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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Louisiana Notables

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Baptist Message provides churches an opportunity to share with other Louisiana Baptists an upcoming revival, homecoming, new pastor, new staff member, a community outreach, or a concert in Louisiana Notables. To place your event in the paper, send your information (who, what, where, when, time) to philip@baptistmessage.com or call 318.449.4345. Please submit your information four weeks prior to the event to insure placement in the Message. ON THE MOVE Jim Alan Calvert is the new Pastor of Parkview Baptist Church, Metairie, LA. Pastor Calvert’s rst day in the pulpit was November 3, 2024. Charles Ebarb is the new music minister at South Bossier Baptist Church, Bossier City. POSITION SOUGHT Hodge Baptist Church in Hodge, LA is seeking a full-time pastor. Please mail resumes to Pastor Search Committee in c/o Hodge Baptist Church, P O Box 340, Hodge, LA 71247 or email to: hodgebaptist@yahoo.com. Pastor: College Drive Baptist Church in Pineville, LA is seeking a bi-vocational pastor. Please mail resumes to Richard Bullock, 515 Sandy Hill Lane, Pineville, LA 71360 or email gmbull50@yahoo.com. Pastor: HOMECOMING/ANNIVERSIES Riverview Baptist Church, Alexandria: Homecoming, Nov. 17, 9:30 a.m. Guest … [Read more...]

Speaker Johnson encourages Louisiana Baptists during three church visits

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer SHREVEPORT, La. (LBM) – Hours before the 2024 presidential election, Speaker Mike Johnson paid visits to three Louisiana Baptist churches to thank them for their prayers and encourage them to continue the fight for Judeo-Christian values. “We’re at a crossroads as a nation and the foundations are being destroyed,” Johnson said during a visit to Airline Baptist Church, Bossier City, Nov. 3. He also spoke at First Baptist Church, Haughton, and Plain Dealing Baptist Church. “It’s as if the metaphorical walls of the city have been burned to the ground and foreigners from outside are coming and having the spoils,” he continued. “We’re past the point of just a contest between Republicans and Democrats anymore. Right now, we're in a battle between two completely different visions of who we are as a nation and who we’re going to be.” Johnson, a member of Cypress Baptist Church, Benton, said for the last year he has traveled the country and recruited others who share his vision and burden for a nation that has been under assault. “What we’re doing right now is we’re trying to preserve those foundations and preserve everything that comes from it – the ideas of individual … [Read more...]

Mayes steps down as Parkview Baptist School superintendent

By Staff, Baptist Message BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – Don Mayes, who served as superintendent of Parkview Baptist School for the last 12 years, has resigned. According to school Director of Advancement Jessica Province, Mayes resigned Oct. 28. A letter was sent to parents informing them of the announcement. “Throughout his tenure, Dr. Mayes was instrumental in guiding Parkview Baptist School,” Province said in a statement to the Baptist Message. “With Dr. Mayes at the helm, Parkview Baptist School fostered an environment that reflected our mission, ‘… to seek first the Kingdom of God while providing students with a Christ-centered, college preparatory education that guides students to grow and mature in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and man.’ Under his leadership, we saw tremendous growth both on our campus and in each of our students.” The news comes after Mayes had been placed on a leave of absence in mid-October, though he was not accused of any criminal wrongdoing, the school said in a statement on Oct. 14 to WAFB-TV Baton Rouge. “There is no criminal wrongdoing on Dr. Mayes’ part,” the school said at this time. “This action is part of an ongoing internal review, and we want to assure the community that the … [Read more...]

DR intern recaps busy summer of storm responses

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Lillian Peterson recently got an inside look at Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief field operations as an intern who responded to multiple hurricanes. Through a partnership between churches and LBDR, Peterson was able to get a taste of relief activities while participating in responses to Hurricanes Beryl, Francine and Helene. “I’ve taken the FEMA courses which have helped me a lot in learning about disaster responses, but this gave me the chance to see up close how a disaster relief organization works,” Peterson told the Baptist Message. “Also, I saw how communities come together in a disaster, and I was able to be the hands and feet of Jesus by serving them, which is what I’ve always said I wanted to do.” Peterson, who is a member with Calvary Baptist Church, Alexandria, and a Louisiana State University of Alexandria general studies major with a concentration in disaster science and emergency management, worked with the incident command center and assisted deployed feeding units at multiple sites. She enjoyed learning how LBDR conducts day-to-day operations and experienced how those who experience a disaster enjoy having someone to listen to … [Read more...]

