By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE – Kayla Jordan had not one but two extraordinary reasons to celebrate God’s gift of life at Lake Buhlow, Sunday, June 4: She had recently learned she was pregnant with her first child, due in January, and, she was among 18 people participating in a lakeside baptism service sponsored by HIS Church, Pineville. Moments after coming up out of the water, Jordan told the Baptist Message that just a few months ago she had reached a low point and realized her need to be reborn in Christ. She confessed her sins and asked God’s forgiveness, and was anxious to also make a public profession of faith through baptism. So Jordan did not hesitate to sign up to be baptized during the lakeside service. “I’m terrified of the water but somehow it didn’t seem to matter on this day,” Jordan said. “To me, this day feels like I am starting a new life. Now, with my little one on the way in January, he or she will grow up understanding their mother has a relationship with Jesus.” For Morgan Feazell, seeing her six-year-old daughter Ariel’s baptism was one of the most cherished moments in her life. “Words don’t touch how I truly feel right now,” said a teary-eyed Morgan. “Since I had … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer FLORIEN (LBM) – As he looked down the bore of a loaded gun, John Sparks felt he was barreling toward death on that fateful fall day. Wanted for first-degree murder, Sparks found himself surrounded by a SWAT team in a Salt Lake City restaurant, Aug. 17, 1977. Thankfully, the officer pointing his revolver at Sparks decided not to shoot, choosing instead to spare his life and take him into custody. Sparks eventually would land in prison, but having been reprieved from immediate death, he began a path that eventually would lead him to find eternal life in Christ. WINDING PATH “I told the guy I had taken a hostage. I told him I was going up the stairs and out the door to die,” said Sparks, now pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Florien. “When you have nothing else left ‘good’ in life and are the bottom scum of the earth, death seems like the only option. But thanks to my grandmother who prayed I would not die until I came to Christ, I found hope in the prison cell.” Raised in church, Sparks participated in Vacation Bible School and other biblically-based activities as a young boy. However, his first sip of alcohol at age 12 (during a fishing trip) sent Sparks’ teetering down … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer NEW ORLEANS – Four months after an EF-3 tornado heavily damaged Suburban Baptist Church, the congregation assembled Sunday, June 11, for the first gathering on its campus since the storm. The message to the community during this block party was strong – the members have not given up and plan to return to full ministry in the neighborhood when their facilities are rebuilt. REUNITING & RENEWING Many of the congregants who showed up shared moments of laughter and a few thankful tears about how far God had taken them since the tornado destroyed the worship center and damaged two other buildings, Feb. 7. Myiah Scott, who joined the church a year after Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on the facilities in August 2005, said at first it was discouraging when she saw news footage of the damage. But, like other members, Scott knew giving up was not an option. “When a lot of the church seemed to be gone, we felt at first that we had nowhere to go and a piece of us was gone,” she said. “This is the place we go to pray, to praise God with our songs and to have a good time. But God reminded me that our church is more than a building. “I feel like God wants us to rebuild,” she … [Read more...]