May Fiscal Year Prayerful

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Louisiana Non-Profit Org. Fellowship People US Postage Paid 543 Ockley Drive Shreveport, LA 71106 Shreveport, LA www.cbfla.org Permit No. 874

Looking Ahead: June 27 Christian Ethics Today sponsored conference “The Minister and IDENTITY: Politics: How to be Prophetic Without Being Partisan” featuring Tony We are a fellowship of Baptist Campolo and Jim Wallis; 1-5pm prior to start of General Assembly. Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great June 28-29 CBF General Assembly, Washington DC; information at the- Commandment and the Great fellowship.info Commission of Jesus Christ and a commitment to Baptist principles of July 12-15 “Happily Ever After” International Marriage Enrichment faith and practice. Celebration, Orlando, Florida; information at bettermarriages.org.

MISSION: Serving Christians and churches Louisiana Meeting Speaker: Jeremy D. Lewis Rural Poverty Initiative Specialist as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

CBF-LA Receipts Mar-May Fiscal Year Prayerful.... 3/01/07-2/28/08 thoughtful... Undesignated $15,354.01 $15,354.01 wholistic ministries Together for Hope $3,675.01 $3,675.01 Disaster Relief $50.00 $50.00 giving authentic voice Extra-Budget $3,940.00 $3,940.00 to the whispering of Designated funds Credits $941.00 $941.00 the Spirit in our ears TOTAL 24,542.73 $24,542.73 ...need our support. Make a regular Louisiana Fellowship People Sent to you free for the asking. quarterly or monthly Published by CBF of Louisiana gift. Use the enclosed 8646 Ridgemont Dr., Pineville, LA 71360 envelope. Partake in John Daugherty, Coordinator 318-640-5782 cell:318-229-3738 [email protected] All together now. the blessing. Reid Doster, Disaster Response Coordinator and Beat the summer drought. New Church Start Pastor ( 985-222-6900 [email protected] Jay Hogewood, Moderator Save a Tree. Save CBF-LA Some Dough. Charlene Kelley, Past Moderator Receive our newsletter by email in PDF for- Greg Hunt, Representative to National CBF Send communications about newsletter to: mat. Sign up at [email protected]. Editor-Kyle Kelley, [email protected] Fellowship People Volume 14, No. 3 LouisianaNewsletter of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Louisiana cbfla.org May-June-July, 2007 Loaves and Fishes Goal Met! Romany (Gypsy) Church in Moldova to Have Building After 5 years of valiant struggle, erished nation in Europe and comprise A small construction and VBS mission Bethlehem Baptist Church, a Gypsy con- the only all Gypsy church in the country. trip is set for late August. To participate gregation, in Vulcanesti, Moldova will In a town unable to afford even one or assist, contact Keith Holmes at soon have a building for the first time public building, the church will provide [email protected]. Construction hope- through a partnership with CBF-LA. a natural outreach center for all village fully will be finished by years end. Like life. loaves and fishes in the Master’s hands, Most members live on only a few this offering brings the Bread of Life to a dollars a day, making the $30,000 price hearty young congregation ministering tag for refurbishing the church seem among the least of these. hopelessly out of reach. Local laws pre- vent use of the building until it is brought up to code. After CBF Missionary and Louisiana native Keith Holmes and his wife Mary championed the cause of the congregation, seed gifts began to come from individuals and Members of Bethlehem Church in front church groups, including a pledge from of their soon to be completed building. Broadmoor-Baton Rouge that included Following a mission trip in October to 3 months salary for the pastor. Bethlehem Pastor Ion Matveev, right, and view Romany work, John Daugherty Then in March, when Keith visited Pastor Schiopu open crayons donated by challenged our fellowship to sponsor his home church of University-Baton PassportKids for neighborhood outreach. the church’s building efforts. Rouge, a vision for this work ignited Poor in things but rich in spirit, with the parishioners, who pledged the INSIDE: Story on Bethlehem Pastor church members live in the most impov- remainder of the funds, nearly $20,000!

