By Brian Blackwell, Message staff writer GDANSK, Poland (LBM) – A Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief team recently saw a “spiritual breakthrough” with Ukrainian refugees during a week of ministry in Poland. Members of First Baptist Church, DeRidder, and Trinity Baptist Church, Lake Charles, worked out of First Baptist Church, Gdansk, May 8- 16. While there, the team treated the women to pedicures and took the refugees on an outing downtown. The team’s kindness and love saw the refugees experience Christ-filled joy. “Near the end of the trip we took the women and children out to enjoy ice cream and a Ferris wheel ride in downtown, which finally brought some smiles to their faces,” said Dan Batchelor, a member of FBC DeRidder. “The site coordinator at the church told us this was the first time that the refugees at the church began to smile and experience joy since disaster relief teams began taking teams here. We didn’t see any of the women or children accept Christ, but we saw the ice break which can lead to a spiritual harvest down the road.” Since late March, Louisiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Mississippi each have sent one team per month to serve in Gdansk on a rotating basis. However, Louisiana Baptists Disaster … [Read more...]

PINEVILLE, La. (LCUNews) -- Nine Louisiana Christian University students and two faculty members spent two weeks in England seeing firsthand the world in which C.S. Lewis walked. Anna Albury, The Bahamas, Madalyn Starns, Amite, Hannah Miller, Iowa, Louisiana, Jade Harmon, Lafayette, Joshua Poole, Lithia, Florida, Leanna Lanford, Pineville, Mackenzie Strickland, Monroe, Marisa Mercer, Winnfield and Emma Ellis, Krotz Springs joined professors Justin Langford, dean of the School of Missions and Ministries, and Sarah Payne, director of the C.S. Lewis Honors Program and a chemistry professor, on the 14-day trip. Students, several who were part of HN304 Honors Colloquium travel course, toured London, Oxford, Stonehenge and Bath. HN 304 is a travel course option that all honors students can take, and the location varies every year. “This was the inaugural trip to London and Oxford which, I believe, was delayed a couple years due to COVID restrictions,” Langford said. “The London trip will be the regular international trip offered every three years.” The colloquium travel courses are on a three-year rotation (national, local, international), said Payne. “A trip to Boston in May 2023 is in the works,” Payne said. “There … [Read more...]

By Message staff ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) - Louisiana Baptist college students gathered on June 3 to finalize details before embarking for GOLA summer missions in the state and beyond. Now, in its 14th year, GOLA (Go Louisiana) VBS is an emphasis by the Louisiana Baptist collegiate ministry that allows college students to serve on teams who spend the summer sharing God’s love through what is the largest evangelistic outreach – Vacation Bible School -- of the year for many congregations. Churches in which the teams conduct a VBS normally have low baptisms and would have trouble coordinating such an event without the help of the GOLA VBS team. Two teams that will comprise five college students on each will serve at churches around the state, June 4-July 16. Another team of six students will conduct VBS in Wyoming, June 9-July 31, while another team of students will serve in Costa Rica, June 21-28. One student will serve as a church staff apprentice in Louisiana. Additionally, the state’s 15 BCMs will provide many more to serve as interns, camp personnel, church staff and international mission board missionaries. GOLA strategist Ashley Jones said students who serve on GOLA teams are a blessing to both students and … [Read more...]