In most years, messengers to the annual Southern Baptist Convention find themselves drawn to exhibit areas by LifeWay Christian Store bargains, opportunities to spot familiar faces from years gone by and information from Baptist entities and church-related vendors. In most years, messengers to the annual Southern Baptist Convention find themselves drawn to exhibit areas by LifeWay Christian Store bargains, opportunities to spot familiar faces from years gone by and information from Baptist entities and church-related vendors. But the exhibit hall at the 2005 convention in Nashville, Tenn., included yet another kind of “draw” by Southern Baptist artist Joe McKeever who drew numerous caricatures of messengers and their families as part of the Baptist Press exhibit for the SBC Executive Committee. McKeever serves as director of missions for the Baptist Association of Greater New Orleans and draws cartoons regularly featured in Baptist Press, state Baptist newspapers and a variety of other publications. The lines were constant for a chance to sit across from  McKeever as he used broad-tipped black markers to sketch quick portraits in a matter of minutes – one after another. “So (that) I can sit here for … [Read more...]

Holding all her worldly possessions in a half-full garbage bag, Dorothy Ray got off the bus from Nebraska with her 14-year-old daughter. She had lost everything – her home, her car, her pride. But her oldest son was living in Nashville, Tenn., at the time and had invited his mother and siblings to come live with him and his wife and three children – eight people in a three-bedroom apartment. “For 10 months, I slept on the couch at my son’s and tried to figure out what I was going to do,” Ray says. “I was in the deepest depression. I had hit rock bottom, and to cope, I was drinking.” Ray, now 51, had been a single parent since she was 15. The ninth-grade dropout got her first apartment in the projects at age 16. For all those years, everybody had been looking to her for support and help. “I did everything for everybody for so long, I lost sight of Dorothy,” Ray admits. However, Ray slowly started developing a relationship with God while she was at her son’s home alone and reading the Bible. “I had always believed in Jesus,” she says. “One of my earliest memories is my grandmother taking me to church. But I didn’t really have a relationship with him.” Because of the time spent in the Bible and … [Read more...]

Billy Graham once rejected overtures to become president of Louisiana College in Pineville to continue his work as an evangelist. Billy Graham once rejected overtures to become president of Louisiana College in Pineville to continue his work as an evangelist. Graham, now 86, recently conducted what may have been be his final crusade in New York at Flushing Meadows Coronoa Park. Graham spoke at Louisiana College in 1949 and 1951. He was 33 at the time of his second appearance, and he already had established himself as one of the country’s most-powerful Christian evangelists. Edgar Godbold was president of Louisiana College in 1951 and was planning to retire the following year. According to Oscar Hoffmeyer’s book, “Louisiana College, 75 Years: A Pictorial History,” Graham was among those the trustees considered to succeed Godbold. But Graham declined the overtures. “In a telegram read to the trustees May 22, 1951, (Graham) requested that his name ‘not be presented’ to the board because ‘he didn’t have an impression this should be done,’” Hoffmeyer writes. Graham’s stature with Southern Baptists also received a boost from a man who now lives in Pineville. In the 1950s, Leonard Sanderson was director … [Read more...]

As he has for 60 years, Billy Graham ended his three-day New York crusade by offering about 90,000 in the crowd a glimpse of heaven. As he has for 60 years, Billy Graham ended his three-day New York crusade by offering about 90,000 in the crowd a glimpse of heaven. But as in perhaps no other crusade in his long history of evangelism, New York provided heaven’s face. Tucked into a corner of Queens where more than 130 languages are spoken each day, the June 24-26 Greater New York Billy Graham Crusade drew more than 230,000 people from every part of the world – whites, blacks, Asians, Hispanics, people whose families came to America generations ago and people so fresh they still marvel at this nation and its freedoms and opportunities. The remarkable diversity reflects the host city, home to the sort of integration of God’s people Graham has advocated for all his evangelical career and fitting for what many consider could be his lastsuch gathering. “Every nation on earth is truly represented on the sidewalks of New York City,” New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in his welcoming message on June 25. “And they are all here tonight.” Tall signs dotted the crusade’s corner of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, … [Read more...]

Church music session The 2005 Louisiana Baptist Church Music Conference has been set for Aug. 5-6 at Calvary Baptist Church in Alexandria. The two-day session is set to begin with registration on Friday from 10 a.m. to noon. A general worship session follows at noon, and a trio of sessions are set for Friday afternoon. The Saturday schedule includes two sessions, with the conference to conclude with a worship service at 11:30 a.m. The annieMOSES Band is scheduled to perform Friday night at 7 p.m. The concert is open to the public, with tickets available beforehand or at the door for $5 per person. Registration for the full  conference ranges from $35 to $80 depending on what session persons are attending and other factors. To register or for concert tickets, persons may call state convention offices at (800) 622-6549 or (318) 448-3402. Meeting change The location for the Preparing the Church Budget Seminar set for August 2 has been changed. The Louisiana Baptist Convention-sponsored seminar originally was scheduled at First Baptist Church of Carencro. However, it now is set for Aug. 2 at 7-9 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Opelousas. For details, call Louise King at (800) 622-6549 or (318) 448-3402, … [Read more...]

