Board members elected last year met in one of their regular sessions to discuss the work of the Louisana Baptist Convention, a $21 million ministry.
WOODWORTH – The Louisiana Baptist Convention last November elected 96
people – ministerial staff and laymen/laywomen – to be responsible for
the work of the LBC between annual meetings.
Those board members met Sept. 25-26 at Tall Timbers Baptist Conference
Center for their September meeting, one of three each year.
“We’ve been asked to care for and oversee the work of this $21 million
ministry,” said James Law, board president and pastor of First Baptist
Gonzales.
Board members heard staff and agency reports – important information
follows – and acted on subcommittee recommendations; they affirmed the
direction of Louisiana College; they sat at riveted attention as
Executive Director David Hankins described the kingdom of God.
But first they heard from Steve Folmar, board member and pastor of
First Houma, who presented a devotional thought from Jacob’s restless
night, recounted in Genesis 28.
“Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it,” Folmar read
from Genesis 28:16. He spoke of the busyness of life, and how
Christians sometimes feel because of that busyness that they’re all
alone in what they’re trying to accomplish for God.
“If we stop and rest, we will see God is in this place,” Folmar said.
“Like Jacob [in verse 17] we will say, ‘How awesome is this place. This
is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.’”
As part of the executive director’s report, LBC Missions and Ministry
team leader Mike Canady talked of the response to last year’s
hurricanes: Katrina and Rita:
176 churches have been adopted; 667 pastors and staff have been helped.
Louisiana and its associations now have 34 disaster relief units online
or nearly so, Canady said: four feeding, seven shower, two laundry, 17
chainsaw – three with heavy equipment, one communications, one
chaplaincy and two mud-out units.
“That’s a major increase for us,” Canady said.
Wayne Jenkins, LBC’s evangelism team leader, talked about Crossover
Lake Charles as part of Hankins’ report. Crossover is a pre-annual
meeting evangelistic blitz of the area; it was requested by the
churches in the Lake Charles area.
Crossover events include door-to-door evangelism, prayerwalks, Jesus
film distribution, block party and a Friday night crusade, plus a major
presence at the Crying Eagle FEMA trailer village.
“We need 300 counselors Friday night,” Jenkins said. “We need your help to make this successful.”
The LBC Executive Board operating committee followed Hankins’ report.
Cooperative Program giving – down by 9.54 percent in 2005 – is up by
4.7 percent for the same time frame in 2006. Board members approved a
$21 million budget for 2007 to be presented to messengers at the annual
meeting in November; the 2006 budget also was $21 million.
LBC’s auditors found the convention’s books to be in good order, the
administrative subcommittee reported; it also presented Executive Board
bylaw changes and a banking resolution, which will be finalized at the
Executive Board meeting in November.
Discussion followed on a change in retirement contributions made by the
state convention for pastors with GuideStone [formerly Annuity Board]
coverage. This is because GuideStone has changed a policy. The Message
will bring a full report on this action later this month.
LBC, an unincorporated association, is “not readily understood in law,”
reported the state convention’s attorney, Greg Erwin. Incorporation
would put the agency in a better legal position, he said. Erwin
presented Articles of Incorporation, which are printed on pages 6 and 7
in this issue of the Message, and which will be reprinted next week.
The Executive Board will present the Articles of Incorporation to be voted on by messengers at the annual meeting.
The final action of the program committee’s report was a recommendation
to messengers at the annual meeting that an annual Children’s Home
Offering be promoted in May to benefit the Louisiana Baptist Children’s
Home.
During Perry Hancock’s remarks to the Executive Board, the Children’s
Home executive director expressed his appreciation for the support
given by them and Louisiana Baptists for the children LBCH cares for.
In all, 127 ‘kids’ have lived on campus this year, 67 at the present
time, Hancock reported, including 26 young women in an Acteens group.
At Sellers Maternity Home, 92 women have come in for crisis pregnancy
consultations; 14 young women are in residence. Granberry Counseling
Centers, another aspect of the Children’s Home ministry, saw 986 new
clients this year.
Hancock also spoke of PathFinders Transitional Living – one of only
four group homes nationwide for those who turn 18 at a children’s home.
Eight late-teenagers live there now, he said.
Lindsey Burns, president of the Children’s Home trustee board,
announced that at their recent board meeting, trustees voted to return
management of its funds from the public sector to Louisiana Baptist
Foundation.
“We have all the confidence in Wayne Taylor and his staff,” Hancock said.
Taylor, who spoke next, expressed his excitement at the news.
“We’re here to work together and cooperate,” said Taylor, executive
director of the Louisian Baptist Foundation. “We can do more together
when we cooperate.”
He encouraged churches to send attorneys and financial professionals
among their members to participate in a 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 20
“Charitable Giving Techniques in Louisiana” continuing education
seminar at the Granberry Conference Center at Louisiana College in
Pineville.
Taylor also spoke of a “senior discount” available on federal income
tax for the 2006 and 2007 tax years, for people 70 and a half years old
or more, who have an IRA.
“You can pay your tithe or make other gifts (up to $100,000) to your
church and other Baptist work directly from your IRA and not owe
federal income tax on the distribution,” Taylor said. For more
information, call 877-523-4636 or visit www.LBFinfo.org, he said.
Joe Aguillard, president of Louisiana College, reported 307 freshmen on
campus, the largest class in the last five years, he said.
The Louisiana Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal related to the
process of electing a president, Aguillard reported to Executive Board
trustees.
Another suit – related to academic freedom – is pending, Aguillard
said. Louisiana College recently was named one of the 100 best buys in
colleges by U.S. News and World Report, one of only two colleges in the
state to receive that ranking, the president announced.
The college is starting a marching band, the president announced. The
trustees recently formed two task forces to consider the possibility of
the college starting a law school and a school of applied health.
The next meeting of the LBC Executive Board is set for Monday, Nov. 13 in Lake Charles.