By Elizabeth Clarke, LC News PINEVILLE, La. (LC News) - Curtis “CZ” Zackery challenged the incoming freshman class at Louisiana College’s “The Awakening” worship service on Aug. 15 to find their calling and be encouraged. “Today some of us may feel like we are cursed because of conditions we are born with, but remember we were created in the image of God,” said Zackery, teaching pastor at Church of the City in Nashville, Tenn. “We may not always get it, but we are born in His image. We are born so God can receive glory.” Zackery, referencing John 9:1-12, shared that Jesus healed a man who was blind from birth. In biblical times, people believed those with disabilities of any kind were a result of sin in their lineage, Zackery said, and Jesus taught them otherwise. He told the students to be encouraged, even in dark seasons, or when they wished life was different, because Jesus can change everything. In addition to an encouraging message from Zackery, The Awakening also featured music and a testimony by Nashville-based worship band lead vocalist Rose Factor. A native of Charleston, South Carolina, Rose dedicated a song to his home church, Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, the site of a mass shooting that … [Read more...]

By Baptist Message WEST MONROE, La. (LBM) – Allan Taylor challenged ReGroup participants to be like the believers in the early church, who were biblically driven and not culturally driven in their zeal to share the Good News. Despite experiencing persecution, they were bold in their witness for Christ, he noted. ““Your state leaders are emphasizing Maximum Gospel impact as the core theme,” Taylor told those in attendance Aug. 14 at McClendon Baptist Church in West Monroe. “If we’re going to have maximum Gospel impact, we are going to have to open our mouths and speak boldly.” An estimated 170 people from 33 churches attended the event. Taylor, executive pastor of ministries at First Baptist Church in Concord, Tennessee, was the keynote speaker for ReGroup Conference that focused on strengthening discipleship efforts. The conference included breakout sessions for pastors, Sunday school directors, small group leaders, church staff, preschool, children, youth and adult leaders, discipleship leaders and Bible study leaders. ReGroup focuses on four areas – sharing the Gospel, developing biblical community, helping believers mature spiritually, and equipping believers to live missionally, with special emphasis on … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Baptists are passionate about missions in North America and around the world, but this fall they will be encouraged to look closer to home for ways to advance the Gospel, according to state leaders. Taken from Mark 1:38, which records Jesus reminding his followers, “We must go to the nearby towns, so that I can tell the good news to those people,” this year’s giving theme is “Nearby – the needs next door.” Louisiana Baptist Executive Director Steve Horn noted this is an important focus. “One of the commitments I made to Louisiana Baptists when I accepted this position was that Louisiana will be evangelized,” Horn said. “Our participation in the Georgia Barnette State Missions Offering plays a critical role in seeing this become a reality.” Some of the missions and ministries dependent upon the Georgia Barnette Offering are church planting; compassion ministries; prison outreach; ministry to victims of sex trafficking; Disaster Relief efforts; Louisiana Baptists’ multi-media outreach strategy, “Here for You”; and Woman’s Missionary Union Scholarships to Louisiana College. “It can be easy to overlook local issues like homelessness … [Read more...]