By Message Staff   CALHOUN – Revival has come to the First Baptist Church of Calhoun, after members began planning a lay renewal weekend October 12-14. “Renewal first involves repentance,” said Pastor Neil Everett. “God has been convicting us of sin in our lives that we need to get right with him. As people have confessed and repented and gotten right with the Lord, we have seen an increase of power of Holy Spirit moving in our midst.” Since July, a team of lay people within the church has met with the church staff to plan the weekend whose goal is to help Christ followers grow spiritually. Once First Calhoun formed its team leaders, they recruited many individuals who previously did not hold leadership roles in the church. Subsequently, those volunteers are now more enthusiastic about involvement in future ministry opportunities. Early on, the planning meetings became more than just discussing preparations for the weekend. Team members began sharing testimonies and praying together which led to personal spiritual renewal even though the weekend has not arrived. Above all, prayer has been at the forefront for change within the members. The church, which averages 250-300 for its Sunday morning worship, … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer SIMSBORO (LBM) – The sounds of hammers pounding and electric saws buzzing were music to the ears of Pastor Jason Cole as he surveyed members of the First Baptist Church in Simsboro tirelessly refurbishing a home in their community. Some installed shingles on a roof while others painted the siding and the porch on a home they have been remodeling for nearly four months. The members are there to renovate the house, he offered, but also to build a Christ-centered relationship with the homeowners through project Mission Simsboro. “We do this because we want people to see doing missions is not just foreign, national or state,” Cole said. “It’s local and all of the above. “We want people to be involved in missions as much as possible and have a chance to tell the good news of Jesus with those around us and encourage believers that we run into,” he emphasized to the Baptist Message. Since 2013, as many as 40 members from among the 90 persons who attend Sunday morning worship services have participated in various acts of kindness every fourth Sunday through Mission Simsboro, Cole said. They have hosted backyard Bible clubs, visited prospects and prayer walked neighborhoods, all of … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA – Baptism for several years seemed like it would remain just a dream for Belarusian teen Anna Atrohkina. Although Atrohkina accepted Jesus as Savior in 2015, she had not been able to attend the annual baptism services at her church in Mogilev, Belarus in either 2016 or 2017. The church does not have a baptistery and, because of extreme weather conditions in the winter, only baptizes once a year in a nearby river. So when the opportunity was presented August 5 at Calvary Baptist Church in Alexandria, she jumped at the chance to be baptized. Surrounded by a few friends and several hundred others inside the worship center, Atrohkina stepped into the water for her long-awaited moment. “In my understanding, baptism for me is immersion in the death of Jesus Christ and renewal to a new life,” Atrohkina said in an e-mail to the Baptist Message. “The past is behind. Jesus gave me the chance to write a new book of my life.” Wayne Taylor, who is executive director of the Louisiana Baptist Foundation, and his wife, Joanna, served as the host home during her Louisiana visit. They both beamed with excitement as Atrohkina stepped into the baptistery. “While in … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer JENA (LBM)--The Jena High School football and men’s basketball teams scored a win of a different kind when 38 players, combined, came forward to humble their hearts before Christ during the Tomorrow’s Hope GO TELL Crusade in late September. Nine football players declared Jesus as Lord of their lives, and 24 football and five basketball players repented to restore fellowship with Christ at Jena High’s gymnasium. Among those was Cameron Jackson, a junior cornerback and wide receiver who turned to Christ during the opening night of the crusade. “Though I was nervous, I knew this was what God wanted me to do,” said Jackson, whose father, Anthony, is principal of Jena High. “Now I’m excited about praying and reading my Bible, and I hope to influence others on my team and at school for Christ.” Jackson said his newfound faith helped him persevere through the aftermath of an injury sustained during a game against Alexandria Senior High the following Friday evening. He expects to recover from the injury before the state playoffs begin in November. Terry Townsend, youth and recreation minister at the First Baptist Church in Jena, said he was overcome with emotion as he watched many … [Read more...]