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ENTRE NOUSNTRE NOUS July 2013Volume 41, No. 6Bert LangleyElizabeth A. Langley Director of Missions Melaney DudleyOffice Administrator Administrative AssistantWeldon Moak & Nathan Rush Mary LangfordModerators Counselor

Publication of Evangeline & Gulf Coast Baptist Associations of the Louisiana Baptist Convention

When we think of summer Mission Trips, w

picture exotic locations or unusual ministries, b

sometimes a mission trip can be as practical

helping your association office stay maintained and

good order. We have been blessed in the month o

June with a group who was willing to share aafternoon or two of sweat equity at the EBA offic

Because of their willingness to volunteer to do upkeep an

cleaning, the association office has been able to channel resourc

into other ministries. A special thanks to the Ponter family (eig

adopted girls: four from China, four from Bolivia) who live outsid

Decatur, Alabama, for their hard work and sweet spirits!

Thank you to all who contacted the EBA Office to let us know about your desire to continue

to receive the Entre Nous by mail. It helped to have your responses so that we can better

communicate with all who are interested in the ministries supported through the

Evangeline Baptist Association.

EBA&WMU will be joining together this year to promote

The Bucket Project: Hospice Kits.Those living with HIV/AIDS deal with humiliation, secrecy,

isolation and death on a daily basis. One who works among these

hurting people in South Africa said that poverty is their friend

and death is their neighbor. What sad words!

These kits will be provided to people dying from aids in Africa.

Contents for the buckets will be collected at the EBA Annual

Meeting as well as at individual churches in the association.

The ministry provided through these buckets can truly have

life-changing effects.

You can learn more about this ministry at

www.gogbr.org/buckets

http://www.gogbr.org/http://www.gogbr.org/http://www.gogbr.org/

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DOM LinesDOM Lines Bert Langley, Director of Missions

I am exhausted but gladly so! Three grown children and three little granddaughters just left, having

been with us for almost a week. We dont get to be with them as often as we would like, and are so grate-

ful they were willing to make the long drive to come to us. Our time together was chaotic fun --

someone playing the piano, another riding a scooter around the furniture, Lego pieces spread on the

dining table, and very often, more than one needing a snack.

You know what its like; you have children and grandchildren. And you know, too, that all the parenting books

warn against showing favorites. The Bible also uses the story of Joseph to show what can happen when a father exhibits

strong preference for one son. In spite of those clear signals, I found that I do have favorites. I am delighted by the child

who wakes up smiling and singing. I want to hug the one who comes to offer help in the kitchen. I am so pleased when I

see one little girl sharing a toy with another. I am so proud of the one who can read far beyond her grade level. I love it

when a granddaughter asks to lead prayer at mealtime. My smile is large when a little one says, Can I sit on your lap? I

am delighted by one childs imagination and creativity. And I especially enjoy teaching this one how to play dominoes and

another one how to make banana pudding. Nothing is more gratifying than seeing one of those little girls overcome herown will and obey a parent.

Im sure you know what Im saying: My favorite granddaughter is whichever one is doing any of the above at any

given moment. And as I have been thinking about their visit, it has occurred to me that our Heavenly Father must feel

much the same toward us. He loves us all the time, but when do we please and delight Him most? Isnt it when we are

singing and praising, when we are gladly helping others, when we are developing the abilities He has given us, when we

pray, when we just want to be with Him, when we express our creativity, when we learn new skills, and maybe most of all,

when we obey?

Jesus said we needed to be like children to enter His kingdom. Those of us who have been in His kingdom a long

time might want to take a good look at our children and grandchildren to see what we can learn from them. May the rest of

the summer be a blessed time for your family.

Evangeline Baptist Association Connecting Churches Through the Cross Gulf Coast Baptist Association

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Thenyou will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:31,32

How would you define Freedom? The word free may be the most popular word in humanlanguages and also the most illusive as it relates to mankind. Men fight for freedom, then they begin toaccumulate laws to take it away from themselves (Author Unknown). Moshe Dayan (Israel

military leader and politician) said, Freedom is the oxygen of the soul. Benjamin Franklin, in the Historica

Review of Pennsylvania, 1759, wrote, They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safetydeserve neither liberty nor safety.

The Jews in Jesus day believed they were free because they were Abrahams descendants and had never been enslaveto anyone (John 8:33). Surely Rome would have disagreed with them. There are many who would say they are free because theare Americans. In truth, there are more people bound by addictions and fears in America than all the prisoners incarcerated inour land.

When our forefathers wrote and signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776, they must have felt a sense ofreedom, although the war against the British continued through that year. Surely their sense of freedom did not come from thabsence of war. Thomas Jefferson wrote, When the people fear the government there is tyranny, when the government fearthe people there is liberty.