Baptists of Multi Stripes Build with Habitat for 12 Katrina Families On 12 home sites in Baton Rouge, hundreds of Baptists unit- in her eyes – she is so excited and working right along with us,” ed for one common cause – rebuilding the lives of Hurricane said Canadian Baptist Ministries volunteer Debbie Bailey, who Katrina evacuees. A two-week “blitz build” began late April in sev- drove 26 hours from Ontario to help with the build. eral neighborhoods. In partnership with Habitat for Humanity, Participants came from as far as Canada and California. Some CBF joined other Baptist organizations to fund the build, and were veteran Habitat volunteers. All wanted to reach out to mobilize nearly 600 volunteers. Katrina victims and most were Baptists experiencing one of the dis- Other groups included American tinctive qualities of this build – working together beyond organiza- Baptist Churches USA, Baptist World tional, racial and geographical boundaries. Aid, Alliance of Baptists, Canadian “Once you put people in service together, all kinds of differ- Baptist Ministries, Progressive ences break down,” said Bruce Wilson, pastor of West Main National Baptist Convention and the Church in Danville, Va., which sent a 10-person roofing team. District of Columbia Baptist “The hope of the church is in projects like these.” Convention. “It’s a beautiful mixture of Through a partnership with CBF, Texas Baptist Men provided Baptists coming from all parts of the food for volun- country,” said Daniel Vestal, CBF’s teers, bringing national coordinator. “For us to work two teams to pro- together has been a joy.” vide an estimated “There’s a great sense of the presence 8,000 meals. “It’s of Christ here,” said Roy Medley, gen- an honor to be eral secretary for ABCUSA. For many here and be a part Joy Yee, Past National of these families, a new house was the of this,” said Moderator: handy conclusion to an 18-month Katrina Larry Burks, a with the siding. journey that took many of them from director with the New Orleans to Baton Rouge shelters, Texas group. “A hotels and travel trailer parks. “This will be a better start for me cup of cold water and my daughter,” said New Orleans evacuee Shantrell Merrell, and a hot meal in who has been living in a FEMA travel trailer park. “It’s a blessing Jesus’ name is from God. It’s a miracle.” what [we] are Fannie Munson, who is raising five of her 13 grandchildren, about.” couldn’t wait to see the children’s reaction to the new house. “The - adapted from report Daniel Vestal, right, congratulates John joy ...only God can explain it,” Munson related. “The hope you see by Carla Wynn Daugherty on missing his thumb 7 of 9 tries. bers...He isvery lovedbythecongr vinced itshouldtakewithout cuttingtieswiththemem- r and humor good storyuphissleeve,particularly thosewithtwistsofirony loving personalityofitsauthor. Johnalwaysseemstohave a service, celebratingamongmanythings,theexcellentleader- May 20,thecongregation heldits50thanniversaryworship his high calling. tor who hasmanaged toretain the humility, joyand wonderof helm ofthechurch.” Indeed,Johnrepresents theveteranpas- ly fortunateto havehadsuchaloving andwisemanatthe J Dr. JohnGoodwin emarkable abilitytoleada chur Broadmoor P Deuter. 15:7-11; Psalms82:3-4;Proverbs 14:21,31,22:9;Isaiah1:17;Ezekiel18:7;Matthew25:31-46; Psalms 68:5,107:9,146:7;Luke4:16-21;Philippians2:6-7;1:46-53;Mark12:41-44; James2:1-8; leaves Broadmoor-Baton RougeinJulyforretirement. On ust 3monthsshyof28yearsaspastor, Dr. JohnW. Goodwin Acts 10:1-4; Romans 12:9-13; 2 Corinthians 8:9-15; I Timothy 6:17-19; Dr. Malcolm Tolbert notesofhisfriend,“He hasthe of Scripture tellingusofGod’s Retir To takeseriously2,000verses special concernforthepoor Together es as Church Celebrates50th es asChurch Anniversary For Hope . Louisiana and marginalized astor andCBF-LAPioneerJ try reflecting thepithy, tothepoint,fun “Pastor sional” minister. the hangingupofhisspikesas“profes- and hisinfluencewillendure longafter His nameisonourfoundingdocuments porter ofthemovementinLouisiana. been thr the church foroverhalfitslife. ship ofaservantwhohasshepher His popularweeklycolumn, Goodwin, anearlyleaderofCBF, has ’s PenPoints,”travelsthecoun- ough theyearsanunfailingsup- ch inthedirection heiscon- egation thatfeels extr chase accepted.Pleasegive! Carroll andexpandintomiddlehighschools.Cashgiftsforbulkpur- We hopetosupplyalleligibleelementarystudentsofTensas andEast GOAL: 800BookBagswithSupplies Deadline: July25 Needed: Baton Rouge,PinevillePark,First-Winnsboro Alexandria, St.Charles-NewOrleans,University-BatonRouge,Broadmoor-

