By Karen L. Willoughby, Managing Editor   [img_assist|nid=7182|title=A Beautiful Sign|desc=A young Native American signs The Lord;s Prayer during The Gathering for Spiritual Awakening in Oklahoma City in early March.|link=none|align=left|width=66|height=100]OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (BP) – Native Americans from 15 states and three Canadian provinces participated in The Gathering for Spiritual Awakening March 2-4 at Southern Hills Baptist Church. It was an event designed to remove barriers and build bridges that would bring Native Peoples across North America to a personal relationship with Almighty God.   The tools presented would work just as well in non-native churches.   “We came from Nebraska expecting something miraculous because we need a miracle,” said Ron Goombi, a North American Mission Board missionary to Native Americans in Kansas and Nebraska. He brought people from eight tribes in the two states. “Our suicide rates are so high the tribe doesn’t know what to do. The water system is breaking down. … We need to live beyond the barriers we have.”   In the United States, 95 out of every 100 Native Americans do not have a personal relationship with God. This was a statistic repeated … [Read more...]

By Mark Kelly, Baptist Global Response   Note to readers: A mission team from First Minden had plans to travel to Tokyo March 24-31; those plans are now on hold, said Senior Adult Pastor Bill Crider at deadline, after talking with Tokyo Baptist Church.   [img_assist|nid=7185|title=Empty Shelves in Japan|desc=Families in Japan are struggling to find food in the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake.|link=none|align=left|width=640|height=480]TOKYO – A two-member disaster relief assessment team is on the ground in Japan and a second team will follow in a week, Baptist Global Responses Executive Director Jeff Palmer has announced.   The first team arrives as the estimated death toll from the March 11 earthquake soared past 10,000, and nuclear plant operators worked frantically to prevent meltdowns in several reactors crippled by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, according to news reports.   Thousands of survivors are coping with near-freezing temperatures for hundreds of miles along Japan’s northeastern coast, which was wrecked by the one-two punch of earthquake and tsunami.   The first assessment team arrived in Tokyo on March 12 and made contact with a representative of … [Read more...]

By Staff, LBC Communications   ALEXANDRIA – If the 2 million Louisiana residents without a personal relationship with Christ were to meet Him today, most likely it’s the state’s 547,947 Southern Baptists who will make the introductions.   The Georgia Barnette State Missions Offering helps.   Georgia Barnette was the first Executive Director for Louisiana WMU. Through letters, messages, and example, she continually encouraged Louisiana Baptists to follow God’s command to “go and tell.” She led Louisiana Baptists to know the importance of giving and volunteering. Her work and passion for reaching Louisiana for Christ was honored in 1936 when the offering was given her name.   “While the largest percentage of the funds serve as the capitalization for new church starts, there are many other missions projects funded by the offering, including compassion ministries that were especially needed with the challenge of the winter,” said John Hebert, LBC missions and ministry director. “The state missions offering is a significant funding source for mission projects throughout the state of Louisiana.[img_assist|nid=7187|title=Top GBO … [Read more...]

[img_assist|nid=7189|title=Medical Missions|desc=A dentist from First DeRidder medical mission team works on a childs mouth during a 2010 mission trip to Honduras in partnership with the Baptist Medical Dental Mission International, which is planning its annual meeting in Shreveport on April 7-10.|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=75]By Staff, Baptist Message   DERIDDER – First Baptist Church sent one of more than 50 medical/dental (and other ministries) mission teams to Honduras and Nicaragua in 2010, as part of the national Baptist Medical Dental Mission International that is based in Hattiesburg, Miss.   The 70 or more people from First DeRidder paid about $1,600 each, in addition to buying supplies packed onto 12 pallets shipped two months earlier, so they would have what they needed when they arrived.   They’ve been doing this since the mid-1980s, in a mission endeavor started by Henry Carter M.D., a First DeRidder member. His cousin got him involved, said Rod Pollard, team captain for 10 years.   In 2010, the mission team subdivided into 10 units:   Evangelism reported 327 professions of faith in Jesus; Vets took care of 311 animals and saw 13 POF; 970 youngsters … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message Comings, Goings and Kudos Miss Myra Gulledge, NSU Baptist Student Director for 37 years (1951-1988) died March 10 in the Natchitoches Hospital. She was 86. Deanna Corbett to Crockett Point Crowville/Winnsboro as youth minister. Jonathan (wife Amy) LaFleur to Mulberry Houma as interim minister of music. Josh DeLoach to New Ramah Castor as interim pastor. Roy Strother to Calvary Springhill as interim pastor. Marty Romero to Baldwin Baptist Mission as interim pastor. Charles “Chuck” Mitchell to First Berwick as pastor. Beau Guidry to First Milton as pastor. Phil (wife Fran) Smith to First Bastrop as minister of music and senior adults, from First Many as music minister and associate pastor. Thomas Chapman to Macedonia Holden as minister of youth. Pastor: Roger Dunlap. Boomer (wife Abbie) Cates to The Church at Pisgah Bernice as staff missionaries, to oversee missions and outreach. Pastor: Jerry Dark. Daniel G. Stanley Sr., new as pastor, Bethany Lake Charles. Renee Bennett of Tioga First recently was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City. She was one of four from Louisiana high school band students, and one of 125 nationally, invited to perform in this special concert. Robert … [Read more...]

