NEW ORLEANS (BP) – Forget basketball. Check out “march madness” in New Orleans where record numbers of Southern Baptist volunteers from across the nation are rebuilding flooded homes. Volunteers from California to Georgia and as far north as Alaska were part of the most productive month so far. Baptist College Ministries students from New York, Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Maryland and other states were part of the volunteer workforce. “In terms of man-hours of labor, our volunteers produced the equivalent of well over a half million dollars’ worth of work” in March, said Steve Gahagan, NOAH construction manager. “It was an incredibly productive month.” College and high school students on spring break were a large part of the 5,000-plus volunteers working with Operation N.O.A.H. (New Orleans Area Homes) Rebuild – a North American Mission Board partnership with Louisiana Baptists, as well as with Arkansas Baptist Builders and Baptist Crossroads, an initiative of First Baptist Church of New Orleans. Volunteers ranged in age and background. NOAH volunteers hung more than 1,500 sheets of sheetrock in March and worked on a record number of roofing, electrical and plumbing rough-in jobs, Gahagan … [Read more...]

The world’s largest charity hospital ship, the Africa Mercy, will deploy to the West African nation of Liberia in June. Mercy Ships is urgently seeking volunteer Christian educators to teach in the ship’s onboard Academy. LIBERIA, West Africa – The world’s largest charity hospital ship, the Africa Mercy, will deploy to the West African nation of Liberia in June. Mercy Ships is urgently seeking volunteer Christian educators to teach in the ship’s onboard Academy. “Living and teaching aboard the Africa Mercy will be challenging, but also extremely rewarding,” says Academy Director Brian Blackburn. “We’re looking for teachers qualified to work with students from Kindergarten through high school. We’re especially interested in teachers with specialties in math, science, English, French, Bible and art.” The 16,572-ton Africa Mercy is the newest Mercy Ship. An all-volunteer crew of nearly 500 from more than 30 nations will live and serve onboard, including about 60 children. The hospital ship will provide free world-class medical care to Africa’s forgotten poor using six onboard operating rooms and a 78-patient bed recovery ward. Applicants should be certified, have at least two years experience, and able to … [Read more...]

In preparation for “Plan A,” I recently bought a copy of Mel Gibson’s 2004 theatrical release The Passion of the Christ. In preparation for “Plan A,” I recently bought a copy of Mel Gibson’s 2004 theatrical release The Passion of the Christ. I saw it when it was first released, and once was more than enough. The images still are vivid in my mind. But I was impressed – as I read newsletters from Louisiana churches for a month before Easter – with the seriousness of this season. Easter isn’t jelly beans and fuzzy bunnies. The days leading up to Easter mark betrayal by a close friend, rejection by people who five days previously were singing praises, mistreatment by people giddy with the excitement of “getting to” yell at, spit on, and beat up someone they don’t know or care about. Pastors kept writing about this, and the words from a hundred or more newsletters, week in and week out, piled up in my mind. One newsletter reported that The Passion would be shown on Good Friday evening, and that sounded to me like a good way of contemplating afresh what it cost Jesus to pay for my sins. My “Plan A” was to establish a tradition of watching the film every Good Friday, so I bought it, but God began to … [Read more...]

Recently several of us who review films from a Christian perspective were the subject of a news article. The piece was written fairly and found its way into several religious and entertainment sections of papers across the land. Recently several of us who review films from a Christian perspective were the subject of a news article. The piece was written fairly and found its way into several religious and entertainment sections of papers across the land. Surprising to me, the warning of objectionable language in my critiques became a source of contention, not for Robert Butler, the author of the story, but by a fellow critic who said of his organization, “We like to think we’re a little more open-minded than to spend our time counting F-bombs and S-words.” Some Christians consider the signaling of vulgarity in upcoming films to be helpful when movie-choosing, while evidently others think pointing out such language is silly, or worse, pious. Normally I wouldn’t take up this space or your time defending my approach, but unbridled word abuse in movies is now going unchallenged by nearly every film analyst. Since the MPAA rating system began allowing for more invective speech back in the late 1960s, obscenity … [Read more...]

News reports in both the national print and electronic media have unfortunately sown some confusion over where Southern Baptists, and I, stand on the question of immigration reform. News reports in both the national print and electronic media have unfortunately sown some confusion over where Southern Baptists, and I, stand on the question of immigration reform. Like most Americans, Southern Baptists and other evangelicals continue to search for a morally responsible way to address the growing immigration crisis while honoring the rule of law. To date, legislation offering truly comprehensive immigration reform -- legislation that will garner the support of a critical mass of Southern Baptists and other evangelicals -- has yet to be written and introduced in Congress. Immigration reform that is “truly” comprehensive and will earn my support will square with the points covered in a resolution overwhelmingly adopted by Southern Baptists’ elected messengers meeting at their annual convention in June 2006. The reform would: n Insure the federal government provides for U.S. security “by controlling and securing our borders”; n Enforce immigration laws, including oversight of the hiring practices of … [Read more...]

