to this state’s criminal justice system. With gridlock and partisanship dominating the headlines at the state and federal level, criminal justice reform offers a unique moment to illustrate that bi-partisanship still exists. With justice reform, we focus on a common goal of restoring families and communities and bringing reliability to the rehabilitation process for those seeking restoration to society. Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate in the nation, a statistic that we should resolve to repair. Today, approximately 2.2 million Louisiana residents have a criminal record. To make matters worse, for too long we have had a penal system in place whose object is to punish rather than rehabilitate (low-level offenders) offenders with the object of successful re-entry into society. We should be working to promote a criminal justice system that anticipates and pursues the incredible transformation that occurs when an individual accepts responsibility for his or her actions before man and, by God’s grace, becomes a “new creation.” Providentially, a bipartisan group of … [Read more...]

Memorial services set for Pastor Joe Senn

By Staff, Baptist Message WINNSBORO - Memorial services for Pastor Joel Senn, 63, of Rayville will be held at 10 a.m., May 16 at Crockett Point Baptist Church in Winnsboro, with Eddie Wren and Robert Warren officiating under the direction of Brown-Holley Funeral Home in Rayville Senn was born Feb. 25, 1953 in Rayville and passed away Friday, May 13, 2016 in Rayville. A member of the Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Board and the Pledge Leadership team,. Mr. Joe was a member of the Louisiana Baptist Convention Properties, Executive Board, and the Pledge Leadership Program. Casey Johnson, pastor of Bonita Road Baptist Church in Bastrop and a former staff member at Crockett Point, wrote this on his Facebook page, “Words cannot express my heart. There are feelings of sadness, yet feelings of joy. The Apostle Paul said it best, "To live is Christ and to die is gain." His heart was to be with his people but he understood the glory that awaited him … glory that is indescribable. A glory that I heard Joe Senn speak of during the years of I spent in ministry with him. “Yesterday, that indescribable glory became His own,” Johnson continued. “His faith has now been made sight. His presence will be missed but his legacy lives … [Read more...]

Starnes: We must defy Obama’s transgender decree — no matter the cost

By Todd Starnes, FoxNews Dietrich Bonhoeffer warned us about a time such as this. "Not to speak is to speak, he once said. Not to act is to act." The Obama administration declared on May 9th that forcing people to use bathroom facilities based on their God-given plumbing was state-sponsored discrimination. Four days later they dropped an even bigger cultural bombshell. The president issued a directive requiring every public school in the nation to accommodate transgender students – under Title IX guidelines. Boys who identify as girls and vice versa must be allowed to use the bathrooms and locker rooms and shower stalls of their choosing. They must also be allowed to play on the sports teams of their choosing. School districts that dare defy the administration’s directives could face lawsuits and lose millions of dollars in federal funding. Resistance, in other words, is futile. “There is no room in our schools for discrimination of any kind, including discrimination against transgender students on the basis of their sex,” Attorney General Loretta Lynch said. I warned you in my book, “God Less America” that the fight over transgenderism would be the next battleground. And here we are – a nation where boys who identify as … [Read more...]

Crockett Point Pastor Joe Senn suddenly passes away

By Staff, Baptist Message CROWVILLE -- Joe Senn, the pastor of Crockett Point Baptist Church in Crowville, passed away today according to the church’s Facebook page. “Please pray for our church. Bro. Joe Senn went to his heavenly reward this afternoon,” read the Facebook post. “Pray for his wife, Brenda and his children and grandchildren.” Pastor Craig Beeman, pastor of First Baptist Winnsboro, and Bodie Spicer, pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Bastrop, confirmed Senn’s passing asking for prayers for him, his family and his church. Both men are trustees for the Louisiana Baptist Message. “It appears Brother Joe passed away today,” said Beeman. “Pray for the Joe Senn Family. Also, please be in prayer for Crockett Point.” Spicer added, “Praying for Crockett Point Baptist Church and for Brother Joe’s family.” Crockett Point’s pastor for the past 16 years, Senn, a former evangelist, was preparing to lead revival services beginning Sunday at Mineral Springs Baptist Church in Dubach. He spent more than 30 years in ministry. When Senn took over in 1990, the church had fewer than 100 people. But in 15 years, he has helped the congregation to more than 250 participating at Sunday morning worship. In 2015, Crockett Point … [Read more...]

White House issues transgender order to schools

By Tom Strode, Baptist Press WASHINGTON (BP) -- The Obama administration has issued an order today (May 13) instructing all public schools to permit transgender students to use the restrooms and locker rooms of their gender identity instead of their biological sex. The across-the-board directive, reported first by The New York Times Thursday night (May 12), met quick protests from Southern Baptist leaders. Ronnie Floyd, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, described the federal guidance as "an outrageous attack on our Creator Himself, human sexuality and morality, and an advancement of the attack against religious freedom." "Gender is not fluid.... Gender is not a human choice, but a gift from God to each of us," Floyd said in written comments for Baptist Press, adding the directive "contributes to the continual chaos in our society." "This is a flagrant and despicable attack on not just the present generation, but also the next generation," Floyd said. "Every Christian in America or anyone who has any conviction about morality needs to rise up and say, 'Enough is Enough!'" Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, described "the decree from the Obama Administration … [Read more...]

Take advantage of these revivals in these Louisiana Baptist churches

Horseshoe Baptist Church, Mer Rouge: Spring Revival, April 15-18, Sunday and 6 p.m.; Monday-Wednesday, 7 p.m. Speaker: Greg Pierce. Pastor: Bob Lonadier. New Hope Baptist Church, Jonesboro: Harvest Sunday, May 15, 11 a.m. Evangelist: Scotty McDowell, chalk artist. Pastor: Hudey Beaubouef. First Baptist Church, Albany: Revival, May 15-18. Evangelist: Lyndon Longoria. Music: Scott Munson. Pilgrims Rest Baptist Church, Spearsville: Harvest Day, May 15, 10:45 a.m. Evangelist: Sam Moore. Pastor: Adam Hill. Lake St. John Baptist Church, Ferriday: Revival, May 18-21, 6:30 p.m., Evangelist: Scotty McDowell, chalk artist. Pastor: Mark Richardson. Bellwood Baptist Church, Provencal: May 22-25. Evangelist: Scotty McDowell, chalk artist. Pastor: Roger Matkin New Hope Baptist Church, DeQuincy: Revival May 22-25. Evangelist: Bill Britt. Worship: Mackey Willis Family. Pastor: Roland Hebert Mt Pleasant Baptist Church, Columbia: May 29, Evangelist: Lyndon Longoria. Pastor: Jerry Hendrickson New Beginnings Baptist Church, Castor: Revival, May 29-June 1. Evangelist: Scotty McDowell, chalk artist. Pastor: David Boyler … [Read more...]