By Jerry Love, LBF Communications ALEXANDRIA – Tony Branham, a layman from First Baptist Church DeRidder, continued his solid play in the Fall 2016 Baptist Golf Fellowship as he reclaimed individual honors while helping his church to retain the team trophy. Branham shot an impressive one-over par (73) at the 18-hole, par 72 Oak Wing Golf Course facility to earn the title of Grand Champion. Columbia’s Bruce McGee captured the grand champion title in the spring. Last fall First DeRidder lost by two strokes to Unity Baptist Church, Cotton Valley. But the team, which included Branham, Dennis Millsap, Eddie Joslin and Billy Lofton, rebounded by reclaiming the team title in the spring and then cementing their hold on the trophy with a combined score of 307 in this year’s fall classic. First DeRidder Pastor Josh Eubanks has devised an interesting use for the trophy.  The large cup-style trophy is displayed in a prominent place and church members are encouraged to deposit money in it in support of missions.  Several hundred dollars have been received in the last few months. Fifty pastors and laymen enjoyed pleasant weather, good fellowship at the annual fall Baptist Golf Fellowship. Attendance was down as many regular … [Read more...]

By Jerry Love, LBF Communications ALEXANDRIA – The election of new officers, updates on investments and the approval of the 2017 budget highlighted the final quarterly meeting of the Louisiana Baptist Foundation Board of Trustees meeting Oct. 25. Members also learned of almost $900,000 in new donations that would benefit Louisiana Baptists’ ministries. INVESTMENT UPDATES Jim Prince of Lafayette and chairman of the investment committee had Lee Morris of Graystone Consulting bring an update on the management of the LBF’s funds and a general overview of market conditions. In his remarks to the group, Morris noted the equity portion of the portfolio is in positive territory for the quarter, but still lagging its benchmarks year-to-date. Morris said the situation was partially due to the fact that passive management (investing in index funds) had outperformed active management, and he added that he and Foundation Executive Director Wayne Taylor will move to more passive management for the LBF in the near future. He also pointed out that a U.S. Department of Labor ruling, which becomes effective April 2017, will force pension funds to shift to more passive management, causing a passive strategy to continue to … [Read more...]

