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...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA – Louisiana Baptists have a unique opportunity to be part of one of the largest joint efforts for evangelism ever undertaken in the state – an initiative that figures to be a major catalyst for spiritual awakening. During the Louisiana Baptist Convention 2016 Annual Meeting, Nov. 14-15, messengers will have the chance to learn more about how they can say yes to the Harvest – a two-year effort to involve at least 700 Louisiana Baptist churches to “pray for every home and share Christ with every person” in Louisiana, according to Wayne Jenkins, Louisiana Baptists director of evangelism. “The plan is simple,” he explained. “Dates and the kind of events are set by the churches in the association and the state mission services team serves as a resource to train and implement.” Jenkins will share more about the Harvest initiative during the Monday evening session of the annual meeting, which will be held at Calvary Baptist Church in Alexandria. After spending 2016 to plan and enlist leaders and churches and using 2017 to conduct statewide evangelism training and pilot different methods, Louisiana Baptists will join together across the state in 2018 in prayer events … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message ALEXANDRIA – History could be made at the upcoming Louisiana Baptist Convention Annual Meeting, Nov. 14-15, with the possible election of the first Hispanic to serve as second vice president of Louisiana Baptists. Carlos Meza, pastor of Iglesia Bautista del Calvario (Calvary Baptist Church) in Shreveport, is expected to be nominated for the office by Lane Moore, director of missions for the Northwest Louisiana Baptist Association. Meza is the only candidate announced for the office. “If elected, I would be honored to serve as second vice president because it would afford me greater opportunities to connect with the large segment of Hispanics and other minorities in the northwest Louisiana area,” Meza shared with the Baptist Message. “This would open more opportunities to lead many to the saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. “I am excited and delighted to be considered for serving with the second-to-none leadership team of our Louisiana Baptist Convention,” he added. Moore said Meza is one of the most passionate soul winners in the state. “You cannot be around Carlos Meza long before the conversation turns toward sharing Christ with others,” Moore said. “Carlos Meza also is a … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA – In a year that has seen record flooding twice in the state, Louisiana Baptist Convention President Gevan Spinney has seen the power of cooperation at work among Louisiana Baptists and the impact of this manifestation of Christ’s love within the state. Even Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards took notice of Louisiana Baptists’ disaster relief response, praising Southern Baptists for getting the job done while most government agencies were still “getting a game plan together to help,” according to one report. Now, Spinney hopes to energize this same spirit of cooperation and commitment of physical energy for the Harvest – a two-year initiative designed to engage at least 700 churches to “pray for every home” and “share Christ with every person” in Louisiana – if he is blessed to be elected to a second term as president during the LBC annual meeting, Nov. 14-15, at Calvary Baptist Church in Alexandria. Wayne DuBose, interim pastor at Cook Baptist Church, Ruston, and retired director of missions for the Northwest Louisiana Baptist Association, said it is because of Spinney’s passion for evangelism that he plans to nominate him for a second term as LBC president. “During … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE – Central Louisiana saw 432 lives lost to abortion in 2015, but Brian Gunter is confident that trend can be reversed, if thousands of believers stand strong in unison. “We need to join together in central Louisiana,” said Gunter, pastor of First Baptist Church in Pollock. “We may have different religious beliefs but we are in full agreement that we must stand up for the unborn,” he told a diverse religious group gathered in Louisiana College’s Granberry Conference Center, Oct. 26, during the CENLA Pro-life Prayer Breakfast. “The 432 lives that were taken in central Louisiana through abortion need to be saved,” he continued. “And we are going to do it.” Gunter is spearheading efforts to bring the first pregnancy care center to central Louisiana. Multiple speakers added to Gunter’s message about how to reduce abortions in this area of the state. Last year, 9,311 abortions were performed in Louisiana, down from 10,211 abortions reported in 2014. The 2015 figure is the lowest number of abortions in the state since 2012, when 9,225 abortions were reported. Hosted by Louisiana Right to Life, the breakfast program increased awareness and raised funds for the … [Read more...]