By Michael Shepherd, Assistant Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, Louisiana College The book of Chronicles (i.e., 1 and 2 Chronicles) has somewhat of an inglorious history. Its ancient Greek translation in the Septuagint bears the title “The Things Omitted,” giving the impression that the book is little more than an appendix. English Bibles place Chronicles directly after Samuel and Kings where it seems tedious, redundant, and superfluous to the average reader. But the Babylonian Talmud (b. B. Bat. 14b) puts Chronicles in a very prominent position at the conclusion of the Hebrew Bible. Likewise Jesus seems to have Chronicles at the end in Matthew 23:35: “that all righteous blood poured out upon the land may come upon you from the blood of Abel the righteous [Genesis 4] to the blood of Zechariah the son of Berechiah [2 Chronicles 24:20–21] whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.” According to Jesus, the scribes and Pharisees of his day were guilty of the blood of the righteous from Abel in Genesis to Zechariah in Chronicles – from the beginning of the Bible to its end. Chronicles has four major sections: Genealogies (1 Chr 1–9), David (1 Chronicles 10–29), Solomon (2 Chronicles 1–9), and Judah (2 Chr … [Read more...]

By Kelly Boggs, Editor PINEVILLE – At its March meeting the Louisiana State Board of Nursing placed the Louisiana College nursing program on “conditional approval” status for failing to meet board standards for the 2008-2009 academic year. According to information on the LSBN web site, schools with a “conditional approval” rating must submit a plan for correcting specific deficiencies. Schools have three years in which to improve and meet the requirements of the LSBN before the board will place the school on “non-approval” status. While schools have three years to address any concerns highlighted by the LSBN, LC has already taken significant steps toward restoring the nursing program to “full approval” status. “The plan we have composed will remove the ‘conditional approval’ status with the state board of nursing very soon,” said Kimberly Sharp LC’s Dean of the School of Nursing and Allied Health. Two areas of concern were cited by the LSBN. Only 60 percent of the May 2009 Louisiana College nursing graduates passed the NCLEX test on their first attempt which is below the LSBN’s benchmark of 80 percent. The NCLEX test is the state licensure exam.  According to information on the LSBN web site, “The test is … [Read more...]

RICHMOND, Va. (BP) – Avery T. Willis Jr., creator of the MasterLife discipleship series and former mission board executive, died Friday morning, July 30, after a seven-month battle with leukemia. He was 76. The retired senior vice president of the International Mission Board was known for his passion for missions, discipleship and making the Gospel known to “oral learners.” “My dad graduated to Glory early this morning,” Willis’ son Randy wrote in a statement. “This is not a time to mourn as those who have no hope ... This is the time to celebrate a life. “I thank each of you that have visited, called, written and prayed over his past seven months,” Randy Willis added. “Your words of encouragement meant so much to him and to all of us. What a privilege to hear of the lives he impacted during his 76 years. May that influence extend through the generations.” In January 2010, Willis was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia. He leaves behind his wife Shirley, five grown children, 15 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Friends regard Willis as a man committed to the Lord’s work – 14 years of mission work in Indonesia with the Foreign (now International) Mission Board, later stepping into the role of … [Read more...]

[img_assist|nid=6651|title=LBC Evangelism Growth Director Wayne Jenkins receives NAMB Find It Here Participation Award|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=83]Thomas Hammond (left), interim vice president-evangelization for the North American Mission Board, and Jerry Pipes (right), NAMB team leader for spiritual awakening/mass evangelism, recently presented Wayne Jenkins, evangelism church growth director for the Louisiana Baptist Convention, with NAMB’s “Find It Here” Participation Award  for outstanding work on the GPS (God’s Plan for Sharing) effort in Louisiana. The award was presented during NAMB’s recent summer senior leadership meeting in Atlanta. … [Read more...]

There are as many stories related to Katrina as there are churches in the state, and more than that, really. Probably every Southern Baptist in Louisiana has a tale to tell of what they went through either as a Katrina victim or a rescuer. We’ll be keeping this special section up for the next month or two, with additions as they come in. Send in yours to karen@baptistmessage.com. KATRINA RETROSPECTIVE By KAREN L. WILLOUGHBY, Baptist Message Managing Editor NEW ORLEANS – Five years have passed since Hurricane Katrina hurtled its way Aug. 29, 2005, across southeastern Louisiana and the rest of the central Gulf Coast. More than 1,810 confirmed deaths were recorded. Thousands upon thousands of people were displaced; the U.S. Census Bureau reported a 53.9 percent drop in population between April 2000 and July 2006. (The nearly 485,000 population recorded by the Census Bureau in 2000 was estimated by the mayor’s office at perhaps 352,000 in mid-2009.) More than $81 billion in property damage makes Katrina the most costly ever of American disasters. However, the ooze still seeping from what today is still a raw wound is the emotional toll the storm waged on the lives of area residents. “I talked with a friend in … [Read more...]

