WESTBANK, British Columbia – For 10 years now, North American missionaries Kevin and Alicia Madden have lived 2,200 miles away from Kevin’s birthplace, Washington, Ga., but their home and hearts are firmly rooted in Canada. By Mickey Noah NAMB staff writer WESTBANK, British Columbia – For 10 years now, North American missionaries Kevin and Alicia Madden have lived 2,200 miles away from Kevin’s birthplace, Washington, Ga., but their home and hearts are firmly rooted in Canada. Madden is a church planting missionary and senior pastor of The Potter’s House Community Church in Westbank BC, a community of 30,000 people, located about four hours from Vancouver. The Maddens are among more than 5,200 missionaries in the United States, Canada and their territories supported by the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions. The 2006 Annie Armstrong Easter Offering’s goal is $56 million, 100 percent of which is used for missionaries like the Maddens. Louisiana’s goal is $1.7 million. “We are so blessed by the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering,” says Madden. “As part of the Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists, we work very closely with the North American Mission Board. The funds from … [Read more...]
Disaster relief honors Yeager
ALEXANDRIA – State leaders recently honored 150 Louisiana Baptist disaster relief volunteers during an appreciation supper at the Baptist Building in Alexandria. By Brian Blackwell Staff writer ALEXANDRIA – State leaders recently honored 150 Louisiana Baptist disaster relief volunteers during an appreciation supper at the Baptist Building in Alexandria. Among those receiving awards was Linda Yeager, who was presented with a certification of appreciation for her role as the state disaster relief volunteer coordinator. “I have enjoyed working with all the staff at the Louisiana Baptist Convention,” Yeager told the Baptist Message. “I have started many long-lasting relationships with the volunteers. “Working with the missions and ministries team and assisting the victims of these disasters has been a rewarding and fulfilling experience.” Since she assumed her role Aug. 31, Yeager has scheduled certified Southern Baptist disaster relief volunteers for numerous feeding and shower units stationed in Louisiana. Yeager also has assisted in: • Scheduling volunteers for the Katrina/Rita Response Call Center located in the Baptist Building; • Matching teams interested in doing missions work in the … [Read more...]
“Wired” reaches into schools
PINEVILLE – Teenagers from Donahue Family Church have been on a mission recently. By Brian Blackwell Staff writer PINEVILLE – Teenagers from Donahue Family Church have been on a mission recently. Their target – youth from 13 schools in Central Louisiana. Their method – distributing more than 7,000 fliers and 2,000 bracelets at their schools. Their reason – to attract their peers to “Wired,” a five-night evangelistic meeting at the Pineville church. The event, which began March 6 and will end March 10, features a dramatic presentation based on Wired’s theme – “Crazy.” Each night, a character was introduced who is dealing with crazy life issues such as poverty and family problems. Wired’s theme was two-fold, Michelle Neal, youth minister at Donahue Family Church, said. “The first point is to get our student leaders involved to bring glory to God,” Neal explained. “And the second point is teenage life is crazy and the media tells them what to do with their life too much.” In addition to promoting the event on area billboards and radio station, the students distributed 7,000 fliers with information about “Wired” to their classmates at schools in such towns as Tioga, Grant, Buckeye, Pineville … [Read more...]
Checking out churches: Celebration Church, New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS – In town to cover a Baptist Collegiate Ministries disaster relief missions event, I decided to worship at Calvary since the phone book said their first service was 8:15 a.m. By Karen L. Willoughby Managing editor NEW ORLEANS – In town to cover a Baptist Collegiate Ministries disaster relief missions event, I decided to worship at Calvary since the phone book said their first service was 8:15 a.m. Reminder: Nothing in New Orleans is the same as it used to be. Most churches that had multiple services now are glad to be able to have even one! However, Celebration Church, where Dennis Watson is pastor, meets three times on Sundays and on Saturday evening, I found out, when almost by chance, I came across their “Transatlantic campus.” Sounded fairly pretentious to me, but it turns out Transatlantic is the name of the street. I found myself floundering in the foyer; no one greeted me. That’s part of what happened when 75 percent of the congregation was dispersed, I found out after being “rescued” from the fear of “what do I do in this strange place?” by staff member Cindy Meilleur. High points: Superb worship led by Dwight Fitch Jr.; call to prayer at the altar long before the … [Read more...]
Arkansas Baptists assist Louisiana
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Ten years ago, Emil Turner left a successful pastorate at First Baptist Church of Lake Charles, La., when he accepted a call as executive director of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Ten years ago, Emil Turner left a successful pastorate at First Baptist Church of Lake Charles, La., when he accepted a call as executive director of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. “My wife and I were talking just last night about the great impact Louisiana Baptists have had on our lives,” Turner said on March 2. “This is our opportunity to serve the Lord and return some of the grace we have received.” Turner sent his team leader for missions ministries, Darwin Bacon, to participate March 2 in a Project NOAH rebuilding strategy meeting in New Orleans. It was not the first time Arkansas Baptists had been in Louisiana. “Our disaster relief volunteers were among the very first people into Kenner with feeding units [after Katrina,]” Turner said. “We bought refrigerated trailers in order to truck food to New Orleans.” Arkansas feeding units fed almost 2 million post-Katrina meals in Louisiana, and countless chain saw ministry projects. Arkansas Baptists also gave cash … [Read more...]
