LAKE CHARLES - The problem seemed insurmountable for two senior citizen ladies whose backyard was covered with a fallen tree. However, their prayers were answered when a team from Carey Baptist Association showed up Saturday, Aug. 19, to remove the tree that fell two months earlier after a powerful storm came through the area. Association disaster relief coordinator Rob Tibbitts said the team of 15 worked tirelessly to cut up the tree and stack it on the curb. Because of the massive size of the tree, only half of the tree would fit on the curb. Once the City of Lake Charles removes the first pile of debris, the team will return to finish the tree removal. "We were able to pray with the homeowner, give her a Bible signed by each of the team members, and share Christ with her through our words and our actions," said Tibbitts, also pastor of Crossroads Baptist Church in Vinton. "She was blown away people still cared enough to do this kind of stuff for her." Of those who served on the team, some were first-time volunteers. Among those were parents who came with their children. Tibbitts said that each of the team members expressed their desire to return for future projects. "They got to not only serve in their community … [Read more...]

ALEXANDRIA - Central Louisiana’s first pregnancy center has found its director. Leaders with the Cenla Pregnancy Center have scheduled a press conference for noon Friday, Aug. 25 to introduce the director and announce the date of when it will open. Marksville’s Clair Lemoine, who has worked more than 20 years in maternal child nursing, will be at the helm when the center opens. According to board president Brian Gunter, senior pastor at First Baptist of Pollock, Lemoine has 10 years of experience serving low-income, first-time pregnant women in a home setting. Located next to the Baptist Building at 1254 MacArthur Drive in Alexandria, the center will offer pregnancy decision coaching by trained advocates, free pregnancy tests, free ultrasounds, information about pregnancy options, maternity and physical resources and post-decision support including parenting education and abortion recovery groups. More than 200 churches of multiple Christian denominations have worked together to establish the pregnancy resource center, a non-profit, pro-life organization that will provide compassionate support to women and men faced with difficult pregnancy decisions. … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE – Students wishing to further their education at Louisiana College now have even more options with the addition of three graduate level degree programs and a bachelor of science in computer science, school leaders announced Aug. 17. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools-Commission on Colleges approved the new programs along with permitting LC to offer classes completely online. “When you look at the demographics, there is a declining number of young people available for traditional undergraduate education,” LC President Dr. Rick Brewer said. “But there is still a demand, still a need for Christian education.” Brewer noted that the “heart and soul of Christian education is not to equip students for just a job. But the heart and soul, the purpose of what we do, is to equip students for life.” When Brewer came to the school in 2015, only the Master of Arts in Teaching degree was offered. Now, LC has expanded its graduate level degrees with the addition of the Master in Social Work and Master in Education in Educational Leadership and the RN to MSN track that will enroll registered nurses practicing with an associate degree in nursing or hospital diploma to … [Read more...]