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. HOMECOMING Second Baptist Church, Jackson: 60th Homecoming, September 15, 10 a.m. Pastor: Clark Fooshee. New Zion Baptist Church, Kentwood: 150th Homecoming Celebration, September 15, 10:30 a.m. A covered dish meal will follow the worship service. Speaker: Gibbie McMillan. Special Music: Jimmy Falker. Pastor: Larry Blades. Christian Harmony Baptist Church, Natchitoches: 103th annual Homecoming Celebration, September 22, 10:30 a.m. Guest Speaker: George Holland. Special Music: HIS. Pastor: David Matlock. First Baptist Church, Anacoco: Homecoming, September 22, 10:30 a.m. There will be covered-dish lunch on the grounds following the worship service. Guest Speaker: Jason Nolde, Leesville. The congregation invites everyone to attend. The church is located at 4813 Port Arthur Ave, Anacoco. Pastor: Will Hall … [Read more...]
Emeritus missionary, Louisiana native James Madderson Young passes away at 94
By Mary Jane Welch James Madderson Young, an emeritus International Mission Board missionary who lived the gospel among Northern African and Middle Eastern people in the Gaza Strip and Yemen, died July 11, 2019. He was 94. Born November 13, 1924, in Choudrant, where he lived with his grandparents until age 6 when he moved to Ruston with his mother, Ila May Gibson. During World War II, he joined the Navy, where he completed training as a naval aviator. He was assigned to duty on an aircraft carrier just as the war ended. Young received a bachelor of arts degree with honors from Louisiana Tech University, Ruston. He married June Buckner of Ruston on August 24, 1946. The couple moved to New Orleans where he received a doctorate degree in medicine from Louisiana State University. They then moved to Panama, where Young completed his surgical internship in preparation for a medical career with the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board (now International Mission Board). Appointed as missionaries Oct. 10, 1954, the Youngs were assigned to the Gaza Strip in the Middle East, where Young headed up a local hospital for 10 years. In 1964, after learning that Yemen had very little medical care, the Youngs opened the first … [Read more...]
God’s Spirit guides us through the trails of life
By Jeff Ginn When I was in graduate school in Memphis many moons ago, a friend of mine and I decided to take a spring break trip. We planned to travel to the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee to do a multi-day hiking and camping trek in the “backcountry.” For weeks in advance we planned our trail itinerary—how many miles we would cover in a day and where we would camp each evening. Our schedule was aggressive but we felt that we could do it. The national park required that a ranger sign off on our plan. The ranger assigned to our case looked over our plan and promptly denied it. She said that it was out of the question. Too ambitious. She implied that we were incapable of doing what we’d outlined—that the demands of the backcountry at that pace might even put us into danger. We were ticked! We insisted that we see her supervisor. He looked over our plan and—to add insult to injury—he completely agreed with her! Our choice was simple: cut back on the itinerary per their suggestions or tuck tail and head back home. We reluctantly bowed to their demands. Once we got out into the back country and came face-to-face with the challenges of the trail, we realized pretty quickly that she was right! We even said that, if we ever … [Read more...]
Louisiana College blessed with a week of generosity
By Norm Miller, LC News PINEVILLE (LCNews) -- The week of Aug. 26 – 30 revealed the blessings of God, the generosity of others, and the fruits of relationship building as Louisiana College received more than $300,000 in support. “The Lord has blessed the College in multiple ways this past week, which I know you want to share in praise and thanksgiving,” said Louisiana College President Rick Brewer in an email to LC leaders. “We received individual financial gifts of $100,000, $20,000, $10,000, $5,000, and several gifts ranging from $100 to $1,000.” One donor designated an additional $65,000 to equip a state-of-the art Computer Science lab. “This gift provides a huge lift to our emerging Computer Science major,” Brewer noted. “Glory to God!” Citing other methods of regular support, Brewer noted the Board of Visitors, whose gifts total about $250,000 annually in direct scholarship funds. The Legacy Society and Wildcat Club reflect planned giving and resources for athletics, respectively. Brewer expressed “humble and heart-felt gratitude” for all the Louisiana Baptists who support the College through the Louisiana Baptist Convention Cooperative Program. “This underwrites tuition costs about $3,000 annually per … [Read more...]
Learning to do the small things
By Waylon Bailey In almost every area of life, it’s the small things that count. Think about your marriage. What is it that really counts? Almost always, it’s the small things. A big ring or valuable piece of jewelry a husband gives to his wife probably doesn’t count for very much if he leaves out kindness, tenderness, and gentleness. I remember hearing a story years ago about a brother and sister. The brother had done something to hurt his sister and was made to apologize by his mother. He came humbly to say he was sorry, give her a hug, and say, “I love you.” I don’t think I will ever forget her response. She said, “I don’t care whether you love me or not, just treat me right.” It’s the small things that count. We can never really achieve the big things that we want if we leave out the small things. What are the small things? In our relationship with God, it is the small things that truly matter. Let me encourage some small things. First, spend time each day in prayer. Seek to pray several times during the day. You may only have a few minutes to do so. Establish your dependence on God in prayer. This may be a small thing, but it will pay great dividends. Second, go out of your way to do something … [Read more...]
