Lafayette is a wonderful city to live – so alive and diverse. It is steeped in culture, history, great food and its Cajun heritage. It is also a city filled with many spiritual needs. LAFAYETTE – Lafayette is a wonderful city to live – so alive and diverse. It is steeped in culture, history, great food and its Cajun heritage. It is also a city filled with many spiritual needs. Church planter and evangelist Toby Ryder felt that he could address some of those needs with a church plant called Friday Night Live. God, however, had other ideas. “Friday Night Live is up and running,” Ryder said. “God, though, led me to where there were others in greater need. By doing the same thing our Lord did – simple carpentry work – I have discovered I can reach so many more people.” Working in a high crime area of Lafayette – Cameron and Mudd Streets – Ryder has begun Project Lafayette. Working through Hospice of Acadiana, Council on Aging or referrals from the community, Ryder and volunteers do simple carpentry work for the elderly, single moms, shut-ins, or people who can’t afford fix it work. “We take on pretty much any need brought to us,” Ryder said. “There is no financial criteria to get us to come out – just a simple need. … [Read more...]
First Mandeville mission team travels to Nigeria
Located in West Africa, Nigeria is hot all year round and has just two seasons: wet and dry. Although it may not be an ideal vacation spot, the climate does not keep First Mandeville from ministering to the people of Nigeria. Mandeville – Located in West Africa, Nigeria is hot all year round and has just two seasons: wet and dry. Although it may not be an ideal vacation spot, the climate does not keep First Mandeville from ministering to the people of Nigeria. On May 24, four men from First Mandeville, including Pastor Ken Schroeder, left for a two-week trip to Nigeria. This is the eighth time the church has sent a mission team there. Under the guidance of IMB missionaries Clint and Harriet Bowman, First Mandeville has adopted the Zari, an unreached people group where less than 2 percent of the population knows Christ. “We’ve linked up with the Bowmans and they showed us around the country, and since November of 2006 we’ve been taking trips each year,” Schroeder said. First Mandeville has helped to start two churches in Nigeria and also employs two native pastors, Haggai Moses and Betrus “Peter” Agwom. These pastors currently have two churches each, and are starting others. “Our goal is to encourage the … [Read more...]
Registration continues; speakers, singers, themes set
Online pre-registration will remain open throughout Saturday, June 20, for the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in Louisville, Ky. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) – Online pre-registration will remain open throughout Saturday, June 20, for the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in Louisville, Ky. Thereafter, messengers from local churches attending the SBC’s June 23-24 sessions will be directed through the traditional registration process at the Kentucky Exposition Center. Convention manager R. Clark Logan, vice president for business and finance with the SBC Executive Committee, said online pre-registration “is quick and easy and available with complete instructions at www.sbcannualmeeting.net.” Messengers from churches that register online can avoid waiting at the counter upon arrival at the convention. By registering online, the SBC website gives a church a messenger reference number form to be printed out and presented by each messenger at the SBC registration booth in exchange for a nametag and a set of ballots. The appropriate church-authorized representative must complete all online registrations. For the traditional registration method, churches that are unable or opt not to access the … [Read more...]
LSU BCM SPRING BREAK
Having a Baptist Collegiate Ministry at LSU helps us to disciple Christian students, engage non-believers with the gospel, and connect students to local churches. There is no way to calculate the impact that discipleship at the collegiate level has on local churches by sending them graduates and current students with a biblical worldview. Having a Baptist Collegiate Ministry at LSU helps us to disciple Christian students, engage non-believers with the gospel, and connect students to local churches. There is no way to calculate the impact that discipleship at the collegiate level has on local churches by sending them graduates and current students with a biblical worldview. – Mandy Trammell, associate director, LSU BCM, Baton Rouge “From the moment we arrived, it was very obvious that it was in God’s perfect plan for our team to be in Puerto Rico this spring break. The church had been praying for two years for a group to come and assist their ministry. We participated in the church service, fed the homeless, evangelized in the streets of Mayaguez, cleaned out rooms of the church, presented the Gospel to a group of high school students, painted the sanctuary of another local church, and helped with the church’s weekend … [Read more...]
Rayville youth show their love for Chuck
“He was just an average man, but you don’t see the impact of his life until something like this happens,” Deanna Corbett, Minister of Youth at First Rayville, recalled as she described the life of Chuck Stephenson. RAYVILLE – “He was just an average man, but you don’t see the impact of his life until something like this happens,” Deanna Corbett, Minister of Youth at First Rayville, recalled as she described the life of Chuck Stephenson. Stephenson was a loving husband, father, uncle and friend. He was loved in the community of Rayville and made a huge impact as a deputy sheriff and D.A.R.E – Drug Abuse Resistance Education – officer in the schools of Richland Parish. “He was the kind of guy that if he was in, he was all in – including his relationship with God. He had such a passion for Jesus,” Corbett said. Nearly two months ago Stephenson, an active and previously healthy man, contracted a mysterious illness and was hospitalized. Within weeks of hospitalization and tests being done on Stephenson, medical bills began to add up very quickly. “His wife wasn’t working and they were without an income. The church took up a love offering, but we felt a call from God for the youth to get involved,” Corbett … [Read more...]
