By Message Staff ALEXANDRIA – After days of watching the impact of Hurricane Harvey in Texas and anticipating it to landfall as a tropical storm in Louisiana, John Hebert, missions and ministry team director for Louisiana Baptists, said that a timetable for deploying the state’s disaster relief volunteers and mobile units is ready and will be publicized soon. Sixty-two Texas counties have been declared disaster areas, and initial reports indicate Southern Baptist congregations in these places have been hit particularly hard. Greg Teffertiller, a marketing director with the North American Mission Board, tweeted Wednesday morning that 746 of the denomination’s churches were flooded. HOW TO HELP “The last few days have been filled with anxiety and anticipation due to the storm we’ve been -- and are still going -- through,” Hebert wrote in an e-mail to Louisiana Baptist directors of missions Wednesday. “We have been assessing situations both in Texas and here in Louisiana. Many of you have already begun to make plans about your responses and I know there are individuals in your associations that are ready to go help our friends in Texas now. We will get our chance to help very soon.” Until teams are activated, Hebert … [Read more...]

Editor's note: The list of collection sites continues to grow and will be updated as new ones are added: Updated 10 a.m. Sept. 1 Carey Baptist Association The Carey Baptist Association of churches are collecting five-gallon buckets with cleaning supplies in them for homeowners who must rebuild after Harvey. This link has more information. Simpson Baptist Church 4795 Highway 8, Simpson 71474 870-592-2873 The church is collecting items every Monday in September. Items include: Basic toiletries (hygiene products, diapers, etc.) Blankets Pillows Toilet paper Styrofoam cups Napkins Paper towels Plastic forks, spoons and knives Medium duty type gloves Band-Aids Neosporin Paper plates Laundry detergent Hand wipes Bug spray Sunscreen Mudout Supplies: 5 gallon buckets or similar size plastic tote Rubber gloves Dust masks Germ-X Measuring tape Flashlights Batteries for flashlights Utility knives Chalk line First aid ointment Band-Aids 2-quart Clorox Hydrogen peroxide Wash clothes Goggles Gloves Ziploc bags First Baptist Church, Pitkin 7230 Highway 463, Pitkin 70656 318-358-3321 The church is collecting … [Read more...]

By Message Staff As Tropical Storm Harvey continues to dump unprecedented rainfall in Texas and was preparing to make landfall in the Bayou state Wednesday, Louisiana Baptists were stepping up to respond. “We continue to monitor conditions in Houston, SE Texas and across Louisiana as Harvey prepares to make his third landfall. Gibbie McMillan, our Disaster Relief Director, has been in contact with sister state conventions, as well as local leaders, in preparation for deployment once approved by local authorities," Louisiana Baptists Executive Director David Hankins said in an e-mail to the Baptist Message. "We’re encouraging people to visit our website for lists of needed supplies, training opportunities and donations. I know Louisiana Baptists are praying and are ready to join the relief efforts in what will likely be a long-term operation.” Family of Grace in Alexandria was among the churches collecting items for those affected by the storm. Between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 4200 S. MacArthur Drive, the church is collecting items such as mud-out supplies, flashlights, first aid kits, dusk masks, Germ-X, basic toiletries and laundry detergent. A complete list can be found here. The church also is … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALBANY (LBM) – Liz Lowe was at a breaking point while recovering from a serious illness, but the long-time attender at Blood River Baptist Church, finally found peace in the person of Jesus Christ after sitting for 30 years in the pews. Lowe, who had been enduring years of health concerns, finally humbled her heart to Christ in March. But she resisted being baptized for months, until realizing her need to be obedient if she truly had surrendered her life to Him. “After having such a difficult time in my life, the baptism was a really nice way to celebrate what God was doing for me,” Lowe said. “It was a great feeling to have my church and family members there to see this God-moving experience.” Pastor David Collins celebrated Lowe’s salvation and her obedience through baptism, and he said her story is representative of how God has moved through the congregation since August 2016, when its educational building, worship center and parsonage all took in between 4 inches and 2 feet of water when the area flooded. Since the flood, the congregation has witnessed 14 baptisms and added 32 new members. “Through this situation, God has increased our faith and the blessings have been … [Read more...]

By Message Staff GREENWELL SPRINGS, La. (LBM) - Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Jerry Boykin headline a slate of personalities set to speak to a pastors’ rally at Greenwell Springs Baptist Church Sept. 12, from 9 a.m. to noon. The event is co-sponsored by the Louisiana Baptist Convention Office of Public Policy, Louisiana Family Forum and the Washington, D.C.-based Family Research Council as a way to inform pastors about key issues that are developing in the state and across the nation and how to “fight the fight” against these very real moral and social threats. Other speakers include FRC President Tony Perkins, who also is the interim pastor of Greenwell Springs Baptist Church; LFF President Gene Mills; Will Hall, director for the LBC OPP, Pastor J.C. Church of Victory in Truth Ministries in Bucyrus, Ohio; and, Pastor John Mendez, culture impact team coordinator for FRC. “Attorney General Landry has successfully defeated the governor’s proposal to create a category of special rights for people who claim a transgender or gender fluid identity,” Hall said. “But, there are a number of other key social issues developing in the state that need a strong unified Christian … [Read more...]

By Holly Jo Linzay, Regional Reporter PLAUCHEVILLE (LBM) – God’s provision through the Georgia Barnette State Mission Offering is being felt at every step of way in building Point of Life Community Church, the first evangelical church to be established in the Plaucheville community. “We didn’t have any money, but we had faith,” said Norris Landry, the founding pastor. He was thankful for the many contributions from sister churches and individuals, but expressed special appreciation for the $35,000 Point of Life received from the Georgia Barnette Offering. Jacob Crawford, the newly commissioned director of missions for the Louisiana Baptist Association which includes Point of Life Community Church, said the Georgia Barnette Offering gift was not was not just a help to a local congregation, but also a strategic investment in reaching the lost. “Often, when you think of communities with no evangelical witness, you immediately think of other areas of our nation or world,” Crawford offered. “Few people would think of Louisiana communities in this case. Yet there are many towns in South Louisiana that have no Gospel witness. “Plaucheville literally is an unreached people group in our backyard,” he added. “It was … [Read more...]

By Message Staff WOODWORTH – Southern Baptists of Texas Convention African American Fellowship President Tony Mathews will headline a Louisiana Baptist conference next month for African American pastors and their wives wanting to be intentional in Acts 1:8 missions. Scheduled Sept. 8-9 at the Tall Timbers Conference Center in Woodworth, the conference also will feature worship by Thomas Eugene Keys III, worship minister at Calvary Baptist Church in Shreveport. The conference will include a wives event on Saturday morning led by Carolyn Fountain, spouse of Leroy Fountain, church health strategist for the New Orleans Baptist Association. During the 25 years he has served as pastor of North Garland Baptist Fellowship, Matthews has led the congregation to help plant eight churches and sponsor church mission trips to Brazil, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Paso, Guatemala, India, Japan, Kenya, Laredo, Madagascar, Mexico, Montreal, Panama, Peru, Romania, South Africa, Spain, Tanzania and Venezuela. He is a published author of several books, and he has preached, lectured and conducted seminars in a number of cities across the United States. The idea for the conference and retreat was birthed in a conversation between Wayne … [Read more...]