Stay focused on God
By Stewart Holloway Where is your focus? We are prone to look at what is right around us, especially the struggles - the schedule, the bills, the diagnosis, the aggravating coworker, the disappointments. If it’s a hardship, we focus on it. But 2 Corinthians 4 challenges us to stop all that. Instead of looking around, we need to look UP! Our focus doesn’t need to be on the temporal things because temporal things are temporary. Instead, our focus needs to be on God and His eternal things. Lift up your eyes and look to God today. He is the source of joy, blessing, love, hope, peace, and whatever good you need. Stewart Holloway is pastor of the First Baptist Church in Pineville. This editorial first appeared on his Facebook page. … [Read more...]
What Jeremiah taught me about serving God
By Waylon Bailey God’s call of Jeremiah to be a prophet (Jeremiah 1:4-10) to the nations is a treasure chest for understanding service to God. Though Jeremiah had no special abilities or background, God called him to go to the nations with the message of God. His call teaches us about serving God. What are those special lessons about serving the Lord? First, whatever God commands, He provides. Like almost every other messenger of God, Jeremiah was an ordinary person who was called not for his ability but his availability. Jeremiah knew that he didn’t have all he needed, but he soon learned that God provides what His servants need. God does not call us to do something in our own power; He calls us to do what He can do through us. That truth makes all the difference. Second, wherever God sends you, He will be there as well. God told Jeremiah that he should not be intimidated or afraid because He would be right there with him: ” ‘For I am with you to deliver you,’ declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 1: 8). Third, It’s not about me. It’s easy to get caught up in ourselves. We want “our” ministry or “my” work. None of it is ours, and it’s not about me. It is all about God. Jeremiah teaches me to be more concerned with … [Read more...]
Edwards makes pitch for re-election
By Message Staff PINEVILLE – Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards highlighted bi-partisanship and teacher pay raises during a meeting of the North Rapides Business Alliance at Louisiana College Aug. 26. “We can still get it done in Baton Rouge,” Edwards said, referencing bi-partisan passage of prison reform measures as an example. “We show up first and foremast as Louisianans, and we’re able to talk to one another, we’re able to work together, we’re able to move the ball forward. “Today in Louisiana we are doing better,” he continued. “We still have our challenges. But relatively speaking we can meet our challenges, the ones that remain, from a position of strength not the position of weakness which is where we were before.” Edwards touted a $1,000 annual pay raise for teachers and $500 raise for support personnel that won approval over a Republican proposal of $1,200 and $600, respectively. Edwards plan also kicked in $40 million to school districts. Republicans and Democrats passed the increases during the last legislative session after Louisiana’s economy saw a lift from the national economic improvement during the last two years. “All the school districts across Louisiana need the ability to attract and retain top … [Read more...]
The dog days of summer
By Steve Horn "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 3:14 “The Dog Days of Summer” is an expression that one hears often in baseball. The phrase comes from the very challenging days of playing baseball in the heat of the summer. Not only are players contending with the heat, but they are also contending with the length of the baseball season. The excitement of the beginning of the season has certainly waned, and the end of the season with championships on the line is too far away to make a difference. Added to this is the sad reality that some teams recognize that their championship hopes have all but been shattered. Championships are won or lost in these “dog days of summer.” I suspect that the Christian experiences our own version of the “dog days of summer.” The main difference is that the Christian’s “dog days” can come in almost any season of life. The newness of conversion unfortunately loses excitement, and the daily battle with sin and circumstances makes our ultimate reward seem so distant. How does the Christian survive the dog days? Apostle Paul seems to give us a good word: “Press on.” We must press on in our walk with Christ. We … [Read more...]
Dakota Baptists seeking new executive director
By Message Staff RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Dakota Baptist Convention has initiated a search to replace Garvon Golden, who has announced his plans to retire as executive director/treasurer. The administrative team of the executive board will nominate, and the executive board will hire, a successor to Golden, whose final day as the leader of the state convention will be Dec. 31. He plans to remain in Rapid City, where the state convention’s headquarters is located, to serve as pastor of Christ Church. “I have the privilege to serve the churches of the Dakotas as their executive director/treasurer for the last seven years and it has been an honor,” Golden told the Baptist Message. “I have always had the desire to return to the pastorate and finish out my calling and life work in the local church. I am grateful that God has opened the door for me to do so. I will always be thankful for the opportunity to serve the Dakotas in this role.” Golden has served DBC as executive director/treasurer since 2011, first as interim before being hired. He previously pastored Bounds Baptist Church in Powderly, Texas; the First Baptist Church in Dickinson, North Dakota; the First Baptist Church in Forsyth, Montana; and the First Baptist … [Read more...]
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