By John Yeats, Executive Director of the Missouri Baptist Convention JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (BP) -- This happens more often than you think: Members of a Sunday School class decide to circumvent their offerings that would normally go through the church's systematic giving budget in order to give to a worthy cause or need. Maybe there has been an appeal for some particular project or independent missionary or humanitarian need -- all good things. Church leaders would say, "Ouch! It's okay to pass the plate a second time around to meet a specific need but the tithe [systematic giving] ought to be given to the local church 'storehouse.' It is how we work together to do our church's collective ministries." Calls come to our state convention office on a regular basis from pastors and church leaders. They say, "We receive repeated requests for direct support from meaningful, high impact ministries. What do we do?" Great question and big problem. While para-church ministries may have an up-close high impact, there are a whole series of questions to ask, like "Who is on the board of directors? Who reviews the audit of their books? What percentage of expenses is spent on operations and administration?" The same kind of questions … [Read more...]
PayPal, Apple lecture North Carolina, do business in countries far more hostile to gays
By Bradford Richardson, The Washington Times PayPal drew a line in the sand when North Carolina enacted a law prohibiting people from using the restrooms of the opposite sex, but critics say that line got washed away on the shores of Malaysia, a nation that consistently ranks among the least LGBT-friendly in the world. The company canceled its plan to build a global operations center in Charlotte after the passage of HB2, which CEO Daniel Schulman called discrimination against the transgendered. He noted that the move would cost North Carolina 400 well-paying jobs. The changing face of the American middle class But Malaysia’s Penal Code 187 — which punishes homosexual conduct with whippings and up to 20 years in prison — did not stop PayPal from opening in 2011 a global operations center there that it estimated would employ 500 workers by 2013. “We chose Malaysia because of its highly skilled, globally competitive and multilingual workforce, in addition to a world-class business environment and technology infrastructure,” John McCabe, senior vice president for global operations, said at the time. But PayPal is not an isolated corporation, nor is Malaysia an isolated country. Read more. … [Read more...]
Louisiana College hosting lecture by Holocaust survivor on Tuesday
By Staff, Baptist Message PINEVILLE (LBM) - On Tuesday at 11 a.m. in Bolton Chapel, Manny Klepper will share his memories of Kristallnacht – “The Night of Broken Glass.” On that night in November 1938, members of the Hitler Youth, SS and Nazi storm troopers attacked Jewish places of business and worship. They broke into Jewish homes and brutalized Jewish men, women and children. This night of violence was a precursor to the “Final Solution” – Nazi Germany’s systematic attempt to annihilate European Jews. Students, faculty and members of the public are invited to hear Klepper discuss his experiences of growing up as a Jewish boy in Nazi Germany and the lessons he learned from the Holocaust. Students attending this presentation will receive one cultural credit. … [Read more...]
Brewer hits one-year milestone as Louisiana College president
By Norm Miller, LC communications PINEVILLE (LC News) - On March 5, 2015, the Louisiana College Board of Trustees unanimously elected Dr. Rick Brewer as the ninth president of LC. On April 7, Brewer officially took office. A year ago, Brewer shared his vision for the college with trustees, faculty, staff, students and local media, saying he initially would “listen, learn and lead.” Brewer did lots of listening. He met with small groups on campus that represented LC’s various academic and administrative leaders and members. Proving his claim to be student-centric, Brewer -- on the night of his election -- met with students for coffee and conversation in the inaugural “Brewing with Brewer” get-together. He continues to attend other student activities. From Tennessee to Texas and across the Bayou State, Brewer has met with alumni groups, has preached, led worship, played piano concerts, and met with pastors, parents and prospective students -- all the while listening carefully to the heartbeat of the Louisiana College family. Undaunted by the vestige of problems that hampered the college in the few years prior to his arrival, Brewer used the listening sessions for assessment, planning and developing rebuilding … [Read more...]
VIDEO: Body of Christ unified soon after flooding took place in Louisiana
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT1uELyYuD8&nohtml5=False HAMMOND – The body of Christ came together following record flooding that fell in Louisiana in mid-March. In virtually every area of the state, churches and various organizations helped those affected clean up their homes. Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief Southeast Regional Coordinator Tom Long said the unity is a great witness to the world. “A lot of the local churches and other groups are involved,” Long said. “Many of them were able to get going actually before we were this time because of the widespread deal we had to deal with.” … [Read more...]