Katrina dogs state’s largest city
NEW ORLEANS – “I guess I just miss my old life,” said Shirley Dolbear, formerly of East New Orleans. By Karen L. Willoughby Managing editor NEW ORLEANS – “I guess I just miss my old life,” said Shirley Dolbear, formerly of East New Orleans. Her home was destroyed by flooding that left her – at age 86 – clinging for more than two days to the eaves of her house before her son commandeered a boat without motor or oars. That doesn’t matter now, though, she said from the steps of her FEMA trailer, parked beside her sister’s home. What does matter are friends scattered across the nation. There won’t be any more weekly lunches, Dolbear said. Life won’t ever be the same in New Orleans, people are beginning to realize. Two weeks ago they still were in shell-shock. Now they’re beginning to realize the amount of clean-up and rebuilding that will be required, and for what, ask people like Dolbear who lost not only her home and friends, but also her lifestyle. But Southern Baptists bring hope, and before a group of chain saw-toting Baptist Collegiate Ministries students left Dolbear’s sister’s home with a cleaned back yard and a pile of logs and tree branches by the front curb, the elderly woman made a … [Read more...]
NOAH picks up hammer
NEW ORLEANS – More than $5 million is designated for Louisiana Southern Baptists to help in the rebuilding of New Orleans, North American Mission Board officials announced this week. By Karen L. Willoughby Managing editor NEW ORLEANS – More than $5 million is designated for Louisiana Southern Baptists to help in the rebuilding of New Orleans, North American Mission Board officials announced this week. NAMB is designating $5.14 million of its Hurricane Katrina funds for the hurricane relief rebuilding effort called Project NOAH (New Orleans Area Hope) in New Orleans and the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, said Jim Burton, NAMB volunteer mobilization director. The money is to be used for the rebuilding of 1,000 homes and 20 churches. “You’ve got to rebuild neighborhoods before you rebuild churches,” Burton said. “One of the principles we’re dealing with is that the more logistics you can do ahead of time, the easier you can make it for the responder and the more responders you’ll have.” Burton was in New Orleans late last week to strategize with about a dozen leaders from the Louisiana Baptist Convention and its churches, affected associations and even the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, … [Read more...]
Louisiana opens Chalmette kitchen
CHALMETTE – At the request of FEMA, Louisiana Baptists opened a new kitchen Thursday, March 2, at a gutted elementary school here to feed the protective services personnel being displaced from their former temporary housing aboard cruise ships docked on the Mississippi River. By Karen L. Willoughby Managing editor CHALMETTE – At the request of FEMA, Louisiana Baptists opened a new kitchen Thursday, March 2, at a gutted elementary school here to feed the protective services personnel being displaced from their former temporary housing aboard cruise ships docked on the Mississippi River. Emergency supplies such as super-size cans of Dinty Moore Beef Stew were moved Tuesday from Louisiana Baptist Convention’s disaster relief storage and trucked to Rowley Elementary School in St. Bernard Parish, said Cal Jones, interim director of Men’s Ministries for LBC, who was supervising the loading. “FEMA requested our help,” Jones said. “The Food Bank in Alexandria sent people to load; FEMA will truck it to Chalmette, and Southern Baptist volunteers from Louisiana and all over the nation will run the kitchen from now until May – cook, serve and clean up.” The Red Cross will keep the kitchen supplied with food, … [Read more...]
Last sermon speaks of God’s love
NEW ORLEANS – In what he called his last sermon, Billy Graham offered a message of thanks and encouragement during last weekend’s Celebration of Hope at the New Orleans Arena. By Brian Blackwell Staff writer NEW ORLEANS – In what he called his last sermon, Billy Graham offered a message of thanks and encouragement during last weekend’s Celebration of Hope at the New Orleans Arena. “This is probably the last evangelistic sermon I’ll ever preach,” the 87-year-old evangelist told an overflow crowd of 17,800 people on Sunday. “But it’s been wonderful to be here. Thank you. “I’d like to thank my friends George Beverly Shea and Cliff Barrows for all these years we’ve been together,” Graham continued as he sat on his liftchair that raised him to the wooden pulpit’s appropriate height. “I look forward to a big reunion one day in heaven. God bless you all.” His last visit to the city was a six-week crusade 52 years ago. This time, he delivered a 22-minute message of hope to a city desperately in need of encouragement. Graham said he watched in shock as Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans’ levee system, leaving much of the city underwater. But days later, he said, “we saw the great men and women who … [Read more...]
Grahams give hope to Katrina survivors
NEW ORLEANS (BP) – Billy Graham, fielding a reporter’s question about the great lesson that can be learned from Hurricane Katrina, responded, “That there is much more to life than material things.” By Kelly Boggs Editor NEW ORLEANS (BP) – Billy Graham, fielding a reporter’s question about the great lesson that can be learned from Hurricane Katrina, responded, “That there is much more to life than material things.” The 87-year-old evangelist answered the query without hesitation and added, “There is a moral and spiritual strength that is needed not only in New Orleans and the Ninth Ward, but it is needed everywhere. “We are living in a very tumultuous period in history,” he reflected. “With Katrina’s aftereffects and the war in Iraq and all these things going on, if ever the country needs to turn to God it is now.” Graham’s comments came during a March 8 tour of communities in the hurricane-ravaged New Orleans area with his son Franklin. The Grahams were in New Orleans for a two-day “Celebration of Hope” crusade. The elder Graham originally wasn’t scheduled to take part in the March 11-12 outreach but told his son that New Orleans had really been “a burden on my heart” and that he wanted to … [Read more...]
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