By Randy Willis Perhaps I should explain in more detail. Without Louisiana College there may never have been the classic hit song "You Are My Sunshine. " The year was 1920 and the son of a poor sharecropper from the now-ghost town of Beech Springs in north Louisiana decided he wanted to get an education. His family was so poor that he did not have a bed in which to sleep until he was nine years old. Upon graduation from high school, he began the task of choosing a college. One of his neighbors had something called a college catalogue. Later he would recall, “I was amazed and believed you could order a college just as you ordered something from Sears. I’d never seen a college, had never been on a college campus, but I read it and it told all about Louisiana College at Pineville. I decided that’s where I would try to go.” The college had been established just fourteen years before in 1906. But how could he pay for tuition, books, housing, and food? He didn't have any money or know anyone that did, so he decided to try and get a job at the college. On his second day on campus he went to the college employment office and found a job in the soon to be named Hattie B. Strother Cafeteria. Hattie was the beloved dean of … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer CARLYSS – Not long after Brian Manuel started Carlyss Community Church in November 2014, his eight-year-old son Truett presented a simple yet life-altering request – a chance to be the church plant’s first baptismal candidate. His father could not help but grant it, with an attitude of thanksgiving. “To see that passion and desire by my son to get baptized was awesome,” Manuel said. “We did things we knew to be right, like expose him to reading Scripture and talking about our faith. “We were just obedient,” he continued. “When he finally decided to get baptized, it was one of those shining moments as a parent to be able to be that person who baptizes him.” His son’s baptism was the first of two for Carlyss Community Church, which meets in town at Cypress Cove School. Like most churches, building lasting relationships is vital for engaging potential members with the Gospel, because many previously have not attended a non-Catholic service and others rarely have stepped inside a church building. “The families that we are reaching mostly are not your typical church families,” he said. “We are making connections with families and letting them know we are here. It will take a … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer HAITI – Wayne Sheppard has seen thousands of Haitian children during 15 mission trips there, but for him one young girl stands out among the rest, symbolizing the whole of the impact of Louisiana Baptists’ work there. During an October 2015 visit near the capital of Port-au-Prince, Sheppard was working in the medical clinic when 9-year-old Selena came seeking help for an injured leg. The following day she returned, but in worse condition, prompting the volunteer doctors and nurses to rush her to a local hospital. The team quickly fell in love with Selena, whose home life includes an absent father and a stepmother who shows little interest in her. One Louisiana Baptist couple, Terry and Shelley Hamilton, members of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in West Monroe, was so moved in their love for Selena, they decided to pursue adoption of the young girl. Sheppard said he looks forward to many more visits, and encounters with many more children like Selena. Moreover, it made him even more determined to create a better opportunity for others who are not being adopted and remain either alone in Haiti, or unwanted in loveless homes. “Selena is a young lady we love who really represents … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer BELARUS – Organizers of mission trips to Belarus are adamant that ten dollars is a small investment that reaps a huge dividend for Louisiana Baptists sharing the Gospel in this country where 99 percent of its people do not believe in Christ. This amount is the cost of the Good and Evil Illustrated Bible, a full-color picture Bible, which explains the Bible from Creation to Christ with expressive drawings in a comic-book-type format. Leaders in Belarus are excited about the impact of this soul-winning tool, explaining that 40 percent of people who receive a copy give their hearts to Christ and commit to live for Him. Since 2014, Louisiana Baptist churches have sent teams to partner with Byelorussian Mission, an in-country ministry group, and have taken part in Bible distribution efforts to see first-hand the effectiveness of this outreach method. Wayne Sheppard, partnerships director for Louisiana Baptists, took part in the 2016 mission trip. “The Bibles we are giving out in Belarus are making a tremendous difference,” Sheppard said. “The Good and Evil illustrated Bible is so well-received by those who are lost, those who are agnostic, those who are atheistic. They are glad … [Read more...]

By Will Hall, Message Editor ALEXANDRIA – Andy Byon is convinced the best gift anyone can give for Christmas is God’s Word because it is essential to sharing the Gospel and for receiving salvation, and, he is enlisting supporters and volunteers to join him for the Natchitoches Christmas Festival as a participant in an evangelistic outreach to the 100,000 people who are expected to attend this year. “Many in these crowds are unsaved,” said Byon, chairman of See The Light, a Bible distribution ministry. He is a member of Philadelphia Baptist Church, Horseshoe Drive, in Alexandria. “It is our hope that by placing a free New Testament in the hands of them, many will receive Christ as Savior and Lord, or at least have seeds planted which ultimately lead to their salvation.” Byon is pushing to sign up volunteers to help hand out Bibles, December 3, and to convince supporters to help buy boxes of the Word. “We see the potential to reach thousands,” Byon told the Baptist Message. “In fact, God blessed us to give out about 9,100 Bibles last year – and we witnessed a number of confessions of faith in Jesus. “We believe the Lord has prepared a great harvest this year, as well,” he added. Byon pointed out the Bibles only … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer BALL – Two former Southern Baptist Convention presidents will headline Louisiana Baptists 2016 Pastors’ Conference, scheduled for Nov. 13-14 at Kingsville Baptist Church in Ball, with a focus passage of Romans 13:11. “Urgency is the theme of this year’s pastor’s conference because pastors should have a sense of urgency in the pulpit for people to have it in the pew,” said Nathan Davis, president of the Pastor’s Conference and pastor of First Baptist Church in Coushatta. “Our prayer and hope is that this conference will encourage and challenge pastors, staff members, and lay leaders to realize now is time to be urgent about preaching the Gospel, evangelizing the lost, and encouraging the brethren.” DAY ONE The conference will begin at 6 p.m. Sunday with music by Todd Dubose, minister of music at First Baptist Church, Minden, along with participation by area choirs. David Allen, dean of the School of Preaching at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, will preach the first sermon. James Merritt, pastor of Cross Pointe Church, Duluth, Ga., will close out the opening session. Merritt served as SBC President from 2000-2001. Monday, the conference will … [Read more...]