One of the difficulties of serving as a missionary is battling the oppressive feeling that you are laboring alone, buried in obscurity and forgotten. One of the difficulties of serving as a missionary is battling the oppressive feeling that you are laboring alone, buried in obscurity and forgotten. The struggle is harder when you are serving in a country where the general population doesn’t even want you to be there. It grows heavier when friends from home forget to write. The devil tempts you to believe that they have also forgotten to pray and that you are making no difference. The Internet, which provides electronic mail, web cams and even low cost telephone service, makes it much easier to keep in touch today. I remember when you had to schedule international calls in advance.  You would sit in a room, much like the department of motor vehicles, and wait patiently for your name to be called.  When you finally heard something that sounded vaguely like your name, that was your cue that your call had finally gone through. You would rush to a numbered telephone booth and shout back and forth through static and echoes for as long as you could afford - which wasn’t very long. Mail was worse. The long … [Read more...]

The 634 inmates at Madison Parish Correctional Center and Madison Parish Detention Center here – both facilities are located on the same campus – have the opportunity to worship in regular, weekly church services, thanks to Johnny Magnuson, pastor of Willow Bayou Baptist Church in Tallulah, and his wife, among others. TALLULAH  – The 634 inmates at Madison ParishCorrectional Center and Madison ParishDetention Center here – both facilities are located on the same campus – have the opportunity to worship in regular, weekly church services, thanks to Johnny Magnuson, pastor of WillowBayou BaptistChurch in Tallulah, and his wife, among others. On Friday evenings, Magnuson preaches to the inmates at MPDC, and on Monday evenings he preaches to the inmates of MPCC. His wife, brother-in-law and sister-in-law, all of whom minister through music, assist Magnuson. I really feel that it’s important to carry on a prison ministry,” Magnuson said. “The love that the Lord Jesus Christ placed in my heart for all men is what inspires me to do prison ministry.” Marques Smith, inmate chaplain at both facilities, assists Magnuson by setting up the sound system and chairs before each service. In addition, he often leads in … [Read more...]

Uniting seven churches in the parish by the same name, this Baptist association ministers in a sparsely-populated part of Northeast Louisiana that borders Mississippi. MADISON BAPTIST ASSOCIATION – Uniting seven churches in the parish by the same name, this Baptist association ministers in a sparsely-populated part of Northeast Louisiana that borders Mississippi. The largest town, Tallulah, with an estimated population of 8,000, also is the parish seat. The majority of the parish is farmland and wooded areas, with agriculture the primary occupation, said Jay Morgan, Director of Missions for the association. Cotton, corn, soybeans, rice, crawfish, and cattle are the chief crops. The parish population of about 12,450 occupies 624.1 square miles. The area is rich in Civil War history as well as outdoor activities that are supported by the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge, which is home to black bear. “Because of our small size, we have the opportunity for a real close bond between the churches,” said Morgan, who indicated that the seven churches often function as one large church in many ways. “They know each other and have close relationships across churches. Being small has its good … [Read more...]

Changing from being a bi-vocational pastor to a full-time pastor can be a test of faith – to say the least, said Director of Missions of this Baptist association. MADISON ASSOCIATION – Changing from being a bi-vocational pastor to a full-time pastor can be a test of faith – to say the least, said Director of Missions of this Baptist association. Called into the ministry at the age of 37, Jay Morgan surrendered to preach in December 1996. Then, just five short years later, God’s call on Morgan’s life became more demanding. “I had prayed about being a full-time pastor, but I didn’t know that meant I would have to move,” said Morgan, who said the change was more difficult for his family. “It required me to move my family, caused my wife to have to change her job, my children had to change their schools, make new friends and we had to trust on the Lord totally for my income,” he explained. “They knew as well as I knew that to be used by God you have to be willing to move and be obedient to Him and His calling on your life,” Morgan said of his family’s reaction to God’s call for him to go into full-time ministry. “They never once questioned me once they knew God had called me to that ministry.” Morgan, … [Read more...]

According to the Louisiana Department of Education, 337 nonpublic schools operate in the state. Editor’s note: First in a multi-part series on education in schools affiliated with Southern Baptist churches in Louisiana. STATEWIDE – According to the Louisiana Department of Education, 337 nonpublic schools operate in the state. The vast majority of those are religiously affiliated, and, according to The Private School Review – www.privateschoolreview.com – 28 have labeled themselves as Baptist. While not all of those are Southern Baptist, at least 19 are, as was revealed through an unscientific phone survey conducted by the Message. A normal day at a Southern Baptist school incorporates prayer and Bible study, plus the acquisition of academic skills – reading, writing, arithmetic and more. The ‘A Beka’ curriculum, which all 19 Southern Baptist schools use, also includes a Christian world-view. “For example, in science the students in middle school will learn all of the theories of creation, the Big Bang, and everything, but also, with greater emphasis, they will learn that, according to the Bible, God spoke,” said Principal Amy Whatley at FirstBaptist ChristianSchool in Lafayette, where Bible study … [Read more...]