By DENNIS WATSON, pastor of Celebration Church in Metairie. It is my perspective that Greater New Orleans is still struggling, and will continue to struggle for some time, from the people losses, property losses and trauma related to Katrina.  At the same time, it is my perspective that Greater New Orleans is now a much better place to live in the present and in the future because: •     poverty stricken areas are being rebuilt with new homes, schools and businesses; •    public school facilities are being rebuilt and the public school educational strategy is revised and strengthened; •     government corruption and ineptness is being discovered and rooted out; •    the unemployment rate in Greater New Orleans is lower than the rest of the country; •    the levee system has been strengthened and rebuilt; •    the police forces are in the process of being strengthened and better equipped; •    property values are much more realistic and attainable for young adults and others; •    many positive and intelligent young adults have moved into our area from around the nation in order to “make a difference” in the rebuilding of this region; •    pastors and churches are far more connected and cooperative across denominational … [Read more...]

By DIANA CHANDLER, Regional Reporter ST BERNARD – John Galey is more committed than ever to leading Poydras Baptist Church to be an  Acts 1:8 congregation. With the help of more than 50 convention churches and associations, the 8213 Saro Lane congregation in August 2007, became the first St. Bernard Parish Southern Baptist church to return to its sanctuary after the storm. Galey said his greatest current challenge is inspiring his members to be missionaries and follow the example set by mission teams who helped the church thrive after the storm. “A lot of the church members have become so used to the [mission] teams coming and doing ministry for us,” Galey said. “I thought it would motivate us and serve as a catalyst. A few people have mentioned a missions trip, but there’s no real desire for it.” While the church continues to grow its benevolent missions fund, Galey said its only new post-Katrina outreach is its food pantry. The church in 2009 resumed leading its own Vacation Bible School, after mission teams did the work in 2006, ’07 and ’08. A New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary student is serving as the church’s minister of education. “I would like the church to be more mission-minded. I would like to see us … [Read more...]

By EJ SCOTT, pastor of Shiloh Community Fellowship before Katrina, and after a three-year stay in Texas, now back as pastor of Temple of New Life Baptist Church in New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina taught the region that we are vulnerable. I think that Hurricane Katrina made us know that we are all the same. It doesn’t matter who you are. What you have accomplished, what you have achieved or acquired, no matter what your economic or social status is, we all are vulnerable to storms and the like. I think that Katrina made us more dependent upon one another. We depend more on each other now than we did before the storm. Parishes are now communicating one with another whenever a storm threatens. Parishes are working together now. Initially Katrina made more of us turn to and depend upon God. Everybody went to church as soon as they could get there after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. But now, after five years has passed, it seems like a lot of people are slipping back into the old way of thinking and doing things. I don’t sense that total and complete commitment to God as when Hurricane Katrina first hit. Before Katrina I think that I too had begun to think that maybe I did this or I did that by myself. Hurricane … [Read more...]

By LONNIE WASCOM, DOM, Northshore Baptist Associations: LaTangi, St. Tammany, Chappapeela NORTHSHORE, La. – Katrina remains as fresh in my mind today as when the strong category 3’s winds changed the landscape. On Sunday, Aug. 28, 2005, I preached in Independence, La., for a building dedication, and later fought traffic due to contra flow as I tried to get my wife’s parents to our house in Hammond from their place in Slidell. By late that night we had all battened down for the storm. At this point most of us in Hammond still suspected we would be spared the full brunt of the event. On Monday the 29th we stayed tuned to our favorite weather person, Margaret Orr, Channel 6 TV and WWL-AM in New Orleans, and were truly relieved when we heard her on our battery-operated radio. She broadcast from her home in Lakeview later that day, after the storm had passed, that “it looks like we have jumped another snake in New Orleans.” After the storm passed, my father-in-law and I did a “recon” of my subdivision and found tremendous wind damage. My neighbor’s beautiful house was ripped apart by fallen trees. However, all my house lost was a piece of overhanging shingle about the size of a credit card. We had a prayer meeting of … [Read more...]

By MARILYN STEWART, Regional Reporter NEW ORLEANS – No one who has seen New Orleans doubts the power of Katrina’s fury. At First Baptist Church, the storm’s energy was converted into a force for new ministry that is challenging the old way of “doing church” and taking new ground for Christ. “Katrina washed our people out of the building and into the streets of our city,” said Pastor David Crosby. “Now we understand in a new way that the Gospel must be lived to be believed.” The chaos of the storm proved fertile ground for ministry, Crosby said. Despite a loss of half the staff, hundreds of members, and millions of dollars in damages, the church’s vision for reaching the city came more clearly into focus. “It’s like we see the city through different eyes,” said Christi Gibson, connections minister. “Maybe our hearts have begun to be broken by the things that break God’s heart.” Gibson leads Inward, a bold, new ministry mobilizing women into the strip clubs on Bourbon Street to show God’s love to those employ    ed in the sex industry. Less than a year old, the initiative is proving successful. “For a short time, I didn’t even know that I would ever have a second chance with this city,” Gibson said of her family’s long … [Read more...]