By Russell Meek, Louisiana College PINEVILLE (LBM) – Ecclesiastes, sometimes thought to be the “black sheep” book of the Bible because of its several seeming unorthodox statements and sometimes doleful tone, is in fact a frank discussion of the issues that we all face – death and injustice. Indeed, the author invokes the image of Abel (whose name is the same word commonly translated as “vanity,” “meaningless,” and “futility” in most English translations) in his presentation of several situations that do not turn out, perhaps, as we might think they ought. Such “inconsistencies” with our way of thinking include “the race is not to the swift, or the battle to the strong, or bread to the wise, or riches to the discerning, or favor to the skillful . . .” (Eccl. 9:11, CSB). Likewise, blunt statements such as Ecclesiastes 3:19-20 tend to offend our senses: “[T]he fate of the children of Adam and the fate of animals is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; they all have the same breath . . . all come from the dust, and all return to the dust.” Finally, the lack of fairness in some of the wisdom that is offered -- “there are righteous people who get what the actions of the wicked deserve, and there are wicked people who … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer COVINGTON – Jay Johnston will be nominated for the office of first vice president of the Louisiana Baptist Convention during the 2017 LBC Annual Meeting. Tom Harrison, executive pastor of Broadmoor Baptist Church in Shreveport, plans to nominate Johnston for the position. Johnston, who is associate pastor of First Baptist Church in Covington, is the only announced candidate for the office. “He has been a convention leader who has effectively served Louisiana Baptists and Southern Baptists,” Harrison said in an e-mail to the Baptist Message. “He is a man of prayer, recently serving as chairman of the Louisiana Governor Prayer Breakfast and as the volunteer state coordinator for the National Day of Prayer. “Jay is a man of integrity, a leader, caring minister, master of resources and an outstanding Christian man,” Harrison wrote. Johnston said, if elected, he would work with LBC leaders to advance Louisiana Baptists’ campaign to “pray for every home and share Christ with every person” in the state. “I am grateful for the vision of current LBC leaders related to the Harvest emphasis,” Johnston said. “The emphasis reveals the heart our leaders have for people without Jesus … [Read more...]

ON THE MOVE Scottie Gray is the new pastor at New Hope Baptist Church, Monroe. John Walker is the new associate pastor/administrator at Brookwood Baptist Church, Shreveport. Tony, wife Nikki, Campanale has resigned as pastor at Greenacres Baptist Church, Monroe to become pastor at First Baptist Church, Oak Grove. Cecil Marr is the new pastor at North Shreve Baptist Church, Shreveport. Danny Taylor resigned as pastor at Belle Park Baptist Church, Haughton. Donny Bradley resigned as pastor at Mansfield Road Baptist Church, Keithville. Lee, wife Tina, Whitley is the new pastor at Tom Hebert Road Baptist Church, Lake Charles. Chad Mack is the new pastor at Crosspoint Church, Galliano. Nathan Stanford is the new pastor at First Baptist Church, Grand Isle. Mike Davis is the new pastor at Trinity Baptist Church, Mathews. HOMECOMING First Baptist Church, Hornbeck: 29th Annual Homecoming, Aug. 20, 11 a.m. Dinner on the grounds will follow worship services. Special Music: First Hornbeck choir. Pastor: Jack Bell. Mount Vernon Baptist Church, West Monroe: 180th Anniversay, August 20, Sunday school, 9 a.m. Worship Service, 10:15 a.m. A pot luck lunch will follow the service. Speaker: Wayne Sheppard. … [Read more...]

