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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Memorial service for Carlos Meza set for Friday

By Baptist Message staff SHREVEPORT, La. (LBM) – A memorial service for Carlos Meza, the first Hispanic elected to office in the Louisiana Baptist Convention, will be held Friday, Dec. 4, 10:30 a.m., at Calvary Baptist Church in Shreveport. Meza, who died Sept. 29, served several churches as pastor, including Calvary Baptist’s Hispanic mission church, Iglesia Bautista del Calvario, from when he was ordained to the ministry in 2007 until 2020, according to a Baptist Message story published shortly after his passing. He also planted two Hispanic churches (with First Baptist Church, Haughton, and New Zion Baptist Church, Bossier City). He was active in the LBC: serving as 2nd vice president of the convention in 2017; and, at the time of his death he was serving on the LBC Executive Board missions support committee. Meza also participated in 17 mission trips to Brazil, as well as to Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico and Nicaragua. He was well-known for being innovative in reaching the lost with the Gospel – leading a South American college student to the Lord using a mannequin and successfully sharing the Good News with a Brazilian businessman (whom no local pastor had been able to reach) by using an onion patch in the man’s … [Read more...]

State returns to Phase 2, but churches remain at 75 percent capacity

By Baptist Message staff BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – Gov. John Bel Edwards announced at a Tuesday afternoon press conference that Louisiana will move back to a modified version of Phase 2 of reopening the state on Wednesday. Citing a continued increase in novel coronavirus related cases and hospitalizations, Edwards said the decision was necessary to keep the state from continuing to move in the wrong direction and for schools to remain open. The state saw 3,266 new cases and 39 deaths on Tuesday, and had 1,052 COVID-19 hospitalizations, an increase from fewer than 600 patients reported on Nov. 1.  Under the order that expires Dec. 23, attendance at churches will continue to be limited to 75 percent of a worship center’s seating capacity and businesses including restaurants, gyms and non-essential retailers will be limited to 50 percent capacity. A statewide mask mandate also remains in place for anyone eight years or older or with a major health condition. Social gatherings will be limited to 25 percent capacity and no more than 75 people indoors and 150 outdoors when physical distancing is not possible, bars in parishes with more than 5 percent test positivity must close to indoor consumption and sporting event venues can have … [Read more...]