The Counseling Connection
My daughter just turned 3, and it seems like all she does is defy me. Help! What can I do to make her mind me? Question: My daughter just turned 3, and it seems like all she does is defy me. Help! What can I do to make her mind me? Michele Louviere answers:Many parents are shocked at their sweet baby’s behavior when he or she turns 3. The description of “terrible twos” actually is more accurately described as “terrible threes.” Of course, children do not become horrible at this age, but they do begin challenging authority. As three years become more and more their own persons;they will challenge parents to see how far they can go. Surviving the challenging threes involves parents having a good parenting plan, being unified as a couple and practicing consistency. As parents, take some time to discuss the appropriate expectations and consequences when those expectations are not followed for your 3-year-old. Remember, discipline is not punishment; rather, it is training. Discuss your thoughts with other parents who you trust and read good parenting books. For example, one of the most important lessons for a three year old is learning obedience, which helps them be successful at home, school, society, work and, ultimately, … [Read more...]
Summer Fun at Louisiana’s Baptist Encampments
From new paint to new programs to new buildings, the 10 Baptist encampments throughout the state have been busy preparing for the coming summer camping season. And many are being rewarded with an upswing in campers, despite the downturn in the economy. Here is what’s new at the encampments: STATEWIDE – From new paint to new programs to new buildings, the 10 Baptist encampments throughout the state have been busy preparing for the coming summer camping season. And many are being rewarded with an upswing in campers, despite the downturn in the economy. Here is what’s new at the encampments: ACADIAN BAPTIST CENTER EUNICE – “We’re doing OK,” ABC Director James Newsom said. “A lot of our camps are starting to fill up. We’ve already had a good start to the camping season as we doubled the number of kids in our Outdoor Education Program. “Our Equestrian Camp, which began this week, is well attended, and we are looking forward to a busy summer,” Newsom said. Plans are being drawn up for a $600,000, 6,000-square-foot expansion of the camp’s cafeteria. Besides increasing seating in the cafeteria to 450, plans also include updating the kitchen. “The expansion will allow us to triple our size,” Newsom said. “We are hoping to … [Read more...]
Hunt responds to GCR critics, predicts SBC will approve task force
Greater funding of the Cooperative Program will occur when Southern Baptists have greater confidence their gifts support the priorities of North American church planting, global pioneer missions around the globe and theological education, declared Southern Baptist Convention President Johnny Hunt in an interview with four state Baptist paper editors. WOODSTOCK, Ga. – Greater funding of the Cooperative Program will occur when Southern Baptists have greater confidence their gifts support the priorities of North American church planting, global pioneer missions around the globe and theological education, declared Southern Baptist Convention President Johnny Hunt in an interview with four state Baptist paper editors. Hunt responded to critics who he believes have misjudged his motive in calling for a task force to examine the denomination “at every level” via his “Great Commission Resurgence” declaration. Far from having “a hidden agenda,” the Georgia pastor said his proposal seeks accountability for the investment of mission dollars. He predicted his call for a study will be approved overwhelmingly by messengers to the June 23-24 SBC meeting in Louisville, and endorsed an appeal from four state Baptist paper editors that … [Read more...]
19 inmates earn NOBTS degrees at Parchman
In some ways, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary’s extension center graduation May 20 mirrored any other seminary graduation ceremony. PARCHMAN, Miss. (BP) – In some ways, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary’s extension center graduation May 20 mirrored any other seminary graduation ceremony. The service included singing, prayers, a sermon and the recognition of God-called ministers. Proud families and friends were in attendance to share in the joyous occasion. The 28 men receiving undergraduate degrees even wore traditional black graduation caps and gowns. But this was no ordinary graduation service. And these were not ordinary graduates. This graduation, held at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman, Miss., took place under the watchful eyes of numerous prison guards. Instead of a beautiful chapel, the setting was the prison’s stark visitor’s center. Striped prison pants were visible below the hem of each robe. Nineteen of the graduates are serving sentences of 25 years or more; 13 of those have life sentences. Even though many of the graduates will never experience a life outside the walls of Parchman, they each expressed joy and hope. As trained ministers, the inmates are better equipped to … [Read more...]
Collegians’ faith tops their agenda
Their places of ministry are different – college campuses and local churches – but they share a yearning for college students and young adults to have vibrant relationships with Christ and with others. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – Their places of ministry are different – college campuses and local churches – but they share a yearning for college students and young adults to have vibrant relationships with Christ and with others. Collegiate ministry leaders and ministers to students met for networking and training at the triennial National Collegiate Summit hosted by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, April 30-May 2 in Nashville, Tenn. Linda Osborne, LifeWay’s national collegiate ministry director, was excited by the turnout of Baptist Campus Ministry (BCM) groups and local churches’ college ministries in tough economic times. “We had 575 participants who were from almost every state convention,” Osborne said. “There are 705 campus ministers in the SBC, so this number is quite good – more than 75 percent of them. This tells me that our collegiate ministers see the information, workshops, networking and encouragement they receive at the summit as important to them.” LifeWay President Thom S. … [Read more...]