VIDEO: When 14 churches flooded, Louisiana Baptists were there to pray, give, go
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bILONfKJ7nk By Message Staff Last month’s flooding in Louisiana flooded more than 14,000 thousands structures, including 14 Southern Baptist churches. In response, many churches have taken up special ‘love’ offerings to help the affected congregations clean up and rebuild as well as to help their sister churches with their efforts to restore or rebuild their facilities. “That’s what I love about Southern Baptists,” McMillan said. “When there’s a need and Baptists know about it, they’ll pray and they’ll give and many will go in response so they can help make a difference.” … [Read more...]
Louisiana House floor approves two pro-life bills; another bill clears committee
By Deanna Wallace, Louisiana Right to Life BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana House of Representatives has passed two important pieces of pro-life legislation, HB 386, the Women's Enhanced Reflection Act, and HB 488, the Board Certification Requirement for Abortion Providers Act. The bills now move to the Senate. HB 386, authored by Rep. Frank Hoffmann (R-West Monroe) and approved by a vote of 89-5 on Wednesday, would increase the current time for reflection between pre-abortion counseling and the actual abortion procedure from 24 hours to 72 hours. Louisiana Right to Life Legislative Director Deanna Wallace said, "We are thrilled that the Women's Enhanced Reflection Act passed the House floor in a strong bipartisan manner. This important bill empowers women considering abortion with additional reflection time before an abortion so women can can consider their options more effectively. Not only would this protect women from future emotional and psychological harm, but it would give victims of coercion and violence more time to reach out for help before being forced into an abortion they do not want." HB 488, authored by Rep. Katrina Jackson (D-Monroe) and unanimously approved on Wednesday, would require that abortion … [Read more...]
Restoration of Christ’s tomb at Church of the Holy Sepulcher brings Orthodox, Apostolics and Catholics together
By Tobin Perry, Christian Examiner JERUSALEM (Christian Examiner)—Three often competing Christian groups have committed to work together to save one of Christianity's most treasured sites—the shrine to the empty tomb of Jesus housed in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Leaders of the Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic and Roman Catholic churches announced last month a $3.4 million renovation effort that will begin in May. The three churches will split the costs evenly (along with some private and public contributions). Each of the three will also appoint architects to help. The work should be done by early 2017, before the next Easter season. To read the rest of the article, click here. … [Read more...]
VIDEO: Lean on each other, God for encouragement after disaster
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bZaiQnnEUA By Message Staff COVINGTON – Waylon Bailey has a message for all those affected personally by the recent flooding in Louisiana – the key on the road to recovery is to lean on one another and God for encouragement. Bailey speaks from first-hand experience. He also knows just how beneficial Southern Baptist Disaster Relief teams can be to people trying to recover from a natural disaster. In late 2005, after Hurricane Katrina devastated parts of southeast Louisiana, disaster relief teams from Louisiana and throughout the US showed up in force. For several months, teams worked out of the parking lot at First Baptist Church in Covington, where Bailey serves as pastor. Throughout that time, teams not only helped rebuild homes but offered a spiritual uplifting to many who were hurting. Ten years later, disaster relief teams have come to the state once again to give a cup of cold water in Jesus’ name. “Based on Hurricane Katrina, remember the same God who is always been with you in the past is going to be with you,” Bailey said. “There are people who are going to show up and they are going to continue to show up and help and encourage. “We all need church,” he said. “We … [Read more...]
VIDEO: Involvement in Disaster Relief efforts essential for advancement of the Kingdom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhHC_8bRsCg HAMMOND – The need for more volunteers to respond to clean-up efforts in the state is great said Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief Southeast Regional Coordinator Tom Long. “Get involved,” Long said. “We can get people involved who haven’t been trained. We have a program set up where we can sign them up to send them out with our regular teams.” For more information on donating or volunteering with Southern Baptist Disaster Relief efforts, go to louisianabaptists.org/DisasterRelief. … [Read more...]
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