By Baptist Message staff ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Baptists are in the final year of implementing the President’s 2020 Commission Report, an initiative undertaken during the leadership of Waylon Bailey, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Covington, and the LBC president in 2012-2013. The 2020 recommendations were crafted collaboratively by a commission of 400 Louisiana Baptist leaders, staff members and laypeople, working in 20 subcommittees of 20 members each. Ten “key actions in reaching our state” – known as KAIROS – were developed to engage two audiences – the next generation and every people group. These measures for improving the spiritual health and growth of the state were adopted by messengers at the 2013 Louisiana Baptist Convention Annual Meeting. This article is the 10th in a series published by the Baptist Message to report what successes have been achieved toward the ambitious goals of the statewide initiative, as well as to note what objectives remain to be done. KAIROS NINE Increase financial support through the Cooperative Program and the special mission offerings. Several attempts have been made to increase Cooperative Program support over the seven-year span of the 2020 initiative. … [Read more...]

By John Kyle, Louisiana Baptists communications KENNER, La. – Joshua Leiva was borderline suicidal following the loss of his grandmother, whom he affectionately called, Mama Sonia. Diagnosed with lung cancer in August of 2018, she lost her battle just a few months later. “I knew exactly how I wanted to take myself out -- I’m going to be in my room,” he recalled. “I’m going find a noose and I’m going to hang myself in the closet. “I was the last person to see her alive,” continued Leiva. “I remember breaking down a couple of times when my family was not around, because I am more of a private person.” As he battled feelings of despair and suicide, his mother began attending Iglesia Celebration in Kenner in early 2019. Initially, he declined her invitation to attend -- until she said Iglesia was the kind of church she would have wanted to take Mama Sonia too. “How could I turn that down?” Leiva said. “I went and that’s when I felt something at this church that I had never felt before. I felt embraced by all these people I didn’t know. It was awesome” Jhorman Rivera, campus pastor of Iglesia Celebration, recalls contacting the family following their visit. “I went to their home and they told me about what they … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer LAKE CHARLES, La. (LBM) – Paige LeDoux was deeply troubled when she encountered Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief chaplain Mark Morelock, pastor of Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, Bogalusa, in the Trinity Baptist Church feeding line. Since the beginning of the year, LeDoux had seen a family member succumb to a life of drug addiction, and on top of that the novel coronavirus pandemic had cut short the baseball season for her two sons, which was a weekend passion for the family. But when Hurricane Laura made landfall Aug. 27, it destroyed LeDoux’s home in Lake Charles, and she fi nally felt hopeless and helpless. Laura was the last straw, and she was a broken person, emotionally. However, a visit to Trinity Baptist Church on Sept. 4 changed her life: She is one of 152 storm victims who have turned to Christ at Trinity Baptist during the aftermath of Laura through Sept. 17. “She had continued to express how she didn’t know where else to turn,” Morelock told the Baptist Message. “After a time of listening I told her there is no way to return to how things were but she had a hope. I asked if she had placed her faith in Christ and after a conversation she accepted the … [Read more...]

By Norm Miller, Baptist Message correspondent VINTON, La. (LBM) — Like many churches in Louisiana, First Baptist Church, Vinton, had the interior of its facilities deluged after Hurricane Laura ripped off a section of roof and blew away large potions of metal sheeting. The auditorium is now completely under tarp, but the damage was not limited to that area. “Our church will have to be completely gutted,” said Pastor Bobby Daniel, whose office carpet squishes underfoot. Soaked but salvageable items are being wiped with an anti-mold solution, catalogued, and safely stored by a disaster recovery company, he said. However, Hurricane Laura’s downpours did nothing to quench the congregation’s desire to worship on Sunday, Sept. 13, when about 40 people gathered on the lawn. With sweat rolling down his back and face with the heat index topping 100 degrees, Daniel poured out his heart while preaching from Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” God’s strength, protection, and provision have shown up in many ways, Daniel said, including several sizable monetary gifts from friends and relatives. … [Read more...]

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CHURCHES FEMA Public Assistance grants are open to Houses of Worship located within presidentially-declared disaster areas (Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis and Vernon Parishes) and typically reimburse 75 percent of eligible costs for Permanent Work—repair, replacement or restoration of certain disaster-damaged facilities. Houses of Worship must have in excess of $3,300 of damages related to Hurricane Laura; produce an IRS nonprofit letter; and, must have received insufficient funding or no funding after applying for a Small Business Administration disaster loan, www.sba.gov/disaster. Time is of the essence (deadline: 9/27/2020), and Houses of Worship do not have to wait for an SBA decision to apply to FEMA, www. LousianaPA.com. Houses of Worship may apply directly to FEMA for Emergency Work—debris removal and emergency protective measures (also 75 percent of eligible costs)—and an expanded area is eligible (Acadia, Grant, Natchitoches, Vermilion, Winn are eligible along with the six parishes above). Call or write state FEMA contact Joe Costello, (225) 339-3724 or joseph.costello@la.gov, for assistance or information. INDIVIDUALS Individuals in Acadia, Allen, Beauregard, Caddo, Calcasieu, … [Read more...]

Jeannie Saylor and Jill Morrow, who work for Louisiana Baptists in the central mission office in Alexandria, prepare letters with checks to send to 36 congregations whose facilities were destroyed by Hurricane Laura. The emergency gifts were possible because of donations to the Georgia Barnette State Mission Offering as well as funds given by state convention partners in the South, special offerings from churches and contributions by individuals. Steve Horn, executive director of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, said that at the appropriate time he will publicly thank those who made these emergency gifts possible. But he offered an anecdote to the Baptist Message as a way to describe the kindness, generosity and sacrifice that is befitting the whole of the effort to help these churches. “One elderly lady called her pastor to indicate that though she did not have much to give, she had to do something,” he shared. “When that pastor arrived, that which she described as ‘not much’ was $10,000.” … [Read more...]