ohn Goodwin cbf rural poverty initiative Hope 2007 Hope 2007 * Newclearormeshbookbags * Suppliesperbag:-100sheetspaperregularorcollegerule eme ded Bags of Bags of - Drop of [email protected]. ministry experiences. Tryhimat985-222-6900 or Reid willplug youoryourgroupinto meaningful Disaster Responsewebsite at Reid Dosterhasdesignedand updatesaCBFNational arenotcaught flatfootedforthenextdisaster. we We aremaintainingequipmentandamodestreserveso has grown. managed toconserveresourcesevenasourimpact istries whohaveotherfundingsources,we ners andvolunteers,combiningeffortswithmin- Through inkindcontributionsoflocalchurches,part- more inthefall.. Our volunteernumbersareexpectedtogroweven committed for2007,morethanin2006. Our disasterresponseministryhasover800volunteers - 12pencils - 6regularorcollegerulenotebooks f pointchurches:First-Shreveport,Emmanuel- Did youknow? cbfresponds.com.

James 1:27; I John 3:16-18; Jeremiah 9:23-24; Matthew 19:21-26; Partners in Prayer Calendar Some missionary names omitted due to sensitive nature of work. RomanyKeith Holmes and MaryMission van Rheenen JUNE romani-bible.org gypsyministries.com 2 Emily Morrow, 1990, daughter, Frank & Karen Morrow, Texas 4 _____, unevang. groups, SE Asia 7 Diann Whisnand, El Paso, TX 8 Janice Newell, Albanian/Balkan 8 Kyle Smith, 1989, son, Greg & Sue, Virginia PastorPastor JohnJohn andand 9 Michelle Cayard, China 10 Kim Wyatt, internat., Canada 14 ____, unevang. group, Mid East Bethlehem Church 15 ____, 1985, daughter, mobilizer unevang. Bethlehem Church groups, SE Asia 16 ____, 1988, daugh., unevang. groups, SE Asia 17 Margie Thibodeaux, Georgia 18 Elizabeth Fortenberry, Los Angeles 19 Ana D’Amico, North Carolina 20 Lonnie Turner, HIV/AIDS, Africa 21 ____, 2000, daughter, unevangelized people group, Asia 21 ____, unevang. people group, Mid East 22 Brenda Lisenby, China 22 ____, scripture translation, Asia 22 Darrell Smith, Albanian/Balkan peoples, Macedonia 23 Sarah Ballew, partnership advocate, Macau, China 23 Helen McNeely, Emeritus, 2002 Pastor Ion, at left, walks along a typical street in Vulcanesti with two church members. 23 Martha Shaw, Albanian/Balkan peoples, Macedonia 23 _____, 1998, son, scripture translation, Asia ore than a pastor, Ion (“John” in English) Matveev has served as "bishop" of the 24 Hannah Myrick, 1989, daughter, Lori & Tim MBaptist churches in the Vulcanesti region of Moldova. In addition, with his wife Myrick, Jordan Vera, he has been foster parent to a sort of mini-orphanage of about 8 kids for 5 years, 25 Brian McAtee, Oklahoma 26 ____, unevang. people group, N Africa which has supplied their housing and much of their income. However, they are expecting 26 Tim Myrick, Bedouin people, Jordan another child of their own shortly, so will turn the “orphanage” over to another couple. 