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Louisiana College signs dual enrollment agreement with University Academy

March 16, 2016

PINEVILLE - Louisiana College has entered into a one-year, dual enrollment with University Academy. The two schools announced the news during a press conference on March 15 at the LC campus in Pineville. The agreement allows qualified high school students from University Academy to enroll at LC. This will be University Academy's second location. University Academy also uses facilities at LSU-Alexandria. https://youtu.be/fDG4sf9PUmQ … [Read more...]

‘Nobody fully understands how big this thing is yet and it is still going on’

March 15, 2016

By Philip Timothy, Managing Editor The enormous scope of the damage that flooding has inflicted on Louisianans has left many in the state shaken but yet resolved to overcome. Still, people are going to need a lot of help in order to recover, according to disaster relief experts in the state. Floodwaters have damaged more than 7,000 homes in Louisiana, affecting 28 parishes, but that number likely will rise because many of the state’s biggest rivers have yet to crest. Louisiana Baptists’ disaster relief units, joined by Southern Baptist crews from 10 other states, already are fanning out to minister and help where they can, even as they wait for the waters to recede. “Nobody fully understands how big this thing is yet and it is still going on,” said John Hebert, director of missions and ministry for the Louisiana Baptist Convention. “All of our state assets have been deployed and we are barely scratching the surface. The magnitude of this flooding is just unbelievable as there are very few places in the state that have not been affected by it,” Hebert said.   https://youtu.be/XLsq1qMCVJs David Abernathy, Louisiana Baptists’ northern region disaster relief coordinator, told Hebert, “We need all the … [Read more...]

Banding together, churches join forces to minister to flooded communities

March 15, 2016

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer Jason Womack has issued a challenge to area churches – instead of holding normally scheduled activities on Wednesday, join him and his congregation at Goldonna Baptist Church as they become the church to those affected by recent record flooding. Like so many other churches in the state, Goldonna has altered business as usual for a little while to minister to its members and others from the community affected by flooding throughout Louisiana. Instead of holding its usual Sunday night service, Goldonna members traveled to flooded areas and passed out food items, bottled water and other essential items. “Our plan for Wednesday is to team up with any area churches and individuals who desire to be the Church and deliver more food, water and other items,” Womack said. “The office of Homeland Security delivered two pallets of M.R.E.s and bottled water for this area. Anyone wanting to be the Church with us is welcome.” More than two feet of rain has fallen in some areas of the state, leading to flooded homes, impassable roadways and even four deaths. Various organizations such as Samaritan’s Purse and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief both in Louisiana and outside the state have come to … [Read more...]

Help arrives; relief is coming to Louisiana Baptist churches in all forms

March 14, 2016

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer Since its first Bible study last August, The Bridge Church in Covington had planned having several big outreach events this spring as a lead up to its launch of worship services this fall. Now, like so many other Louisiana Baptist churches, those planned outreaches for Bridge Church have turned into flood relief opportunities – even as its pastor Kirk Strawbridge and his family lost most of their furniture as their home took on 10 inches of water on Thursday. Now living in a parsonage belonging to First Baptist Church in Mandeville’s Barker’s Corner campus, Strawbridge is optimistic about the future. “It has been awesome to seen the flood of love from God’s people trump the damage of an earthly flood of water,” Strawbridge said. “He has a plan through it all.” Strawbridge’s church did not sustain any water damage and plans to hand out food boxes to those in need. Lane Corley, pastor of the sponsor church, said Strawbridge and his wife Susie lost nearly everything they owned during Hurricane Gustav in 2008. He expects the couple to come out strong once again. “This hardship is not new to them,” said Corley, pastor of the Bridge Church in Madisonville. “They’ll bounce … [Read more...]

EDITORIAL: Religion of peace or new narrative?

March 14, 2016

By Ron Hale If Islam’s testimony is one of peace, then please explain why cartoonists in the 21st century are petrified of dying brutal deaths if their published caricature crosses some forbidden line? Just over a year ago, Islamic extremists killed 12 people after violently assaulting the offices of Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical newspaper in Paris. Is this violence a modern phenomenon or is there a trail of blood stretching back to antiquity? Crusade historian Thomas F. Madden enlightens us to the ancient reality that Islam has always possessed a brooding and bloody side. In fact, he declares that the Crusades were in every way a defensive war -- the West’s belated response to the Muslim conquest of fully two-thirds of the Christian world. Madden is the former Chair of the History Department at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri, and Director of Saint Louis University's Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. He believes the Crusades are quite possibly the most misunderstood event in European history. The history of the world shows that Europe was busy defending itself against Arab invaders beginning in the seventh century and through the tenth, a 300-plus year siege of the West. The Turkish … [Read more...]

GuideStone trustees hear reports, congratulate retiring CFO

March 14, 2016

By Roy Hayhurst, GuideStone Financial Resources DALLAS — Referring to 2 Corinthians 10:13, GuideStone President O.S. Hawkins told trustees that each person is assigned an area of influence by God. To be a person of influence, one must possess vision, integrity and purpose. With that in mind, Hawkins declared 2016 the “year of influence” at GuideStone. In addition to the annual theme, trustees heard reports from ministry areas and celebrated the retirement of Jeff Billinger, who leaves GuideStone after 22 years of service, primarily as chief financial officer. Trustees met February 29–March 1 in Dallas. “Every one of us has been assigned an area of influence,” Hawkins told trustees. “To be people of influence, we must possess a clear, God-sized vision, be people of integrity in all that we do and have a God-ordained purpose.” The verse and the theme are two-fold in importance, marking the annual theme that guides GuideStone’s work in 2016, as well as the subject of a new book, VIP: How to Influence with Vision, Integrity and Purpose, released March 8, whose proceeds benefit Mission:Dignity. In his report to trustees, Chief Operating Officer John R. Jones described 2015 as a challenging year. “Even so, … [Read more...]

Search committee moves forward in search of next executive director for national WMU

March 12, 2016

By WMU communications The WMU search committee met March 2-4 to begin the process of seeking a new executive director-treasurer for national WMU following Wanda Lee’s announcement of her intentions to retire. According to Joy Bolton, executive director of Kentucky WMU and committee chairperson, the committee gathered at national WMU in Birmingham and spent time in prayer and Bible study about seeking leaders. “The search committee is following a very prayerful, very deliberate process in seeking the next executive director-treasurer for national WMU,” Bolton said. “As a committee we have come to understand that there is great value in the process itself, and the amount of time spent in prayer by this committee was a deeply spiritual experience and one we would have missed without the process.” In addition to much prayer and preparation, the committee developed a profile questionnaire of the types of characteristics, skills, and experience the next executive director should possess in order to best lead WMU into the future and is seeking input from various audiences. “We ask for your continued prayer for the committee, for the candidate that God has for us, and for Wanda and the national WMU staff during these days,” … [Read more...]

Court allows doctors to support hospitals, staff in ACLU suit that seeks to force them to commit abortions

March 12, 2016

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

March 11, 2016

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

March 11, 2016

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...]

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Editorial

The race of faith: a marathon, not a sprint

When I ran cross country, our training involved running Monday through Friday and, occasionally, optional Saturday runs. We did “easy” days, long-distance days, sprint days (the worst), and more, all to make sure that we were in the best shape possible for our 5k race — a little over three miles — which occurred … Read More

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