By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer BROUSSARD, La. (LBM) – Mike Thibodeaux struggled with alcohol addiction and nearly lost his marriage when his wife, Jessica, and children began attending First Baptist Church in Broussard in 2017. But, even though he refused to attend worship services while the rest of his family faithfully went every Sunday, they never stopped praying for the Holy Spirit to open his heart to hear the Gospel. Their prayers were answered Oct. 27. Although he rejected coming to Sunday worship, he did take his children to weekly worship rehearsals with Associate Pastor Adam Whitney. The Gospel seeds planted through this interaction produced a spiritual Harvest when he publicly professed his faith in Christ and subsequently was baptized Jan. 4. He has continued growing in his faith through a weekly discipleship meeting with Whitney and one of his co-workers. “As I began helping out at the rehearsals, Scripture verses that I had studied in the past started popping back into my head like it was yesterday. I realize now the Lord had been leading me to that moment for a very long time,” Thibodeaux told the Baptist Message. “I became more and more active with my kids with their ministry with the … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer FISHVILLE (LBM) – Lloyd Whitman remembers the day he preached a revival at Friendship Baptist Church and the pews were filled with a congregation passionate for spiritual renewal among them and hungering for a spiritual awakening within the community. The church eventually dwindled to just a handful of members and closed its doors in June 2019. However, Whitman did not forget how God moved during the revival service in 1982. Consequently, he began to pray, asking God to return the church to its former strength of service to the Kingdom -- and it appears his pleas have been heard. Whitman stood before a worship center filled with 143 people, Feb. 2, for the first service of the congregation as the New Friendship Baptist Church, a cooperative effort by the First Baptist Church in Dry Prong, the primary sponsor, and other churches in the Big Creek Baptist Association. “I had 100 bulletins printed up because I figured we would only need that many, but God showed up by bringing in even more than I could have imagined to the point where we ran out of bulletins,” Whitman told the Baptist Message. “When I looked across the church and remembered how I had stood there many years ago, … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer WASHINGTON, D.C. (LBM) – Ralph Abraham, a member of Alto Baptist Church who has represented Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District since 2014, has announced his intentions not to run for reelection. “One of the greatest honors has been serving my district and state the last six years,” Abraham, who made his decision public Feb. 26, told the Baptist Message. “You have to have the heart of service to do things the right way here in D.C. and serving is what Christians are commanded to do. As servants of Christ, we give back to others.” A native of Richland Parish, Abraham graduated from Mangham High School and Louisiana State University. From there, he served in multiple professional spheres, including: as a physician and a veterinarian, business owner, farmer, volunteer pilot with Pilots for Patients and as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army National Guard, a fixed wing and helicopter pilot with the Coast Guard Auxiliary and a mission pilot for the Air Force’s Ralph Abraham will not run for reelection Civil Air Patrol Green Flag Program. Abraham was first elected to serve the 24-parish district in the northeastern, central and southeastern parts of the state in 2014. During his … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Parents must do a better job of preparing their children at a young age in order to help them function in a culture that is hostile to Christian principles of sexuality, Clint Davis, director of recovery services with The Hub: Urban Ministry in Shreveport, said at the annual Forum for Louisiana Baptist student leaders Feb. 21. “It’s a parent’s job to represent Christ in the Church,” Davis told more than 50 student leaders gathered for the event at the Louisiana Baptist Building in Alexandria. “Just showing up on Sunday or a Wednesday night and expecting a church to teach your kids the Gospel is not what God calls us to do.” As parents and leaders strive to equip their youth with tools necessary to have a fulfilled life, they must base their approach on love and trust, Davis said. “Without these two foundational beliefs, all the struggles of our lives will be difficult to manage,” he said. “They affect how you engage in relationships with your pastors, with your parents, with yourself and with these kids.” Davis said parents must discuss sexually-sensitive issues with their children before the world educates them. He said social media has expanded … [Read more...]

By Norm Miller, LCNews PINEVILLE, La. (LCNews) – Louisiana College administrators implemented proactive and reactive measures March 3 in anticipation of a possible outbreak of the Corona Virus on campus. “The first consideration is to maintain the proper perspective with an understanding of the risks involved,” said President of Louisiana College Dr. Rick Brewer. “While we advise the maintenance of a calm approach, the measures we have implemented and are prepared to implement are based on information from the Center for Disease Control and the Louisiana Office of Public Health.” Additional hand sanitizers will be installed in classrooms on Monday, March 16. Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to always carry a bottle of hand sanitizer. The President’s Leadership Team and Louisiana College’s Academic Council are monitoring the situation closely and are prepared to launch the College’s Continuity of Operations Plan that facilitates the bulk of academic work to be completed online should the need arise to discontinue face-to-face classroom instruction. An email to the entire faculty, staff, and student body sent March 3 relayed public health information and details in this news release. Also, detailed … [Read more...]

SLIDELL, La. (LBM) – Grace Memorial Baptist Church in Slidell recently celebrated the installation of its new pastor, Jerry Smith. During a special service Feb. 9, Pastor Emeritus Bob Heustess symbolically presented the keys to the senior pastor’s office to Smith, who has served on the ministerial staff at the church for 25 years. A graduate of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Smith has been associate pastor at Grace Memorial Baptist since 1997. He also was a youth minister there while attending seminary from 1990-1992. He previously served on staff at Pine Forest Baptist Church and West Pensacola Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida; Second Avenue Baptist Church in Roma, Georgia; and Gardendale Baptist Church in Corpus Christi, Texas. Smith and his wife, Mary Jane, have three children.   … [Read more...]