By Philip Timothy & Brian Blackwell BATON ROUGE – Hours after a religious freedom bill was struck down in committee May 20, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal moved quickly to sign an executive order that afternoon which captured both the intent and much of the language of the Louisiana Marriage and Conscience Act. “In Louisiana, the state should not be able to take adverse action against a person for their belief in traditional marriage,” read a statement issued from the governor’s office. “That’s why I’m issuing an Executive Order this evening to prevent the state from discriminating against people, charities and family-owned businesses with deeply held religious beliefs that marriage is between one man and one woman,” said Jindal. “We don’t support discrimination in Louisiana and we do support religious liberty. These two values can be upheld at the same time. “Indeed, we celebrate diversity of belief in Louisiana. Diversity of belief and religious liberty are the foundation of our law and Constitution and they should be protected. As long as I’m Governor, we will fight to protect religious liberty and not apologize for it,” said Jindal. The executive order means the 20 agencies that fall under the executive branch, including … [Read more...]
Training students to make a difference for Christ
They are two Southern Baptist institutions of higher learning in Louisiana, with a different type of student they educate, their location and the enrollment numbers. But despite their differences, Louisiana College and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary have one end result – training students to make a difference for Christ in a culture that is increasingly hostile to the gospel. Originally named Baptist Bible Institute, NOBTS was founded in 1917. An act of the SBC Annual Meeting created the seminary as a way to evangelize the city of New Orleans. The school now has extensions in Shreveport, Monroe, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Angola Prison and Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women. Enrollment stands at 3,800 this year, and the school is a training school for ministers. Louisiana College, meanwhile, started in 1906. The liberal arts college trains mainly undergraduate college students in more than 80 majors, minors and pre-professional programs of study that includes nursing, teacher education, Christian studies, business, social work, chemistry and convergence media. Its enrollment is 1,080. Why does a student pick a Christian-based school over a university that is secular in nature? Steve Lemke, provost at NOBTS, … [Read more...]
Louisiana Notables
ON THE MOVE Coby (wife Carlee) Norman new as associate pastor at The Gathering Place, Alexandria. Ivory (wife Betty Ann) Jackson new as pastor at North Star Baptist Church (a new mission) in Shreveport. Daniel (wife Grace) Hernandez new as pastor at Broadmoor en Espanol, Shreveport. HOMECOMING Barksdale Baptist Church, Bossier City: The Lord’s Good Hand – Barksdale Baptist’s 75th celebration, April 25-26. Saturday – begins at 11:30 a.m. followed by lunch. Sunday, 9:15 a.m. – noon, a light lunch will follow; 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. Testimonies. For more information, call the church office at 318.742.1641. Pastor: Calvin Hubbard. Bonita Road Baptist Church, Bastrop: Homecoming, April 26, 10:30 a.m. Speaker: Marty Black. Music: The Maclanahan Family. Pastor: Casey Johnson. Hebron Baptist Church, Denham Springs: 178th Homecoming Celebration, May 3, 10 a.m. Dinner on the grounds will follow the service. Speaker: Phil Ortego. Pastor: Joe Alain. Mount Hope Baptist Church, Oakdale: 80th annual Homecoming, May 10, 10:45 a.m. with dinner on the grounds and a singing to follow; Revival, May 11-13, 6:30 p.m. nightly. Evangelist: Al Gist. Music: Price Harris. Pastor: Kenny Blackwell. REVIVAL Mooringsport Baptist Church, Mooringsport: … [Read more...]
Atlanta’s Cochran headlines Men’s Freedom Weekend
SHREVEPORT – Kevin Cochran, the Atlanta, Ga., fire chief known for his termination over a book he wrote calling homosexual behavior immoral will be the keynote speaker at a men’s conference this weekend. Hosted by Willow Point Baptist Church, the Men’s Freedom Weekend will feature Cochran who will speak on the freedom he has found in the fire of adversity. Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed fired Cochran on Jan. 6 following publication of his book. Cochran spent his childhood in Shreveport and is a deacon, Sunday school teacher and Bible study leader at Elizabeth Baptist Church in Atlanta. Elizabeth Baptist Church is a member of the Georgia Baptist Convention. The conference, which is free to those attending, starts at 6:50 pm on Friday with the first session featuring Cochran, who also will speak on Saturday. The conference on Saturday begins at 7:30 am with a breakfast and ends at noon. In addition to Cochran’s messages, Broken Vessels of Deridder will lead music. “The purpose of this event is not political in anyway whatsoever,” said Billy Stevens, pastor of Willow Point Baptist. “It is all about Jesus. The content is about Freedom in Christ and helping men find true Freedom in knowing the power of the Gospel, so bring a friend … [Read more...]