By Philip Timothy, Message Staff Writer   Many of Louisiana’s 1,600 churches are eligible for a tax credit as part of the ‘Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,’ and should take advantage of it, LBC leaders say.   The new small business health care tax credit is specifically targeted to help small businesses and tax-exempt – 501 (c)(3) – organizations, such as religious, educational and charitable groups.   Included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the credit is one of the first of several new health care reform provisions to go into effect. Available for 2010, the credit encourages small businesses and tax-exempt organizations to offer health insurance coverage for the first time or maintain current coverage.   “Assuming the law is not repealed, this tax credit will impact quite a few of our churches in the state,” said Rusty Johnson, supervisor of the LBC accounting department. “All applicable participants should really take advantage of the tax credit.”   Last April, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) sent out more than 4 million postcards – more than 60,000 in Louisiana alone – to alert small businesses and tax-exempt organizations about the health … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message   PINEVILLE – Despite inclement weather, leaders were pleased with the attendance and spirit at this year’s Kaleidescope.   At last count, 211 women registered for the event that had been postponed because of snow and ice concerns.   Kaleidescope participants heard Elizabeth Luter – pastor’s wife at Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans – speak on being molded by God to carry the treasures of His Word.   “The things I couldn’t do just for [people,] I can do for Christ,” Luter said in challenging her listeners to be all that God designed them to be.   Kaleidescope has been an annual event for more than 25 years, and called “Kaleidescope” for at least 15, said Janie Wise, LBC’s women’s missions and ministry director.   “It’s for all women,” Wise said. “It has elements of both WMU and women’s ministry. ... Reaching all women at their point of knowing, living and growing Christ. That’s our ‘why’ statement for Kaleidescope.” … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message   WOODWARD – A pinewood derby, soapbox derby, campcraft, RA Olympics and missionaries, plus a Power Team demonstration, are just some of the non-stop activities planned for this year’s RA Congress April 9-10 at Tall Timbers Baptist Conference Center, for boys in grades 1-6.   Cost is $55/multiple occupancy; April 1 is registration deadline.   For more information see www.lbc.org/RACongress. Ricky Boothe is RA director. … [Read more...]

By Tristan Tayor, IMB Communications   Chile recently observed the anniversary of the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that shook the coastal nation in 2010.   While concern following such a disaster is often given to immediate physical needs, emotional needs are sometimes overlooked. But International Mission Board missionary Dick Price didn’t miss them.   After serving 20 years as a U.S. Air Force psychologist and more than 10 years as a missionary to Chile, Price was uniquely qualified to counsel Chileans following the quake.   In the six months afterward, Price made 14 trips to Chile’s most damaged areas to deliver educational and preventive presentations about processing stress after traumatic events.   “These two-hour interactive talks stressed the importance of talking about our experiences, our thoughts, our feelings and the impact in our lives of emotionally traumatic events,” Price said. “In every talk, a clear statement was made about God’s promise in Romans 8:38-39 that nothing, not even death, can separate us from His love in Christ Jesus.”   The training reached about 3,000 people, including 37 medical professionals and nearly 500 military, police and … [Read more...]

By Mark Kelly, Baptist Press   NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – The percentage of SBC missions dollars going to overseas work will increase and a category of “Great Commission Giving” will be added to annual statistical reports if two recommendations from the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee are adopted during the June 14-15 SBC annual meeting in Phoenix, Ariz.   Also during the Feb. 22 meeting in Nashville, Tenn., EC President Frank Page reported that state convention executive directors unanimously agreed to affirm a 50/50 division of Cooperative Program (CP) receipts – after consideration for shared ministry funds – between state conventions and the Southern Baptist Convention, as suggested in a portion of the Great Commission Resurgence report.   That affirmation was adopted during the annual meeting of the Fellowship of State Executive Directors on Feb. 14-17 in Williamsburg, Va.   During the Nashville meeting, Executive Committee members voted unanimously to recommend increasing the International Mission Board’s percentage of budget receipts from 50 percent to 50.2 percent and decreasing the Executive Committee’s percentage by the same amount.   The committee … [Read more...]