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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

After White House meeting, Edwards confident state will reopen soon

By Message Staff WASHINGTON, D.C. (LBM) – Gov. John Bel Edwards struck an optimistic tone for reopening the state’s economy during a meeting with President Donald Trump Wednesday. Edwards, who two days earlier extended a stay-at-home order in the state through May 15, said during the meeting at the White House that a commitment by the Trump administration to supply Louisiana with 200,000 kits monthly to test for novel coronavirus, beginning in May, was a top reason for reopening the economy. “This is the big piece that we have been looking for,” Edwards said. “And with that commitment we feel much better about moving forward.” During the meeting, Edwards thanked Trump for providing field hospitals, ventilators and Navy medical personnel during the crisis. “We have obviously turned the corner in Louisiana,” he said. “We are in a much, much better place in Louisiana than we thought was even possible five or six days ago. That’s because of our local partners and our federal partners and hard work.” Trump thanked Edwards, US. Senators Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy, and others in Louisiana for their cooperative spirit throughout the crisis. “It’s an honor working with you and the people of Louisiana,” Trump said. … [Read more...]

Re-gathering the Church

By Steve Horn Louisiana Pastors and Church Leaders, We have received a number of requests to help churches interpret the phasing aspects related to the re-gathering of congregations. A wise Seminary professor once lectured, “The definition of a fool is he who tries to guess what is going to be on the test.” Therefore, we have intentionally remained silent on what re-entry means to the churches of Louisiana until we heard from the Governor. As you probably know by now, on April 27 he extended the stay-at-home order until May 15 with an update tentatively targeted for May 11. Suggestions, information and links are currently on our website. You can access them by clicking on the Resources slider and the Re-entry slider. We have intentionally not passed along every article and post we’ve run across. Much of the information is redundant and we’re hoping to avoid information overload. While we’re waiting for specifics from the governor’s office, let me offer several words of general guidance as you peruse the mountain of other suggestions. Re-gathering the church, just like all aspects of our society right now, is likely going to happen in several phases. The governor indicated that congregations may initially be limited … [Read more...]

‘Pray Louisiana’ bracelets available

By Message Staff BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – Prayer bracelets worn by attendees and speakers at the 2020 Louisiana Governor’s Prayer Breakfast are now available to the general public. According to Kari LeBlanc, director for the prayer breakfast, the bracelets are available at no charge to serve as a reminder that prayer is needed for the state and leaders. “We created the Pray for Louisiana bracelets that were distributed at this year’s breakfast in an effort to provide a reminder to do just that,” LeBlanc told the Baptist Message. “In these unprecedented times, praying daily is as vital as ever. We would love to provide the Pray for Louisiana bracelets free of charge to anyone who would like one.” The prayer breakfast was held March 10 at the Crowne Plaza Executive Center in Baton Rouge and featured remarks by U.S. Senate Chaplain Barry Black, Gov. John Bel Edwards and other elected officials, and music by Christian recording artist Charles Billingsley. To request bracelets, visit lagpb.org. … [Read more...]

Louisiana Department of Education deems Louisiana College a Course Choice Provider

By Norm Miller, LCNews PINEVILLE, La. (LCNews) -- The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) approved Louisiana College as a “Course Choice Provider” of dual enrollment courses for college credit for eligible Louisiana high school students. “We are pleased with this acknowledgement as a preferred provider for remote learning,” said Louisiana College President Rick Brewer. “We have a growing family of public, private, and homeschools, and this accolade we hope will move others to discover the excellence we offer.” Another advantage is that Louisiana College provides a superior option for high school education if the pandemic provisos continue into the fall semester, Brewer added. Tioga High School (THS) in Tioga is on board for its second stint with Louisiana College this fall. “My interactions with the students have been excellent,” said Kathleen McGinty-Johnston, who is the Louisiana College online instructor for THS. “I taught a hybrid class there, and I saw the students at least once a week.” The COVID-19 pandemic pre-empted McGinty-Johnston’s visits to THS before the spring semester’s end. Visiting the school “lets me get to know the students better as individuals and allows them to see me as a teacher … [Read more...]