Corley shares Bridge Church’s successful matrix with WMU attendees
BOSSIER CITY – Two words from Christ more than 2,000 years ago still are very much alive today and continue to impact one’s own community, state, nation and world. Follow Jesus. “A call to be like Jesus – to see the world with His heart, through His eyes, to see the possibilities and act boldly in His power,” said Lane Corley, Louisiana Baptists’ church planting strategist and pastor of the Bridge Church in Madisonville. “That’s our challenge and it’s the one our community is waiting for.” In fact, following Jesus may require much sacrifice but yet could be found as close as a believer’s front yard, college campus or office building. But before following Jesus, a Christian must start with getting his or her heart right with God. A heart is one of four symbols the Bridge Church uses for a simple tool to find ways to follow Jesus in its community. And the same matrix can be adopted by any other church, Corley emphasized. In addition to the heart, the other symbols are an eye, lightbulb and finally an arrow. After getting one’s heart right with God, a believer must have his or her eyes open to needs of the world, then have an imagination for the heart and eyes to dream of ways to reach people and lastly an action for a … [Read more...]
National Day of Prayer Proclamation
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal signs a proclamation for the National Day of Prayer. Also pictured, from left to right, are Rick and Sarah Lowe, South Central regional coordinators for the National Day of Prayer; Lisa Crump, senior director for prayer mobilization for the National Day of Prayer; Jay Johnston, associate pastor at First Baptist Church in Covington and Louisiana state coordinator for the National Day of Prayer; and Mary Johnston – a student at LSU and no relation to Jay Johnston. … [Read more...]
4 Wheels 4 Him format change helps to expand annual event
KENTWOOD – Start your engines! No, it’s not the start of a NASCAR race but participants at the upcoming 4 Wheels 4 Him: Car Show and Spring Fest will hear those words on May 2 at New Zion Baptist Church in Kentwood. The day’s activities include music, door prizes, jumper houses, BB-guns, bows and arrows and more. Sharing a testimony is Bart Vandrell, who has won the Auto-rama’s World of Wheels at the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans. Vandrell is a member of First Baptist Church in Pearl River. The 4 Wheels 4 Him format is different from past years, when four-wheelers were the centerpiece. Gibbie McMillan, men’s ministry director for Louisiana Baptists, said the format change was because the timber company no longer allowed use of their land for this purpose. “So rather than cancel the event totally , we just changed some of the activities and now we will have the car show and games for the children to participate in such as learning to correctly shoot and handle a BB gun and shoot a bow and arrow,” McMillan said. “There will be several different musical groups performing throughout the day, lunch will be served, and door prizes will be given away.” Registration for the event is at 8 am, with festivities kicking off at 9 … [Read more...]
WARDEN BURL CAIN MESSAGE TO MESSAGE READERS
“I really want to say to the Baptist Message readers and to all the Baptists in Louisiana thank you so very much for the seminary. We would not have changed this prison - because it’s a God thing - man couldn’t do it - it’s a God thing that you have provided. God used you to deliver this prison from evil to a prison where we now have moral men and rehabilitation is really occurring and you have less victims of violent crime because of what you have contributed and done to support the seminary and Louisiana State Penitentiary which consequently has had an impact on all the prisons in Louisiana – so thank you so very much.” … [Read more...]
Louisiana Baptists’ CP giving provides strong start for 2015
ALEXANDRIA – Louisiana Baptists have positioned themselves for a strong and potentially fruitful 2015 according to Louisiana Baptists Executive Director David Hankins. “As a whole, Louisiana Baptists continue to believe in and support our cooperative approach to missions and ministries in Louisiana and beyond,” said Hankins. “I am blessed and encouraged by the faithfulness of God’s people and God’s churches.” Louisiana Baptists finished the first quarter of missions and ministry in 2015 with a 3.63percent increase in Cooperative Program gifts versus 2014. CP gifts received January through March of 2015 totaled $5,522,569.46 which is 6 percent ahead of the year-to-date budget. Hankins believes the strong first quarter giving report is an indication that churches are affirming their desire to work together for the sake of the Great Commission and the 2020 challenge to strengthen our efforts for the cause of Christ. “I can assure Louisiana Baptists the Children’s Home, Louisiana College, State Missions Services and other Louisiana Baptists enterprises appreciate the faithfulness of the churches and will wisely utilize these gifts in the days ahead as each carries out their ministry assignments,” Hankins said. CP gifts fuel … [Read more...]
Baptist volunteers ‘bridge gap’ between Angola, the world at annual Angola Revival
ANGOLA – Clarence Frederick wore a big smile as he shepherded a group of Louisiana Baptist men through Camp C at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola on April 11. While the Baptist men witnessed, distributed tracts and prayed with the incarcerated men, Frederick, 52, described the importance of their visit. “The average sentence here is four years - we really have to keep the evangelistical message goin’ here,” Frederick said in his Cajun accent. Now in his 27th year of a life sentence for second degree murder, Frederick is a graduate of the New Orleans Theological Seminary pastoral studies program and leads a 70-member inmate church that meets in the camp chapel. While many of the 6,200-plus men incarcerated in America’s largest maximum security prison are serving life sentences at its five other camps, Camp C holds about 1,100 men, previously held in Phelps Correctional Center before it closed two years ago. They will all eventually be released. “These (Baptist) guys come in here and help us feel like we’re bridging the gap between the Christians in society and the Christians in here,” Frederick said. “They actually reach some inmates that perhaps don’t want to talk to an inmate pastor,” Frederick said. “They are … [Read more...]