By Karen L. Willoughby, Managing Editor ALEXANDRIA – Little is said about it, though those who happen to be in the Baptist Building Wednesday mornings are invited to participate in the staff’s weekly prayer gathering. If he’s in town, Louisiana Baptist Convention’s Music Leadership Strategist Randy Turner starts the 9:30 a.m. prayertime with a song. One recent week it was He is Jehovah, followed by All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name. [img_assist|nid=6124|title=Randy Turner LBC Music Strategist|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=79|height=100]Each week, in rotation, a different strategist leads the prayertime, and prayertime it is. One of the state’s vocational evangelists is named each week – and prayed for. This week it was Jack Daniels, since he was attending the prayertime. Maybe this indicates if you feel the need of prayer, come to the Baptist Building on Wednesday mornings! One of the Baptist Associations in Louisiana is named – it, its director of missions, and each of its churches, missions and ministries is prayed for. This week it was Delta Baptist Association of 17 churches, which functions without a director of missions. Special prayer was given to First Baptist Vidalia, which is between pastors. One of … [Read more...]
The Counseling Connection
By Derek Brown, Adolescent/Family Counselor Celebration Church, Metairie What is Sexting and Should I Really Be Concerned About My Teen or Pre-teen Actually Doing This? In recent decades, teens would pile into skating rinks and football games to meet their needs for social belonging. In today’s world, technology has become the primary venue for communicating with peers. Whether by internet, cell phone, or some other multimedia device, teens are meeting their social and relational cravings through the digital world. When you were an adolescent, it may have taken a lot of bravery to sneak under the bleachers or around the corner to catch a kiss from your big crush, but a teen in this generation has the means to virtually communicate those feelings in a matter of seconds through multimedia messages. Sexting, the transmitting of personal images that are sexual in nature, has become a new trend among teens and even pre-teens. A recent survey from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy reveals that approximately one in five teens report sending nude or semi-nude images of themselves via text messages. Legal Consequences Obviously, sexting is a concern for you as a parent. To complicate matters, … [Read more...]
Are you a compassionate Spouse?
By J. B. & Shugie Collingsworth, Home Life Magazine What is compassion? What does it mean to be compassionate? It refers to empathy, concern, or kindness. What can it mean in a marriage? Much! We have compassion for children who live in terrible circumstances, people who are sick, people with disabilities, right? [img_assist|nid=6128|title=Couples Compassion|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=75|height=100]The part compassion plays in our lives can be huge. It causes us to sponsor a child in a third world country for dollars per month, send money to missions, give to the needy in our own backyards, and makes us stop and think when we see the less fortunate. The Necessary Nine “Remember, LORD, Your compassion and Your faithful love, for they have existed from antiquity” (Psalm 25:6, HCSB). Should we not be compassionate to people the same way that He, in His mercy, has given us so much more than any of us deserve? Can compassion that comes from Him keep us going when we sometimes get to the end of our rope? Can it help us when we have no other way to go? Yes! Why do spouses get so exasperated that they fight the very one they should love the most? Is Satan having fun or what? Yes, he is! As … [Read more...]
FBC Chalmette enjoying explosive growth
By Bethany Hales, Special to the Message NEW ORLEANS – A church that was decimated by Hurricane Katrina is now rebounding in a big way. First Baptist Chalmette, averaging 300 or more in Sunday School attendance before Hurricane Katrina, lost 97 percent of its membership after the storm. [img_assist|nid=6130|title=First Baptist Church of Chalmette is on the rebound since being decimated by Hurricane Katrina|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=67]Since the reopening of the sanctuary in October, the church has had at least one baptism every Sunday except one. In the last four months, First Chalmette has baptized more than 60 people and seen about 110 professions of faith. Worship attendance has grown from an average of 50 to an average of 150. “Since Hurricane Katrina, God has done so many wonderful, powerful things at just the right time. I call these movements of God ‘Divine Kisses,’ and goodness, I have Divine Lipstick smeared all over me,” said Pastor John Jeffries. “For a period of time we were described as a ‘church on the bubble’ because some who were aware of our membership loss felt that the church would not survive.” Until recently the church had been averaging about 50 people in worship. In … [Read more...]
Annual training prepares volunteeers for DR ministry
By Staff, Baptist Message LORANGER, RUSTON – Tsunami: American Samoa; earthquake: Haiti, earthquake: Chile. These are the current international needs for disaster relief volunteers. And over the course of the last year, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief engaged in more than 170 disaster responses – feeding, plus clean-up following floods, fires, storms, and other types of disasters. [img_assist|nid=6132|title=Gibbie McMillan with Disaster Relief award winners|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=67]The details are significant: In 2009, more than 29,523 volunteer days produced 291,922 meals; completed 7,895 recovery jobs; made 12,137 ministry contacts; and recorded 661 professions of faith. Nationwide, more than 88,000 people have completed Disaster Relief training. In Louisiana, 4,124 volunteers are in the LBC Disaster Relief database. That’s a huge jump from pre-K – before Hurricane Katrina. It was the tremendous needs of Louisiana residents as a result of Katrina that Louisiana Southern Baptists escalated their disaster relief presence, from 16 DR units pre-K to 74 today, said Gibbie McMillan, Disaster Relief director for the Louisiana Baptist Convention. Trained DR volunteers know how to work together … [Read more...]
