ALEXANDRIA – Using current technology available to pastors and church leaders through an Internet connection, the LBC Communications team hosted its first Webinar Oct. 26. This is a technology that brings some of the very best experts in a particular field into the office/home of a group of interactive participants via the Internet usually at a very low or no cost. Michael Stewart, LBC Cooperative Program/Stewardship strategist, facilitated the inaugural Webinar. The expert was Ben Stroup, a nationally-recognized leader among younger pastors in equipping today’s church with biblical stewardship methods. There were a total of 24 who signed up for this pilot session. Stewart has plans for the Webinar to become a series of discussions with participants. As a result, he titled the first event a Webinar Series – The Fully Funded Church: Topic No. 1: How to talk about money in the church. “This is a first for us. However, we hope this kind of production will gain traction,” said John Yeats, LBC Communications team leader. “In a day when there is so much discussion about being effective and efficient with church strategies, the timeliness of engaging this method for equipping pastors and interested church leaders is perfectly … [Read more...]

By KAREN L. WILLOUGHBY, Managing Editor ONEIDA, Tenn. (BP) – Times are tough all over the country, especially in places like Oneida, Tenn., where the unemployment rate hovers between 20 and 22 percent. But when a volunteer team from First Baptist Church ventured to southeast Missouri, the firsthand experience prompted the church to enlarge its missions commitment. “We had a team come back from a mission trip and report,” said First Baptist member Dale Smith, a retiree who was baptized at the church as a teenager. “They talked about the needs they saw and how we need to do something, but nothing was decided. I said to a deacon – he happens to be on the finance committee – that we ought to increase our giving to the Cooperative Program.”[img_assist|nid=6842|title=First Baptist Church in Oneida Tenn. has ministered to a community with 20-22 percent unemployment|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=75|height=100] The finance committee agreed and proposed a 1 percent increase, to 11 percent, of CP giving in 2010, and the congregation unanimously approved. “The Cooperative Program makes it possible for the missionaries to go out and do what God has called them to do, and we’re all blessed by our support of it,” Smith continued. … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Press EDITOR’S NOTE: December 1 is World AIDS Day, focusing on not just those affected by AIDS around the world, but also highlighting opportunities to make an impact on this deadly disease. One place Southern Baptists are helping make a difference in the lives of people suffering from the effects of HIV/AIDS is in Sweetwaters, South Africa. SWEETWATERS, South Africa (BP) – Walk the dusty paths of Sweetwaters, a rural community nestled in the hills of South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, and you see death everywhere you look. Nearly every house has up to a dozen graves in the yard – most are only a few years old and most are there because of AIDS. Young Bongiwe plays in her front yard while her 16-year-old sister Xoliswa washes clothes in a metal tub. Nearby, 11 graves bear mute witness to the fact that all the adults in their family are dead because of AIDS. Xoliswa now cares for the little ones. Earlier this year, infant Seth and his 3-year-old brother Nzuzo were buried alive by their mother, who was dying of AIDS. A neighbor discovered them, rescuing the brothers from certain death. Seth has AIDS. Their mother is now dead and the location of their father is not known. Recently 17-year-old … [Read more...]

By DAVID ETTINGER, Baptist Press ORLANDO, Fla. (BP) – When the church he leads became “doers of the Word,” akin to the exhortation in James 1:22, David Uth said it was “far beyond what I had prepared myself for.” For several weeks, Uth had been teaching a sermon series on the Book of James. In preparation for James 2:14-26 -- the “faith without works” passage -- the pastor sensed a stirring to try something different at First Baptist Church in Orlando, Fla. [img_assist|nid=6853|title=Pastor David Uth listens as a church staff member relays needs of a family during a Sunday service at First Baptist, Orlando|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=67]“While I was working, praying and reading through this passage of James, it struck me that it’s one thing for people to be aware of needs in their neighborhood or city, but it became very clear to me that there are needs right in our worship center. “I figured, if we were going to be doers of the Word, then let’s start with those who sit next to us.” With that, Uth concluded his teaching on the passage during the church’s Sept. 5 worship, then asked everyone in the 3,500-seat auditorium with immediate needs to come forward. At first, people approached the stage … [Read more...]

By WILL HALL, Baptist Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – The Barna Group released findings Nov. 15 that said despite what “observers and journalists have described as ... a significant trend” in terms of a Calvinism movement, numbers of Calvinists among Protestant pastors are not greater today (31 percent) than a decade ago (32 percent). The research includes four studies conducted from 2000 through 2010, each involving a minimum of 600 phone interviews with random, representative samples of clergy. Barna’s results about the broader Christian community seemingly stand in stark contrast to reports released by Southern Baptist Convention entities showing a surge in identity with five-point Calvinism in Southern Baptist life. In 2007, the North American Mission Board’s Center for Missional Research released findings that nearly 30 percent of recent seminary graduates (1998-2004) serving as church pastors identified themselves as Calvinists. Details about the sample methodology and size were not released and this study is not available for public review. This compared to 10 percent of all pastors in the SBC who affirm the five points of Calvinism, according to a 2006 LifeWay Research study of a cross-section of 413 randomly … [Read more...]