CENLA Pregnancy Center names ‘Volunteer of the Year’

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Dianne Massey once supported the pro-abortion movement; however, an encounter with Christ 44 years ago changed her mindset, and now she fights for pro-life causes. Massey said holding her own newborn son brought to reality the value of life and how God cherishes the unborn. For the next 44 years, Massey went on a journey that included involvement with women’s Bible studies and prayer groups at her church, volunteering with pro-life centers and most recently witnessing to clients of CENLA Pregnancy Center about her own personal journey. The CPC honored Massey, Sept.17, by naming her “CENLA Pregnancy Center Volunteer of the Year” for 2023. “Even though I had been a Christian, I was in an atmosphere of humanism in my early adult years,” Massey told the Baptist Message. “And I didn’t realize how much I was being affected by all of that as a social work major taught by all non-Christian professors and being in the middle of the feminism movement. But God used the holding of my new baby in my arms 44 years ago to help guide me to the path to being pro-life. And ever since then I have been committed to that.” Massey, who began volunteering at the … [Read more...]

Send Network Louisiana celebrates new plants, baptisms in 2024

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – A year after the launch of Send Network Louisiana, the evangelistic growth initiative has produced 17 new church plants and 300 baptisms. The partnership with the North American Mission Board, which went into effect Aug. 1, 2023, has helped the state further its God-sized vision to see His Kingdom expanded in Louisiana by one percent (about 28,000 new believers) over the next decade. “It’s exciting to see churches answering the call to send people and support new churches that will reach new people for Christ for generations to come,” Send Network Louisiana Director Lane Corley told the Baptist Message. BACKGROUND Researchers estimate that 60 percent of 4,648,794 Louisianans are lost (about 2,789,276). If successful, 28,875 Louisianans will be added to the Kingdom through 231 new churches planted in the state by 2033 (based on each reaching 125 people with the Gospel). These salvations will be in addition to those recorded by already established Louisiana Baptist congregations. HARVEST BEGUN Since the partnership began, the 17 new church plants, and another 28 planted since 2020 that currently receive Cooperative Program funding through … [Read more...]

Messengers to take up resolutions

RESOLUTION 1: ON CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY OF THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM WHEREAS, The Louisiana Baptist Convention was established to “provide the means through which Louisiana Baptist churches and members can cooperate in bringing persons to God” within our state; and WHEREAS, The Louisiana Baptist Convention “recognizes the Southern Baptist Convention as the primary instrument used by Baptists to further the cause of Christ on a worldwide basis”; and WHEREAS, Louisiana Baptists have a special historical relationship with the Cooperative Program in that M.E. Dodd was a Louisiana Baptist pastor when he led the 1925 effort to establish the “Co-Operative Program of Southern Baptists,” making it possible for churches to support the missionary, education, and benevolent work within their respective states while cooperating with churches from other states to reach the world; and WHEREAS, In 2025 our Baptist fellowship of national entities, state conventions and local associations across the United States will celebrate the centennial anniversary of the Cooperative Program for how it has supported our global “partnership in the Gospel” (Philippians 1:5); now therefore be it RESOLVED, That the messengers to the 177th session of … [Read more...]

Credentials Committee: Messengers must register for annual meeting

By Baptist Message staff ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) — In order for a church to be represented during the business portions of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, which will be hosted, Nov. 12, by Broadmoor Baptist Church, Shreveport, the congregation will need to elect messenger(s), who then must register and be certified by the Committee on Credentials. LBC Credentials Committee Chairman Dale Sauls, minister to senior adults with First Baptist Church, Blachard, noted to the Baptist Message that there are five ways for messengers to register and be approved: — The first and simplest way is for messengers to pre-register using www.LaOne.org and print out the registration card to bring to the annual meeting. This way allows messengers to be certified within a matter of minutes, Sauls said. — Second, a messenger may bring a note on official letterhead signed by the pastor or church clerk, stating that the individual was elected by the congregation. — Third, a church officer can phone in the names of elected messengers. — Fourth, a person can be vouchsafed as a duly elected messenger by a fellow registered church member. — Finally, when there are no other means by which to validate a person, the Committee on Credentials … [Read more...]

2024 LBC: Messengers will be urged to ‘Connect’

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer SHREVEPORT, La. (LBM) – Messengers will be challenged with a theme of “Connect” during the 2024 Louisiana Baptist Convention Annual Meeting, to be hosted Nov 12 by Broadmoor Baptist Church, Shreveport. “This year we’ve adopted what will hopefully be an ongoing theme for us – ‘Connect,’” said Steve Horn, executive director for Louisiana Baptists. “During our time together, our is we will connect with God, with one another, and with support for our cooperation missions and ministries.” LBC President David Goza echoed the thought, urging Louisiana Baptists to attend. “We are looking forward to our annual convention and renewing our commitment to win our state to Christ through our cooperative ministries,” he said. “When Louisiana Baptists stand together, we glorify the name of our Lord. I pray that God will bless our time together in Shreveport and that the Lord will unite us like never before.” BUDGET PROPOSAL As part of the business of the annual meeting, the Cooperative Program budget will be presented to messengers to consider for adoption. The 2025 financial plan is based on Cooperative Program contributions of $17,380,808, a decrease of $699,761, or 3.87 … [Read more...]