Disaster Relief training prepares volunteers in ‘ministry of presence’ that comforts people with God’s love
By Karen Willoughby, Managing Editor LORANGER – A caring heart, listening ear and willing spirit are about all that are needed by people wanting to be trained as disaster relief chaplain volunteers. Everything else can be added during two days of training. [img_assist|nid=6135|title=James Carson is Disaster Relief Chaplains Coordinator and Chaplain Trainer|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=83|height=100]“It’s a magnificent ministry,” said DR Chaplains Coordinator and trainer James Carson. “We have a lot of people saved because of Disaster Relief responders.” Angie Hurst of Kentwood was one DR chaplain with a story to tell, Carson said. She led one flood-stricken, 89-year-old man to the Lord, and the man led her to his wife. He wanted her to make the same decision, he said, so Hurst repeated her words to the woman and she too put her life in God’s hands. Chaplaincy was one of several Disaster Relief training options that took place at Camp Living Waters in Loranger in late January and again at Temple Baptist Church in Ruston in early February. Everyone sat in on the Basic Disaster Relief training, and then spread out to learn about his/her specific area of interest. DR volunteers can specialize in food preparation, … [Read more...]
Southern Baptists responding to needs in Haiti and Chile
ALPHARETTA, Ga. – Now there are two needs Southern Baptists across the globe are responding to: Haiti and Chile. Both were devastated by earthquakes. Haiti’s was more severe because the earthquake struck near the nation’s capital city, Port-au-Prince, with its crowded population and structures not designed to withstand earthquakes. Both suffered extensive loss of life. Haiti: perhaps more than 200,000. Chile: 723 at presstime. Both suffered in what was said to be the worst-ever disaster to hit their nations. If all the superlatives already had not been used for Haiti, the situation in Chile would be considered dire. Southern Baptists are responding to needs of people in both nations. HAITI Organizers of the “Buckets of Hope” initiative for Haiti relief estimate that 150,000 food buckets will be shipped to Port-au-Prince to help combat hunger in the earthquake-devastated country. Under Buckets of Hope, which was launched in January, Southern Baptists for about $30 can purchase five-gallon plastic buckets with handle and lid – Wal-mart SKU# 00982650640 – and pack them with a specific list of items described in detail at www.namb.net and several other sites. The food in a single bucket can feed a Haitian family for … [Read more...]
Gentilly Baptist rededicates its sanctuary
By Marilyn Stewart, Regional Reporter NEW ORLEANS – Rebirth and a call to mission was the theme of the recent sanctuary rededication of New Orleans’ Gentilly Baptist Church. The service came four and half years after the facility flooded in Hurricane Katrina. “Welcome to Gentilly Baptist Church, where hope is alive,” Dennis Cole, associate pastor, said to the people in the packed worship center. [img_assist|nid=6137|title=A crowd of more than 275 attended the rededication of Gentilly Baptist Church which flooded in Hurricane Katrina|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=67]The racially mixed congregation stood to sing the words that captured the service’s message: “Greater things are yet to come; greater things are still to be done in this city.” Ken Taylor, pastor, challenged the congregation of 275 to remember that God had called them to take the Gospel into the neighborhood. “If we will work as hard to reach the community as we, and others, have done to rebuild this sanctuary, then God will do great things,” Taylor said. The church took a brief look back to the devastation that engulfed two congregations – Elysian Fields Baptist and Gentilly Baptist – before uniting them in service and mission. Flood … [Read more...]
Prayer the foundation of Rod Masteller’s life, ministry
By Karen L. Willoughby, Managing Editor SHREVEPORT – “I want to challenge the church and pastors to fall on our knees before God and ask for His anointing on Louisiana Baptists.” says Rod Masteller, who holds doctoral degrees in divinity and in sacred theology. [img_assist|nid=6139|title=Dr. Rod Masteller|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=61|height=100]Masteller is Senior Pastor of Summer Grove Baptist Church, a 160-year-old church that now meets in what was one of the largest shopping malls in Shreveport. Masteller said he believes, “the most wonderful people on earth are the members of Summer Grove Baptist Church, who had the faith and commitment to buy this mall and turn it into a church.” Masteller is also president of the Louisiana Baptist Convention – elected in November 2009, for the first of what could be two, one-year terms. Masteller said he wants to encourage Louisiana Baptists to realize, “all of our progress and plans, without the power of God, are useless.” He said he wants pastors to be on their knees so that God will give His anointing to Louisiana. “I hope to be able to travel to every part of the state, to meet with pastors, hear from them about what’s going on in their lives, give them hope and … [Read more...]
Northshore associations explore consolidations
By Karen L. Willoughby, Managing Editor HAMMOND – Three associations in southeastern Louisiana are pondering consolidation of their administrative structure. [img_assist|nid=6141|title=The North Shore Baptist Association office serves the people between Pearl River on the Mississippi state line and Livingston|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=75]The executive boards of the three Baptist Associations served by Director of Missions and Ministries Lonnie Wascom each voted unanimously in their January meetings to recommend to their churches that they establish a new Northshore Baptist Association at their 2010 annual meetings. In further action, they authorized their associational moderators to establish a transition team to formulate governing and financial documents and policies to be recommended as well, at the fall meetings. The first meeting of the transition team took place Feb. 10. This involves the Chappapeela, LaTangi and St. Tammany Baptist Associations. The recommendations carried two stipulations, Wascom said. All three associations must approve – “We move together or not at all” – and the matter be voted on in 2010 and again in 2011. First to be approved (or not) for the 2010-2011 year, and if … [Read more...]