Those listening to Jesus longed for a Messiah who would come and free them from the Roman Government. In theimind they felt real freedom would be the fall of Roman. Jesus never mentions the Roman Government as he talks abou

freedom. Rather He said, Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. (John 8:34) He knew we could never bfree as long as sin and the law controlled us. As a dead person is free from the powers of this world we would truly be fre

when we died to self and alive in Him. In Galatians 5:1 Paul wrote, It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firmthen, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Freedom is never free (Author Unknown). The cross was the price of freedom and real freedom is still found iJesus. Celebrate your freedom in Jesus today!

Counselors CornerCounselors Corner Mary Langford, Counselor

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Evangeline Baptist Association Connecting Churches Through the Cross Gulf Coast Baptist Association

Through the support of the churches in the Evangeline Baptist Association, we are able to provide funding for

number of ministries in the Acadiana area. In the next few issues of the Entre Nous we are going to highlight some o

these ministries so you can see how your financial and prayer support help reach many for Christ in some new an

different ways. This months focus is on Church Acadiana, pastored by Andy Manning.

Church Acadiana was launched in a living room in June of 2005 by Andy and LydiaManning with the prayer and support of the EBA and the North American Mission Board.Today, over fifty people gather weekly for worship at Celebrity Theatres in Broussard. Andmeeting in a movie theatre has its advantages. Two Sundays a year (every April and October),area charities utilize the theatre for their events, attracting hundreds of people. And ChurchAcadiana takes advantage of the crowds. Pastor Andy said, We invite all of our members toshow up early on those days. Wearing matching t-shirts, we give out free refreshments and passout flyers inviting people to church. Instead of viewing these events as disturbances, we sensedGod telling us that these events were His way of helping us invite the community to church.

Church Acadiana is focused on reaching the lost at any cost. In 2011, the church was experiencing somfinancial setbacks, even with Pastor Andy working bi-vocationally. It was during this time of shortage that God gavthe church an impossible vision: Raise an additional $8,000 and put on a big day for Easter 2012. It was a craz

idea that had to come from God, recalled Pastor Andy, because God was calling us to raise extra money for a bevent while we didnt have enough money for our monthly bills. But the church moved forward with prayer, harwork, and extreme generosity. Some members even held their own garage sales and sold things on Craigs List order to contribute to the churchs Easter Outreach Fund. When Easter finally came, the church grew by ov100%, with many people making professions of faith. We saw people return who hadnt been to church in a lontime, and we reached many brand new people who were just waiting to be invited to church.

Just about everyone who attends Church Acadiana is from an unchurchebackground, and thats why their Home Group ministry has been so crucial fdiscipleship. Small groups meet in homes during the week for prayer, care, and Bibstudy. The groups all study the same thing: the previous Sundays sermon. Sermobased small groups have been highly effective for us for a number of reasons. ThSunday sermon pushes people to plug in to a small group in order to go deeper with th

sermon, and Home Group attenders are pushed to listen carefully to the sermonknowing that they will be studying it further in Home Group.

Church Acadiana is small, but that doesnt discourage them from reaching out in big ways. We used our annuChristmas Offering this year to build a well in Asia and to help a needy lady in the church with some emergencdental care. Twice a year we provide school supplies and Christmas gifts for the children of inmates in associatiowith Innerfaith Prison Ministry. We support two missionaries on a monthly basis. And thats only a snapshot oour outreach. We are constantly teaching our people to look for opportunities to serve others in Jesus name and be contagious evangelists wherever they go.

Pastor Andy hopes to stay at one church for a lifetime. I have the most wonderful church family. Onthey were lost and looking for answers, and now they love Jesus, they love His church, they excel at giving, and theare passionate about reaching their friends for Christ. I cant wait to see how God will use us in Acadiana anbeyond in the years to come!

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ENTRE-NOUSPublication of theEvangeline & Gulf Coast Baptist Associations

P. O. Box 81244Lafayette, LA 70598-1244(337) 237-6956 Fax: (337) 237-4319

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Non-Profit

ORGANIZATION

U. S. POSTAGE

P A I D

Lafayette, LA

PERMIT No. 201

ALASKA MISSIONS GARAGE SALE

Saturday, Oct. 12

at FBC Lafayette

Donations are now being accepted!

Please contact Marvin Savoie at 278-4381

for more information.

ALL PROCEEDS FROM

THE GARAGE SALE

WILL GO TO ALASKA

MISSIONS WORK

2 - Judy (Mrs. Wallace) Millsaps, FBC Jeanerette5 - Gary Funderburk, East Bayou

6 - Peggy (Mrs. Tony) Ronsonet, Coteau Holmes

7 - June (Mrs. Sam) Blaylock, Trinity, New Iberia

18 - Zack Young, Retired

22 - Thurman Floyd, FBC Pecan Island

Sam Perry, East Bayou

24 - Scott McKenzie, FBC Lafayette

29 - Johnny Ward, FBC Delcambre

- Ginger (Mrs. Jessie) Charpentier, Jenkins Memorial

Camp Director: John Hebert

Cost: $35.00

For more information: abccamp@abccamp.com

or phone: 337-457-9047

Regional Sunday School

Training Conference

NOBTS

Saturday, September 28th

Regional Sunday School

Training Conference

FBC Jennings

Saturday, October 5th