Click to Login or Sign Up

Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Pastors Conference: ‘Called to a great work’

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE, La. (LBM) – Pastors will be reminded why they are called to carry out a great work during this year’s Pastors’ Conference, scheduled for Nov. 10-11 at the First Baptist Church in Pineville. The annual gathering’s theme is “Called To A Great Work,” based on Nehemiah 6:3. “Our calling from God as ministers of the gospel of Jesus should be one the highest honors any of us ever experiences, “ Justin Clark, president of the Pastors Conference and pastor of the First Baptist Church in Lake Providence, told the Baptist Message. “I believe we need to be reminded that we have a great calling, by a great God. My prayer in that we as ministers will be reminded of that calling and leave here more energized than ever to proclaim the Good News of Jesus. SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS The conference begins 5 p.m., Nov. 10, with music led by First Baptist Pineville’s worship team, and with messages shared by Robert Smith Jr., professor of Christian preaching at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Ala., and Paul Chitwood, president of the International Mission Board. A fellowship supper will follow the opening session. The next day, the conference will begin at 8:30 a.m., also with … [Read more...]

Free indeed at St. Gabriel!

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ST. GABRIEL, La. (LBM) – The temptation to forgo baptism was strong just a day after an inmate named Leann accepted Christ during a revival service at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women. But a nudge by the Holy Spirit helped her stay the course toward obedience. “She told one of her friends on the way to the [Sunday baptism] service she may not go through with it,” LCIW Lead Chaplain Debi Sharkey told the Baptist Message. “Then she felt like she heard the Lord say, ‘Come as you are.’ “She said she didn’t expect to feel anything except the sensation of the cold water. But to her surprise she felt refreshed, renewed,” Sharkey continued. “She said she felt ‘lighter’ like she knew Jesus carried her sins away.” During revival services attended by 413 women Sept. 27-29 at the maximum security prison nearly 10 miles east of Baton Rouge, 24 inmates made professions of faith and 17 of them were baptized. Approximately 65 volunteers from 15 Louisiana Baptist churches participated in the revival, which included three worship services on Saturday and a worship service and baptism opportunity on Sunday. Additionally, gift boxes were distributed to the inmates. The … [Read more...]

7. Skills of a church planter: Effectively Building Relationships

By John Hebert, Louisiana Baptists missions and ministry team leader ALEXANDRIA (LBM)–A few weeks ago my wife posted a picture of the two of us on Facebook and one of my cousins in Ohio commented, or rather questioned in a comment, “Why is Kitty taking a picture with Uncle Huey” (my Dad)? I thought to myself, “Very funny,” but did not post a response. The way we look, certain traits, characteristics, and even parts of our personalities are linked to genetics and is the result of the DNA contributions by our ancestors. Our progenitors set in motion elements of our health, our height and probably our disposition. In the same way that genetics shape our lives, ancient cultures have shaped our society. The ancients made many contributions to modern society: -- the Egyptians developed mathematics; -- the Mesopotamians the wheel, plow and first code of laws; -- the Chinese made contributions to the arts and sciences; and, -- the Greeks gave us philosophy, democracy and the Olympic Games. The Romans, of course, gave us cement. Actually they gave us much more than that, but this contribution led to the actual building of the Roman Empire -- tunnels, bridges, aqueducts, Roman arches and amphitheaters all were … [Read more...]

Louisiana Notables

EDITOR’S NOTE: Do you have a Revival, Homecoming, a new pastor, a community outreach or a concert? The Baptist Message would love to share your church news with the rest of the state. It is very easy to do, just send in your information (who, what, where and when) to philip@baptistmessage.com or call 318.449.4345. To get your event in the paper, please submit your information three weeks prior to the event. ON THE MOVE Johnny Wagner is the new pastor at Colfax Baptist Church, Colfax. He was ordained to the Gospel ministry during an October 6 ordination ceremony followed by a fellowship. He is the fifth generation grandson of Joseph Willis. Kevin Funderburk is the new Pastor for Discipling and Worship at First Baptist Church of Lake Charles. Kevin and family had previously been serving in East Asia. Delmar Bennett has resigned as Minister of Education & Outreach at Florida Blvd. Baptist Church, Baton Rouge. Galen (wife Robyn) Leger is the new music minister at Ellerbe Baptist Church, Shreveport. Trinity Heights: Collin Wimberly has resigned as pastor at Trinity Heights Baptist Church in Shreveport to church plant in Red River Parish. HOMECOMING Mangham Baptist Church, Mangham: Annual Homecoming … [Read more...]

Rendon credits Christ for his success

By Message Staff HOUSTON, Texas – (LBM) Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon may be known for hitting multiple homeruns that helped fuel multiple comeback victories over the Houston Astros in the 2019 World Series, but he credited his faith for helping him remain calm under pressure. In an interview, Oct. 31, on SportsCenter with ESPN personality Scott Van Pelt, Rendon said his faith guided him through a journey that began on a team that started the season 19-31 and ended Oct. 30 with a victory over the Houston Astros in Game 7 of the annual fall baseball classic. Rendon set career-highs in batting average (.319), home runs (34) and RBIs (126) during the regular season, and followed with two home runs and eight RBIs (five in Game 6 alone) in the World Series. “I think I understand that there is bigger things going on in this world,” Rendon told Van Pelt. “And my Savior Jesus Christ gives me that patience and that slow heart rate.” Rendon is a Houston native who attends the First Baptist Church in the off season. Pastor Gregg Matte told Baptist Press that Rendon is "very laid back" and places his trust in Christ no matter the circumstance. "Anthony is a big-time difference maker on the field and … [Read more...]