LAKE CHARLES – Topsy Baptist Church, where Lloyd Carroll has been pastor for 10 years, called the Baptist Message recently to report the loss of  four air conditioning units from the back side of the rural church. He wanted to warn other churches, Carroll said. “The police came to see if we had lost them,” Carroll said. “Otherwise, we would have found out Wednesday night at church. [img_assist|nid=6856|title=Topsy Baptist Church in rural Lake Charles alerts other churches to protect their air conditioning units|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=75] “They [thieves] stole those condensers sometime during the night and took them to Orange County, Texas,” Carroll said. “A sheriff’s deputy saw them on the side of the road and stopped to help, and then noticed what all they had in the back. They confessed to stealing the units and said these were from our church.” Theft of copper has becoming an increasing crime of opportunity at rural churches across the nation, so much so that at its recent annual meeting the South Carolina Baptist Convention passed a resolution about it that “express[es] our need for Divine intervention to stop the property destruction from copper theft.” Copper these days sells for about … [Read more...]

COMINGS & GOINGS James Sample resigns as pastor of Baptist Temple, Alexandria. Billy Carpenter, new as pastor Bluff Creek Baptist, Clinton. Reggie Ogea, new as interim pastor Calvary Baptist, Slidell. Dennis (wife Peggy) Allen, new as pastor at Fordoche Baptist, Fordoche. Gray (wife Tammy) Pearson, new as pastor at First Baptist, Port Allen. NEEDED Full-time pastor at Koran Baptist, Haughton; send resume to Ronnie Garrison, Pastor Search Committee, 5158 Hwy. 527, Haughton LA 71037 or email grogers.kbc@att.net. Part-time children’s minister at First Baptist, Lecompte; send resume to Personnel Committee, PO Box 1070, Lecompte LA 71346; Milton Wilson, pastor. Pastor at Memorial Baptist, Bogalusa; send resume to Memorial Baptist Church, 1509 South Columbia St, Bogalusa LA 70427. Pastor at Mt. Zion Baptist, Prairieville; send resume to Tammy N. Blanchard 16448 Henderson Bayou Road, Prairieville LA 70769 or Donnell Nickens, 16481 Newman Nickens, Prairieville LA 70769. Pastors in Winn Baptist Association: Crews New Salem Baptist, Montgomery; Dodson Baptist, Dodson; Lakeside Baptist, Winnfield; Laurel Heights Baptist, Winnfield; Yankee Springs Baptist, Goldonna. Pastors in Shady Grove Baptist Association: Harmony … [Read more...]

GRAND ISLE – First Baptist Church of Grand Isle had a display at the 2010 annual meeting of the Louisiana Baptist Convention for three reasons, said Doug Miles, a deacon at the church. First was to say thank you to all the churches and volunteers who have helped the church – started in 1956 – many times after storms have hit the island that dips into Barataria Bay. Second, “When we are not rebuilding, during the good times, we want to invite Baptist churches to come down and use our church as a resort ministry,” Miles said. “Men can come down and have a Bible study fishing trip. Women can come down and have a Bible study birdwatching trip.” It was the second year for the church to have a display at the annual meeting, Miles said. “We always have a lot of interest,” the deacon said. “I was amazed at the people in northern Louisiana who were not aware of [our church in] Grand Isle, and certainly not aware of this facility available  for them to utilize.” First Grand Isle has folding bunk beds and stackable mattresses, plus kitchen and shower facilities. Third, churches are also needed to help with ministries to visitors that take place during the summer redfish and speckled trout saltwater fishing tournaments, among … [Read more...]

ALEXANDRIA – In addition to great speakers and an opportunity to fellowship with other Louisiana Baptists, the LBC annual meeting provides a time for the staff, as well as LBC and SBC entities, to report on the ministries they lead. Wayne Taylor, executive director of the Louisiana Baptist Foundation, reported distributions of more than $3 million were made in 2009, and since the Foundation was established in 1944, more than $99 million has been distributed for the benefit of Baptist causes. Taylor also reported that 446 Louisiana Baptist churches, agencies and institutions had more than  $70 million on deposit with the Foundation’s short term fund as of 2009. The Louisiana College report included music provided by the LC Marching Band, Voices of LC, and the Louisiana College Chorale. J. Michael Johnson, founding dean of LC’s Judge Paul Pressler School of Law, was also introduced. LC’s fall enrollment was up to 1,870 students, reported President Joe Aguillard. Enrollment has increased by 89 percent – from 1,005 in 2005 – over the past five years, Aguillard said. “LC is continuing an outpost in Africa,” Aguillard continued. The college was approached with an opportunity, and next summer will be sending faculty to … [Read more...]

By JAKE ROUDKOVSKI, Director of Supervised Ministry New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Editor’s Note: See parts 1 and 2, and a more complete rendering of part 3, on www.baptistmessage.com. (Search for Dr. Roudkovski’s name.) Although some have pronounced local church revival meetings “dead,” they are much alive in many churches. It is my conviction that the effectiveness of revival meetings will depend on the stewardship of that methodology by the local church. The more churches are willing to prepare, the more they place themselves in the position to reach people for Christ. Let me suggest several practical ways that may help churches benefit from a revival meeting. Purpose When church leadership begins to sense that God is leading them to schedule a revival meeting, they need to ask what the purpose of such an event should be. Will it be primarily for evangelism or revitalization of a local congregation? The purpose will dictate a strategy for preparation. If the primary purpose is evangelism, the strategy may differ from that one if the primary purpose is revitalization. Even though a church selects the primary purpose as evangelism, it may experience a spiritual renewal among the membership. In … [Read more...]