By Alliance Defending Freedom staff DETROIT – A federal court agreed Thursday to allow several pro-life doctor groups to intervene in defense of a Catholic hospital system which the American Civil Liberties Union sued last year. In December, Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing the Catholic Medical Association, the Christian Medical and Dental Associations, and the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists asked the court to allow the groups to intervene. On March 23, the court will hear arguments on whether to dismiss the ACLU’s lawsuit, which seeks to force Trinity Health and its staff to commit abortions regardless of their religious and pro-life objections. Trinity Health operates 86 facilities in 21 states. “No American should be forced to commit an abortion,” said ADF Senior Counsel Kevin Theriot. “No law requires faith-based hospitals and medical personnel to commit abortions against their faith and conscience, and, in fact, federal law directly prohibits the government from engaging in any such coercion. In addition, the government can’t tie any funding to a requirement that hospitals and health care workers give up their constitutionally protected freedoms. We look forward to … [Read more...]
Churches come together to distribute clothing, food as floodwaters rise
By Message Staff Even as floodwaters continue to rise in Sterlington, the churches of various denominations there are coming together to spread Christ’s love through meal and clothing distributions. “There is a lot of water everywhere and it is steadily rising” said Ben Hackler, pastor of First Baptist Church Sterlington. “Right now, there really isn’t much we can do but to watch it rain, help where we can and wait. We’ve mobilized people to help where we can.” According to Hackler, First Sterlington and First West Monroe Fairbanks have joined together to provide hot meals, sandwiches and bottled water to those in need. The First West thrift store already has received a number of donations which they are distributing. The Methodist Church, which is across the street from First Sterlington, is one of four shelters operating in the area and both Baptist Churches are supplying meals and personal items to the occupants and relief workers. “If need be, we can also house people as well,” Hackler said. “So far, we have not been needed to house anyone. Hackler, who was in Frenchmen’s Bend subdivision Friday morning helping to move furniture out of a house threatened by rising water, said the work in the area has only … [Read more...]
Record flooding in the state forces postponement of M-JAM, prayer vigils
The record flooding throughout Louisiana, especially in north Louisiana, has led to postponements of several events scheduled for Saturday. The Missions Jamboree (M-JAM) which was to take place at Cedar Crest Baptist Church in West Monroe, has been rescheduled for a later date to be announced. For more information, call 800.622.6549, extension 266. Also two multi-denominational, pro-life prayer vigils – one in Bossier City and the other in Shreveport -- have been moved to March 19. Due to flooding in north Louisiana, The Generate Conference 2016 slated for Monday and Tuesday at North Monroe Baptist is being postponed. The new date for the conference will be determined at a later date. … [Read more...]
Louisiana College ranked 3rd most affordable Christian college
By Louisiana College communications Christian Universities Online (CUO) has ranked Louisiana College the third most affordable Christian college in the United States and included LC in the category of “50 Best Value Christian Colleges and Universities” for 2015 - 16. “Though the two are related, there is a distinct difference between affordability and value,” said Dr. Rick Brewer, president of LC. “We have worked hard to close the affordability gap by making our rates competitive with public institutions,” he said. “Our differentiating value proposition, however, is that we offer academic rigor with curricula that are founded on a Christian worldview.” “We are intentional about offering the best education possible at a reasonable cost,” Brewer continued. “We do this primarily because we believe what Colossians 2:3 says about ‘all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’ being in Jesus Christ.” “That so few schools are on both lists speaks to how God has blessed LC, and to our commitment to prepare graduates and transform lives for kingdom growth,” Brewer said. For information about financial aid at LC, go to www.lacollege.edu/finances/financial-aid. … [Read more...]
This week’s flooding impacting some Louisiana Baptist church facilities
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer Two feet of water is now inside a church north of Monroe due to the heavy rainfall in the area but its members are looking for ways to show Christ’s love even in a bleak situation. “The building is flooded but the church is fine,” said Chad Merrell, pastor of First West Fairbanks. “The church is serving our community and loving people like Jesus. Pray that we have opportunities to serve and share the hope of Jesus with people whom we never would’ve met had water not risen.” Some of his members along with those from its parent church, First West Monroe, are helping evacuate homes, feed volunteers and fill and deliver sandbags, Merrell said. He expects many more opportunities to be available in the coming days and weeks ahead to minister to others affected by the storm. “Pray for first responders and volunteers,” he said. “Pray for families who have been evacuated. Pray the rain will stop.” Since Tuesday, torrential rainfall has caused massive flooding throughout Louisiana. Nearly two feet of rain has fallen in some areas and the rain may not move out of the state until sometime Sunday, according to long-range forecasts. Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency … [Read more...]