26 ____, 2005, daugh., unevang. ppl group, Asia Pastoring Bethlehem Church is a faith step for the family financially. JULY Pastor Ion is ethnically Romanian. Under his leadership, the church in Nisporeni (sort 3 Nathanael Ballew, 1994, son, Larry & Sarah of the "parish seat" of the region) moved from being in the red to not only paying their Ballew, China bills but giving to missions and outreach. With background in agriculture, he built a 3 Jesse Burnette, 1990, son, Ellen&Rick, Thailand 4 Alex Smith, 1990, son, Darrell & greenhouse to start early tomatoes and watermelons (which fetch a higher price at the Kathy Smith, Macedonia local markets) as an example for church members in Nisporeni and in Vulcanesti. He also 5 Jeanette Lochner, teacher, China led the church in Nisporeni to partner with Christians in Scotland in ministry to a resi- 5 Bob Potts, Emeritus, 1998 dential school for mentally handicapped children. They provided the school with blankets 6 Shelah Acker, West Africa and other necessities as part of their outreach. 6 Sam Harrell, East Africa Pastor Ion has also spearheaded Christian summer camps for his church and children 6 Becky Shenton, Freemont, CA 8 Doug Shenton, Freemont, CA in other unchurched towns. Well known and respected among Baptists in Moldova, he 10 _____, internationals, Europe brings much needed spiritual gifts of pastoral leadership and administration to an often 11Allie McNary, 1995, daughter, Dianne & Shane, chaotic setting. Keith, reflecting on Mary’s recent trip, states, “People, whether ethnical- Slovakia ly Russian, Romanian, or Romany, are warm and hospitable. However, Moldova is not a 12 Elizabeth Houser, 1990, daughter, Ana Marie & very organized place, and traveling there involves a lot of Scott, Southern Africa faith and more than a pinch of good humor.” 12 ____, unevang., M. East/N. Africa Mary reports Pastor Ion has prioritized tasks yet to be 12 Mark Podgaisky, 1999, son, Gennady & Mina done to the interior and exterior of the church. He also envi- Podgaisky, Ukraine 14 John Deal, Emeritus, 2001 sions mentoring young believers to be leaders and involving 14 Erik Smith, 1985, son, Becky&Jim, Germany them in a Bible college. A new outreach literacy program for 17 _____, 1996, son, unevang. group, Asia youth is in the planning stages. Mary notes, “Many chil- 17 _____, mobilizer, unevang.groups, SE Asia dren in the village don't trouble themselves to go to school. 19 Anne Burton, intern students, Los Angeles Then, when they grow up some, they realize it would be very 19 Jason Pittman, urban work, Miami, FL beneficial to know how to read and write!” 20 _____, son, unevang. group, N Africa Bringing good news in word and deed is a biblical, 21 _____, daugh., unevang. group, Mid East wholistic presentation of the gospel that Pastor Ion has com- 22 Dorothy Potts, Emeritus, retired 1998 23 Butch Green, internationals, Belgium mitted to with enthusiasm. His work and that of the Holmes 26 Rick Sample, internationals, SanFrancisco CA and the other 150+ CBF missionaries is dependent on our 27 Sarah Morrow, 1988, daughter, Frank & Karen gifts to the Global Mission Offering. With books closing Morrow, Texas soon on the annual offering, your help is needed in reaching 28 _____, 2000, daugh., script. translation, Asia Pastor Ion discusses future our national goal of $6,300,000 to grow these ministries. It’s 29 Christina Houser, 1997, daughter, Ana Marie & site of tomato greenhouse not just a Christmas thing! Give generously. Designate in Scott Houser, Southern Africa with member who will use 29 Karen Morrow, unevang. group, Texas earnings to support his family. the enclosed envelope or give on line at thefellowship.info. 30 James Francovich, Banjara Gypsies, India