By Staff, Baptist Message CLOUTIERVILLE – A dedication of Grace Baptist’s first-ever building is set for 3 p.m. Aug. 21 at the church, located about four miles south of town on Hwy 1. It’s Tim White’s first pastorate; he’s a roofer by trade. He started the church in 2006. “We had a group of us got together, prayed about it and came up with a plan to start a church,” White said. “God laid it all out.” Meeting in homes for Bible Study led this spring to a manufactured 32x90 vinyl-sided white building with a steeple on top. “The major challenge for us is to make an impact in the community,” the pastor continued. “We seem to be making headway.” A VBS July 15-17 led by a group from  Esler Baptist Church in Pineville helped, White said. At least 26 area  youngsters participated; 19 Esler workers  led in a Big Apple Adventure. About 35 attend Sunday morning worship. About 85 attended White’s ordination on June 26 at Grace Cloutierville. 0 … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message   ARRIVALS, DEPARTURES   Cameron Theodos, new as music minister at Common Ground; from laity.   Terry Young, new as children’s minister at First West Monroe, from Calvary Shreveport.   Eddie Sirven, resigns as music/worship minister at Trinity Heights Shreveport, for new post at First Richland, Miss.   William Colvin, new as pastor at Calvary Homer.   David Savage, new as pastor at New Ebenezer Castor.   Bruce Knight, new as pastor at Emmanuel Arcadia.   Chris Holloway: new as Pastor of Little Pass, Charenton, from Oak Hill Many.   Shane (wife Michelle) Forest: new as associate pastor, and Michelle Forest: new as children and youth director at North Keithville in Keithville.Pastor: Clarence Chism.   Marcel Ronquille Jr.: new as pastor of Pleasant Hill Ruston.   Rick Williams: resigns as pastor of Mt. Union Spearsville to become a Navy chaplain.   Newton Smith: new as pastor of Bonita Baptist in Bonita.   Drew Coker: new as music minister of Clark Springs Eros.   Alan Miller: new as interim pastor of Parkview Monroe.   Jim Arrant: new as … [Read more...]

By Jerry Love, LBF's Director of Planned Giving   ALEXANDRIA – Neither the long hot days of summer nor sporadic thunderstorms could deter the Trustees of the Louisiana Baptist Foundation from their regular mid-summer meeting.   The Foundation’s Board of Trustees met July 26 at the Louisiana Baptist Building for their quarterly meeting, to review investment activity and operations.   The Investment Committee met during the early part of the morning and discussed several issues related to the LBF portfolio.   Lee Morris of Graystone Consulting gave a report on the performance of the funds’ managers and presented recommendations to enhance the Foundation’s portfolio.   Morris stated that the second quarter had been difficult because of the continued sluggish economic growth overall. However the performance returns for the Foundation’s investment funds remain positive for the year despite some individual monthly reporting periods showing declines.   As of the quarter ending June 30, 2011, the LBF equity fund had gained 2.51 percent for the year, with the Fixed Income Fund posting a 2.43 percent increase so far.   The Group Investment Fund, which comprised of … [Read more...]

By Savannah Cyree, WMU Communications   [img_assist|nid=7549|title=New coordinators|desc=Cathy and George Chinn as new regional coordinators for the 20-year-old Mississippi River Ministry are seeking to get more churches and associations involved in the ministry.|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=75]MISSISSIPPI RIVER – In January, Mississippi River Ministry (MRM) announced their newest regional coordinators, George and Cathy Chinn.   For the past several months, the two have traveled and established relationships within the ministry’s eight state region. MRM serves to impact lostness by ministering to those in poverty and connecting them with churches.   “There is a great need out there,” George Chinn said. “We find that there is not only a large percent of lostness in poverty, but a lot of lostness in general.”   The Chinns say only God alone could qualify them for such a task. With a heart for missions and having collectively been involved in more than 30 international missions trips and countless domestic efforts, they believe their commitment to missions and sincerity comes through. The couple has spent the last several months using that sincerity while familiarizing themselves … [Read more...]

By Mark Kelly, Baptist Press   PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (BP) – Rebuild Haiti, the joint Southern Baptist disaster relief initiative launched in the aftermath of the massive Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake, will have built 1,982 houses by the end of November and has 560 more in the pipeline before the scheduled exit date in March 2012.   “Southern Baptists should heartily celebrate what has been accomplished in Haiti,” said Jeff Palmer, executive director of Baptist Global Response, one of the key partners in the Rebuild Haiti alliance. “It is amazing what has happened in such a short period of time, but there are still thousands of people living in tents and much to be done.”[img_assist|nid=7551|title=Homes needed|desc=Even before the massive Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake, many Haitian families lived in substandard housing – and many are still living in tents. Southern Baptists’ Rebuild Haiti initiative is not only building new houses, it’s also helping Haitians rebuild their lives and communities.|link=none|align=right|width=640|height=480]   “Rebuild Haiti” is a cooperative venture that also involves Haitian Baptists, the International Mission Board, the Florida Baptist Convention and Southern Baptist … [Read more...]