Heavy rains raise levels of disaster response and preparation
By Message Staff First Baptist Church in Haughton opened its doors Tuesday evening to neighbors whose homes were flooded after a strong system produced high winds and up to a foot of rain in some areas. Regardless of the amount of time evacuees need to stay at the designated American Red Cross shelter, Pastor Gevan Spinney says his congregation will shine the love of Christ in a dismal situation. “The evacuees have been very grateful but are devastated,” said Spinney, who also is Louisiana Baptist Convention president. “Most of the people here have lost a lot and are kind of shell shocked. We plan on loving them as long as we need to.” Nine people stayed inside the church’s Family Life Center Tuesday evening, and the church as well as some area businesses are providing food for the evacuees, Spinney said. “We are getting a lot of texts and calls from people in the community asking how they can help,” Spinney said. “We’ve gone through some tragedies in Haughton as a community in the past and this proves again that folks love on each other and take care of their neighbors.” Louisiana associational directors of missions in the affected areas told the Baptist Message no churches were damaged in the first wave of bad … [Read more...]
Louisiana College senior social work major to present paper at statewide conference
By Norm Miller, LC communications PINEVILLE - Louisiana College senior social work major Caroline Weatherford was chosen by the Louisiana Council on Social Work Education to present a paper at a statewide National Association of Social Worker’s Conference in Baton Rouge, La., March 17. Among all the papers submitted from Louisiana’s higher education social work programs, Weatherford’s committee-reviewed paper was top choice for presentation from the undergraduate level. Originally written as part of Weatherford’s Social Work with Communities and Organizations’ coursework, the paper conjoins her class’s semester-long community service learning project focused on reducing the stigma of mental illness in Central Louisiana. “I am honored to present this paper and am excited I was chosen,” Weatherford told LCNews. “But I am even more excited that I'll be able to share the work that my classmates and I did. Hopefully, this will raise the awareness of stigma even more.” Weatherford and her classmates completed two public awareness projects. The first was a "Chalk Out," where students wrote statistics about mental illness on public sidewalks. “The purpose was for people to read these statistics and, if they have a mental … [Read more...]
Washington Supreme Court will hear case over floral artist’s freedom
By Alliance Defending Freedom staff OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Washington Supreme Court agreed Wednesday to hear the case of floral artist Barronelle Stutzman, whom the state attorney general and the American Civil Liberties Union sued for acting consistently with her faith. Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing Stutzman filed a brief with the high court last month to challenge the state’s and the ACLU’s arguments in favor of government discrimination against her. A lower court ruled that Stutzman, owner of Arlene’s Flowers in Richland, must pay penalties and attorneys’ fees for declining to use her artistic abilities to design custom floral arrangements for a long-time customer’s same-sex ceremony. Rather than participate in the ceremony, Stutzman referred Rob Ingersoll, whom she considers a friend and had served for nearly 10 years, to several other florists in the area who would provide high-quality arrangements and wedding support. “Barronelle and many others like her around the country have been willing to serve any and all customers, but they are understandably not willing to promote any and all messages,” said ADF Senior Counsel Kristen Waggoner. “We hope the Washington Supreme Court will affirm the broad … [Read more...]
Joseph Willis Symposium featuring Kevin Adams wraps up tonight at Louisiana College
By Message Staff PINEVILLE – God speaks to Christians in many ways and places. What comes next is a simple but challenging requirement … saying yes to God, no matter what the cost. “God speaks to us in all sorts of places, in all sorts of ways,” Kevin Adams told Louisiana College students and others on Wednesday evening. “And the challenge for us tonight is, are we going to say yes Lord.” Adams’ message was part of a three-day Joseph Willis Symposium and Revival that ends tonight at LC. Adams is pastor of East Baptist Church in Lynn, Mass., and a Welsh revival historian. During his three days at LC, Adams has spoken each night during the revival, as well as in chapel and classes on campus. He also was part of a panel discussion Wednesday evening, March 2, about the subject of revival. Among his topics during the symposium was how God used 26-year-old Evan Roberts to spread revival in 1904 in Wales. The revival resulted in 100,000 people coming to accept Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. He emphasized to the crowd, which consisted mostly of LC students, that not all of them will have a testimony like Roberts. But having a testimony, he told the audience, is important because it can make a difference … [Read more...]
This election is about restoring American exceptionalism
By Todd Starnes, Fox News The mainstream media and the conservative media are in a state of shock on the day after Super Tuesday. They are still unable to come to terms with Donald Trump's massive appeal. Still unwilling to acknowledge that Ted Cruz is actually a viable candidate for the White House. They still just can't seem to understand why American voters will not do their bidding and support Marco Rubio. There’s plenty of book smarts among that crowd -- but no street smarts. So let me explain what this election is all about. Read more. … [Read more...]