Church honors outgoing pastor, Ed Jelks, by naming new children’s center in his honor

(Top photo) Nathan Lott, shown with his wife Dawn, daughters Alyssa, Alayna and Brayden, is the new pastor at Ethel Baptist Church, Ethel. He replaces John “Ed” Jelks, who retired July 31 after having served as pastor of Ethel for the past 12 years. (Bottom photo) In a celebration service, Jelks, who served as a Missions Builder, was recognized for his long service to the church and Mission Builders by having the newly completed children’s center named after him. … [Read more...]

Concerns circulate that NAMB’s lawsuit response erodes historic SBC doctrine

By Will Hall, Message Executive Editor NASHVILLE, Tenn. (LBM)—Two disparate figures have circulated concerns raised about legal positions staked out by the North American Mission Board in response to a lawsuit alleging tortious interference by the entity in the ministry of Will McRaney, the former executive director of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware. Morris H. Chapman, former president and chief executive officer of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee and widely recognized for defending the interests of SBC churches, and Robert Downen, a Houston Chronicle reporter who was a major figure in an exposé which negatively portrayed Southern Baptist churches regarding sexual abuse, individually have circulated on social media a report by Baptist News Global that contains allegations that NAMB’s lawyers’ claims in their legal brief is putting Southern Baptists’ cooperative ministries in danger of liability with regard to lawsuits about sexual abuse or personal injury, for instance. At issue is the historic position stated in the Southern Baptist Convention Constitution that the Convention is “independent and sovereign in its own sphere” and that “the Convention will never attempt to exercise any … [Read more...]

Al Mohler explains women cannot be pastors nor preachers

By Will Hall, Message Executive Editor LOUISVILLE, Ky. (LBM)—The discussion of women pastors continues to expand among Southern Baptists with some choosing to make a distinction between “being the pastor” and simply performing the pastor’s function of “preaching.” The latest dustup resulted from comments by noted theologian John MacArthur, pastor of the Grace Community Church and founder of the Master’s Seminary, both in Sun Valley, California, that he made as part of a panel during a “Truth Matters Conference” held in mid-October. Panelists were asked to give a gut reaction to phrases, and MacArthur was given a name, instead, “Beth Moore,” the top selling writer of Bible studies for LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. MacArthur was trite, replying, “Go home,” apparently in reaction to Moore’s Twitter war during the summer against Southern Baptist leaders who spoke out against women preaching in place of the pastor after Moore had announced she was “speaking” at a church on Mother’s Day. MacArthur connected the issue with the #MeToo movement and his observation that feminists wanted power, not equality. In reply to a follow up question on the matter, MacArthur was equally to the point … [Read more...]

John MacArthur rebukes SBC stance on Critical Race Theory

By Will Hall, Message Executive Editor SUN VALLEY, Calif. (LBM)--During a “Truth Matters Conference” held in mid-October, noted theologian John MacArthur, pastor of the Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, criticized the Southern Baptist Convention for passing Resolution 9 during its annual meeting in June in Birmingham, Alabama. This resolution described two controversial ideologies, Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality, in neutral terms, suggesting that in some cases both have been misused “by individuals with worldviews that are contrary to the Christian faith” to come to wrong conclusions. However, the two theoretical frameworks actually arose from radicals in academia. Critical Race Theory is traced to the Harvard Law School and the founding theorist Derrick Bell who insists that “the law,” for instance, is a power structure based on “white supremacy” and “white privilege.” Meanwhile, the idea of Intersectionality is tied to the UCLA School of Law and Kimberlé Crenshaw, the pioneer of the concept, who developed this abstract idea to help her advance the notion that “privileging of whiteness or maleness” is prevalent throughout society and the cause for the oppression of women of color. The … [Read more...]

Softball player finds family, faith at Louisiana College

By Norm Miller, Louisiana College News PINEVILLE, La. (LCNews)--Samantha Downey is a psychology major from Redondo Beach, California, and was heavily recruited to play collegiate softball. She chose to play for the Lady Wildcats because of the new challenge and a change of scene. Meeting the members of the softball team allayed one apprehension Downey had: “I knew I’d be far from my family, but I’m still going to have family here.” While playing softball, Downey sustained an injury that caused her to reevaluate why she came to Louisiana College. Appreciating the close-knit environment and “homelike atmosphere” of Louisiana College, Downey said her initial visit to the campus inspired her. “I fell in love with LC because of the one-on-one connection students have with professors.” “Before I came to LC, I had no relationship with God. I didn’t even know you could have a relationship with God,” she said. “My mom and dad believed in God but I never knew anything about that.” “And I didn’t understand why things happened,” she said. With a history of bad experiences with churches, Downey had difficulty even entering one. “But when I came here, my best friend -- and she’s my roommate -- she kind of introduced me to Christ. And the … [Read more...]