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Baptist Global Response (BGR) is celebrating its 10-year anniversary in a big way—with a campaign to raise $100,000 for people in need. Since 2007, the humanitarian aid organization has been partnering with Southern Baptist donors to fund disaster relief and community development projects around the world. And, BGR hopes to celebrate the milestone in August by raising $10,000 for each year of service, reaching a total of $100,000. “It’s hard to believe that it has already been 10 years since we started BGR,” CEO Jeff Palmer says. “It only seems like yesterday. But when I think about the thousands of projects implemented worldwide and literally millions of lives impacted, I thank God for bringing about BGR and then letting us be a part of this amazing ministry.” The 10 for 10 Campaign will run through Aug. 31. Those who want to get involved can find resources and fundraising ideas at www.gobgr.org/10for10/. On the site, BGR offers suggestions for donors such as selecting 10 items from the organization’s gift catalog and organizing a group of 10 friends to give $100 each. Palmer says generosity from donors has made BGR’s work possible and will continue to do so in the coming years. “Whenever we've … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer RAYVILLE – Eddie Wren will be nominated for the office of president of the Louisiana Baptist Convention during the 2017 LBC Annual Meeting. Steve Horn, pastor of First Baptist Church in Lafayette, plans to nominate Wren for the position. Wren, who serves as pastor of First Baptist Church in Rayville, is the only announced candidate for the office. Horn said he has known Wren since their time as students at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and added that his respect for Wren as a husband, father, pastor and friend has grown strongly through the years. “I am pleased to nominate Dr. Wren because I believe he cares about the issues that most Louisiana Baptists care most about,” Horn said in a written statement to the Baptist Message. “He is committed to a strong belief in the inerrancy, infallibility, and inspiration of the Bible which reveals itself in his preaching. He is passionate about the evangelism of all people—those in Rayville, the state of Louisiana, the United States, and the nations. He believes all ought to hear and all can be saved. “He is committed to our cooperative work as Louisiana Baptists and Southern Baptists,” Horn continued. “The evidence of … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer BRAZIL – Robert Spinks and his New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary mission team took a week-long boat trip down the Amazon in June, stopping along the way to share the Gospel message in homes and villages, reaping a harvest of 1,100 souls. Spinks and his team of eight seminary students faced a range of spiritual obstacles, but relying on Christ, he said, helped them persevere amid distractions of crying babies and threats of roving animals. “I had a front row seat to see God work among the people of the Amazon River,” Spinks said. “Had it not been for the prayers, support and obedience of many others, I am convinced I would have missed this blessing. My life was changed, and I know this sounds cliché, but I did not come back home the same way I left.” AMAZON HOPE The seminary team joined 21 others for the May 31-June 8 trip, working with an organization named Amazon Hope which owns a boat that stays on the Amazon River. During the trip, the group slept and ate most of their meals afloat. During the day, they conducted eye clinics, distributed flip flops, led worship in churches and shared Christ in homes. Reaching some homes meant docking and then traveling by a … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer TYLER, Texas – Two young men from Calvary Baptist Church in Alexandria entered camp expecting to spend quality time with one another, but in the end left for home with something even more special that strengthened their friendship bond – a memory of their unplanned baptisms in late June. An out-of-state destination for a number of Louisiana Baptists, Pine Cove Christian Camp in Tyler, Texas, offers campers the opportunity to be baptized at the end of their week of faith building and summer fun. Andrew Cole and Colin Renois – both ten years old -- had accepted Christ at a younger age but had not yet followed through with baptism. But when the opportunity was presented at Pine Cove, Cole and Renois eagerly jumped at the chance to be baptized in a swimming pool. Surrounded by a handful of family members and friends who made the trip with them, each boy stepped into the water and was baptized by Todd Strain, connections pastor at Calvary Baptist, who was attending the same camp with his wife and children. Andrew’s dad, Philip, was emotional as his son was baptized. “Andrew had previously talked to us about salvation and accepted Christ as Lord and Savior of his life,” he … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer MONROE – Lydia Headrick will tell you her battle with cancer has not been an easy journey, but she also is quick to say it has been a little more bearable thanks to the encouragement she has received from pilots volunteering their time to fly her from northeast Louisiana to treatments at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Diagnosed in August 2016, Headrick credits Pilots for Patients for her emotional healing. “The staff at the hangar and the volunteer pilots worked together in such a compassionate way to see that I arrived in Houston on time for my appointments, chemo treatments, and surgery,” said Headrick, a member of New New Hope Baptist Church in Monroe. “I had to go so many times, and long car trips would have been next to impossible because I was so sick. Because of this wonderful ministry, I was able to participate in a clinical trial with excellent results. “Whenever I speak to others about Pilots for Patients, I always refer to it as a ministry; everyone associated with it has prayed for me,” she continued. “Pilots for Patients has literally fulfilled Jesus’ words in Matthew 26:36, where He said ‘I was sick and you looked after me,’ and in verse 40 where He … [Read more...]

By Philip Caples, Louisiana College PINEVILLE (LBM) --While reading through the book of Galatians recently, I was reminded of a very important word: “freedom.” In Chapter 1, verse 5, Paul stated, “It was for freedom that Christ has set us free,” (NIV) and according to Ronald K. Fung, this use of the word “freedom” references the Christian being free from subservience to the Law. “Hence the Galatians must stand firm in this freedom and refuse to submit again to the yoke of slavery,” Fung wrote in “The Epistle of the Galatians” volume of the New International Commentary of the New Testament. The subject of freedom is not foreign within the Book of Galatians. For example, Paul references the cost of freedom in his statement about the substitutionary atonement of Christ in Gal. 1:3-5 and in his allegorical use of Sarah and Hagar in Gal. 4:21-31. Freedom is not foreign to an American citizen either. Independence Day marks an important event concerning Americans’ freedom. On that day our forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence, stating, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer JENNINGS – More than 200 students from Texas traveled to southwest Louisiana in mid-July to help a dozen homeowners bounce back from damage caused by the August 2016 floods. For a week, the middle and high school students from the organization Bounce Student Disaster Recovery worked to repair homes still wrecked by the previous high water. During the day, the students installed flooring, painted walls, built wheelchair ramps and re-roofed homes. First Baptist Church in Jennings provided housing for the students and Bounce team leaders provided meals. Brian Wells, minister of education and senior adults at First Baptist Jennings, said the students’ labor of love in the community left behind many seeds planted in the lives of the homeowners and other residents. “People from our community and parish were very grateful for them coming in and providing an expression of God’s love, compassion and hope,” Wells said. “To see people still concerned after 11 months and wanting to help really put us as the church in a good light.” Wells recalled the joy and gratitude he encountered at each site he visited. “They would come to tears when you asked them about the help they were … [Read more...]