By Diana Chandler, Regional Reporter   NEW ORLEANS (BP) – African American pastors in the New Orleans Baptist Association say the election of Fred Luter as the Southern Baptist Convention’s first vice president is important evidence that the SBC has departed from the racial exclusion of its past.   [img_assist|nid=7553|title=Fred Luter|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=56|height=100]They say the SBC has worked diligently to embrace African Americans and other ethnic groups, especially since the convention’s 1995 public apology for its past support of slavery. However, they regard Luter’s election as a result of his intelligence, integrity, gifts and leadership skills, not his race. Yet Luter’s election, they add, can only enhance the SBC’s appeal to ethnic minorities.   “I think the Southern Baptist Convention is making a monumental statement. This is indeed a win-win move,” said Kenneth Foy, vice president of the African American Fellowship in New Orleans and pastor of the local church New Life Ministry.   “This might just be one of the best moves the SBC has done in years. It makes me feel a lot better about being a part of an organization that recognizes the importance and value of … [Read more...]

By Erich Bridges, Baptist Press   [img_assist|nid=7555|title=Remembering 911|desc=Joseph Rose (name changed) studies a historical display of front-page reactions to 9/11. His own reaction led him from indifference to passionate commitment. "If it weren't for 9/11, I might not be where I am today," he says. "God used this tragic event to call me out of the darkness of apathy and ignorance toward Muslims into the light of service and presence among this vast people." (BP) PHOTO|link=none|align=right|width=640|height=427]RICHMOND, Va. (BP)  – When the jets slammed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field a decade ago, the life of Joseph Rose (name changed for security) began to change.   A Christian college student, he knew little about Islam. He didn’t know a single Muslim personally. His mother called and warned him to shave off his full beard, fearing “hate attacks” by angry people mistaking him for a Muslim.   “I left the beard. No one attacked me,” Rose recalled.   As the initial shock of 9/11 wore off, something inside him spurred Rose to understand the forces shaking the world. “I began to read about Islam,” he … [Read more...]

By Diana Davis, Author, Speaker   It was 5 a.m. on the first anniversary of 9/11, and I was in New York as a victim chaplain to minister to family members at the memorial service.[img_assist|nid=7558|title=America remembers 911|desc=On the fifth anniversary of 9/11, high-wattage spotlights pierce the darkness from Ground Zero in New York, symbolizing a determination not to retreat in the face of fear. That's the spirit the church needs in the post-9/11 era. "Following God's will may not appear to many to be the safest thing to do. It is most certainly the right thing to do," says one international worker. "And that is where I want to be." (U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO) by Denise Gould|link=none|align=right|width=640|height=424]   Standing in the darkness overlooking the gaping hole left by the disaster, I overheard a man nearby mumbling, “I was standing right here that day.” After a long pause, he continued, “I haven’t even been back until now. I still can’t believe it happened.” Suddenly I realized that he was talking to me.   As I listened to the gentleman’s devastating story of friends who died and his personal terror that day, he sobbed … [Read more...]

By Kelly Boggs, Editor Louisiana Baptist Message   Catholic University made headlines recently when officials announced the school was abandoning coed dormitories. The school, located in Washington, D.C., plans to start phasing in single-sex residence halls with incoming freshman this fall.   The reason given by the president for returning to the traditional mode of housing was an effort to combat binge drinking and promiscuous sex – both of which are rampant on many college campuses.   I admit I was taken aback to learn a Catholic institution of higher learning allowed coeducational housing. That said, I applaud school officials for their willingness to change course and swim against the tide of popular culture and its tacit acceptance of irresponsible drinking and casual hookups.   At least one person does not appreciate Catholic University’s effort toward cultivating a more moral environment.   John Banzhaf, professor of public interest law at George Washington University, has filed a complaint with the District of Columbia Office of Human Rights against the university that accuses the school of practicing sexual discrimination because it is eliminating coed living … [Read more...]

By Bill Warren, Professor of New Testament and Greek at NOBTS   Question: As we come to the 10-year mark from 9/11, I was wondering about what the Bible teaches about such evil acts?  And how does God figure into this?   Bill Warren responds: Let’s begin by distinguishing between two types of events that are quite different when thinking about evil, namely natural disasters versus man-made disasters. Hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, floods, and such are classified as natural disasters.   We humans are impacted by these events, but they are beyond our control. While God could have made the world to function differently, these events are actually less destructive than would be the case if the earth’s energy was not released periodically but rather allowed to build up to more explosive levels.   So we give thanks that God made the world such that this energy is released in smaller natural events even if sometimes they become what we call natural disasters.   We don’t blame God for these since the scale of such disasters is only as small as it is due to God’s foresight in creation.   On the other hand, 9/11 was a man-made disaster. Indeed, people are at fault for most … [Read more...]