Every morning at eight o’clock, my mother-in-law started hearing a rooster crow. The first morning the rooster turned loose with its sun-raising cry, she thought she might be imagining things. Every morning at eight o’clock, my mother-in-law started hearing a rooster crow. The first morning the rooster turned loose with its sun-raising cry, she thought she might be imagining things. After all, she lives in a retirement complex in the heart of the city. The sounds of a crowing rooster had not been heard previously. The second morning, she thought it might be someone playing a radio or television especially loud. That is not entirely unusual in an apartment complex filled with folks whose hearing is not what it used to be. But my mother-in-law’s hearing is as sharp as a teenager’s. The third morning, my mother-in-law began to explore her surroundings to locate the sound, although adjoining residents had not heard the fowl’s lung exercising. When the rooster crowed, it was actually an extended series of crowings. My mother-in-law even walked out the exit door near her apartment to see if she could get a line on the direction of the origin of the irritating early morning noise. One never knows what … [Read more...]

Week of July 18, 2005 Potpourri SHREVEPORT – Kingston Road church:  Under His Wings gospel concert; July 31, 6 p.m.; Trey Lewis, pastor. HAUGHTON – First church:  Chad Grayson, guest speaker; July 31, 6 p.m.; Gevan L. Spinney, pastor. MINDEN – First church:  Dennis Swanberg, guest speaker; Aug. 1, 7 p.m.; Wayne DuBose, pastor. ST. FRANCISVILLE – First church:  Shawn Sullivan, speaker; July 31, 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.; Joe Ratcliff, pastor. SHREVEPORT – Woodland Hills church:  Jamie Womack, guest speaker; July 24, 11 a.m.; Michael Scott, pastor. IDA – Ida church:  Jamie Womack, guest speaker; July 24, 6 p.m.; Bill Treadway, pastor. SHREVEPORT – Emmanuel church:  The Continentals in concert; July 25, 7 p.m.; Bill Stowell, pastor. MANSFIELD – First church:  Wayne Berry in concert; July 31, 6 p.m.; Thumper Miller, pastor. LAFAYETTE – First church:  “Gaither Style” worship celebration; July 31, 6 p.m.; Luther Burney, minister of music; Perry Sanders, pastor. WEST MONROE – Mt. Vernon church:  David Patillo in concert; July 31, 7 p.m.; love offering accepted; Woody Rimes, pastor. ELIZABETH – Hopewell church:  The New Sunrise Country Gospel Group in concert; July 23, 7 p.m.; Alfred Kennedy, … [Read more...]

When a tsunami and earthquake devastated 11 Asian countries on Dec. 24, 2004, Bruce Venable says he knew Louisiana Baptist college students could not stand on the sidelines. By Brian Blackwell LBM Newswriter When a tsunami and earthquake devastated 11 Asian countries on Dec. 24, 2004, Bruce Venable says he knew Louisiana Baptist college students could not stand on the sidelines. They had to get involved somehow, someway. After communicating with Southern Baptist International Mission Board and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief personnel about a desire to work in the region, Venable learned of the Louisianans’ destination – Khao Lak, Thailand. During the Louisiana Baptist Collegiate Ministry Evangelism Conference in February, Venable then challenged the students to participate in a two-week missions trip to the Thailand city devastated by last year’s deadly disaster. “It was really a no-brainer,” notes Venable, director of special ministries in the Louisiana Baptist Convention Collegiate Ministry Division. “I want our students to be involved in current relevant issues and see how ministry can affect their daily lives.” Five Louisiana Baptist college students subsequently were chosen to … [Read more...]

In a recent issue, “Boundless” magazine named Baptist Collegiate Ministry one of the top 10 college ministries in the United States – but the news does not surprise two Louisiana Baptist Convention leaders. By Brian Blackwell LBM Newswriter In a recent issue, “Boundless” magazine named Baptist Collegiate Ministry one of the top 10 college ministries in the United States – but the news does not surprise two Louisiana Baptist Convention leaders. “Baptist Collegiate Ministries is the largest and most significant campus ministry in all of Louisiana,” explains John Moore, director of collegiate ministries for the Louisiana Baptist Convention. “We reach more students, win more students for Christ and send more students into the mission field than any other parachurch ministry in the state. And we do that with less money than the other ministries in Louisiana.” Bruce Venable echoes the thought. “One of the reasons we were ranked so high is that our churches are doing specialized ministry to students, which has always been our strongest trait,” notes Venable, director of special ministries for the LBC Collegiate Ministry Division. “Not all churches are able to have a college ministry, but they all … [Read more...]

As Gulf Coast residents hunker down in front of television sets for the latest hurricane news throughout this summer, they will find a single, calm voice to guide them through what is looking to be an eventful summer storm season. As Gulf Coast residents hunker down in front of television sets for the latest hurricane news throughout this summer, they will find a single, calm voice to guide them through what is looking to be an eventful summer storm season. The voice belongs to Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center. And as an advisor to national media and governmental agencies, Mayfield’s words often are a matter of life and death. “You can’t overly alarm people,” the 56-year-old meteorologist says. “But our message is very consistent. We want every individual, every family and every business to have a hurricane plan before the storm. People who had a plan did better than people who did not (in previous years).” As the voice in the midst of life-threatening storms, Mayfield himself relies on his Christian faith. He quickly recalls a verse he claims as his own – 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18. “Rejoice in everything, pray without ceasing,” it reads. “In everything give thanks for this is the … [Read more...]