Click to Login or Sign Up

Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Abraham reaches out to relocate Tesla to Louisiana

By Message Staff MONROE, La. (LBM) - Congressman Ralph Abraham has invited Tesla CEO Elon Musk to relocate the electric vehicle manufacturer's operations from Palo Alto, California, to northeast Louisiana. Abraham, who is a member of Alto Baptist Church, sent a letter to Musk Tuesday and said the area has the qualified workforce to produce the company's electric cars and solar panels. He cited employees who previously worked for the General Motors plant in Monroe that closed in 2007, and the area's Interstate 20 Tech Corridor that includes CenturyLink as assets for a possible relocation. Additionally, Abraham said northeast Louisiana provides affordable, high quality living and access to Interstate 20, an airport, rail service and ports that are situated along the Mississippi River. "We've got some positives too that nobody else has," Abraham told the Baptist Message. "We've got plenty of open spaces that have rail, fiber and water. We have people in Louisiana that are just chomping at the bits to go to work. "The wonderful thing about Louisianans is that they are not afraid to do hard work and work that they can make a decent living at," he continued. "Here in north Louisiana we are open for business and we will … [Read more...]

Honor 6:2 provides new, free books during COVID-19 pandemic

By Julie Walters, SBC WMU communications BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (SBC WMU) – April 30, 2020 – Iron Stream Media, WMU, and the WMU Foundation are offering curated boxes of books to send to those isolated in senior care facilities, hospice centers, hospitals and seniors sheltering in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The joint initiative, Honor 6:2, is based on Eph. 6:2: “Honor your father and mother.” According the John Herring, CEO of Iron Stream Media, the seed was planted when one of Iron Stream’s subcontractors asked if she could order a couple of boxes of books to send to local elder care facilities. “I thought it was a great idea,” Herring reflected, “and the thought came into my heart early the next morning that we could expand on her idea. As I was praying, I was thinking of what it must be like to have read everything on the shelf and longing for a new book to read. “We have a warehouse full of books that need to be read,” he continued. “Many of our parents and grandparents have more time on their hands than ever. Visitations may not be possible, but we can gift inspiring books to them to help them grow in their spiritual walk with the Lord. Gifting a box of books is a way of showing deserved honor to our parents … [Read more...]

Louisiana College’s TEACH goes 100 percent online

By Norm Miller, LC executive assistant to the president for communications and marketing PINEVILLE, La. (LCNews)—Louisiana College’s nationally accredited TEACH certification program goes 100 percent online this summer in response to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. Students usually travel from all corners of Louisiana to the Pineville campus to earn teaching credentials, but now the trip will be via computer, not car. The digital move of Louisiana College’s fast track TEACH program should appeal to those who seek certification but are apprehensive about travel bans and social distancing, said Dr. Amy Craig, Dean of the School of Education at LC. “The online approach helps answer these concerns and adds to the advantages we offer.” Louisiana’s 2020 Elementary Teacher of the Year Jessica Borlund said, “Through LC’s TEACH/MAT program, I fulfilled my dream of becoming a teacher, enhanced my educational skills, and built upon my knowledge of classroom strategies.” Borlund described LC’s atmosphere as “caring and intentional. The professors were always available to guide and encourage me as I needed it.” Exclusive to Louisiana College is that successful TEACH completers may apply all 21 hours of the practitioner … [Read more...]

Governor announces Phase One for churches, businesses

By Message Staff BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Monday that churches and many other businesses in the state can reopen, with certain restrictions, when a new order is issued Friday. The order will move the state into Phase One of reopening the economy by lifting restrictions that previously limited public gatherings to 10 people or fewer. Louisianans will be under the new order through June 5. “The bottom line is the people of Louisiana have worked really hard since this public health emergency was first announced in order to slow the spread of COVID-19,” Edwards said during his Monday news conference. “And I am proud and I want to thank the people of Louisiana for doing that. They committed to and complied with the stay at home order. And had they not, we would not have seen the progress we have been able to see.” Under the new guidance from the state fire marshal, Department of Health and Governor’s Office, attendance will be limited to 25 percent of a worship center’s seating capacity. Pastors and other church staff will be required to wear face masks or cloth covering, and enforce social distancing. Other businesses that now can open, with the same maximum occupancy requirements, … [Read more...]

Retired missionary Glad Martin, Thailand prison ministry pioneer, dies

By Erich Bridges RICHMOND, Va. - Retired Southern Baptist missionary Gladys (“Glad”) Martin, a farmer’s daughter from Louisiana bayou country who helped lead thousands of prison inmates and students to Christ during more than 30 years in Thailand, died May 8 following a stroke. She was 81. Alongside her husband and missionary partner, Jack, she pioneered ministry to Thai prisoners, perhaps the most hated and rejected members of society in the overwhelmingly Buddhist nation. The Martins’ determination to give inmates hope -- and the message of a God of second chances -- eventually won the respect and cooperation of national prison authorities and the admiration of Thailand’s royal family. Jack, an outgoing visionary and passionate soul winner, was the face of the prison ministry and the bustling Baptist Student Center in Bangkok, which trains more than 10,000 Thai professionals and college students each year in English and the Gospel. But as he cheerfully acknowledged in later years, the better-organized Glad often was the brains. They made an ideal team. “Dad gets a lot of the credit for what Mom actually did,” recalled their youngest son, Craig, who watched them in action before going on to his own media ministry … [Read more...]