By Norm Miller, LC News PINEVILLE (LCNews) - Louisiana College President Rick Brewer has invited Mayor Clarence R. Fields as keynote speaker for the college’s 162nd commencement ceremony. Louisiana College expects to confer degrees upon 121 graduates. Because of the ongoing remodeling of LC’s Guinn Auditorium, the May 6 ticketed commencement service will be held at 10 a.m. at Alexandria’s Calvary Baptist Church located at 5011 Jackson Street. “Louisiana College is deeply pleased to have Mayor Fields address our graduates and their guests,” Brewer said. “He exemplifies the kind of leader that every graduate should emulate. Mayor Fields is a sincere and responsible civil servant, and is one whose Christian faith is evident in his daily life. He epitomizes the result of our vision of preparing graduates and transforming lives.” LC will livestream the event on this website: www.lacollege.edu … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer HAUGHTON – While communication and money are common problems in marriages, Kirk Cameron believes the main problem is selfishness. “Selfishness poisons everything,” Cameron said. “The heart of the problem in my marriage is the problem of my heart. I know without the intervention of God I will destroy the most precious relationship I have on the planet and that is my wife. I am bent toward selfishness by nature. It is only God who can cure a selfish heart.” Cameron shared his thoughts on marriage at the Love Worth Fighting For conference Sunday, April 30, at First Baptist Church in Haughton, and at First Baptist Church in West Monroe on Saturday, April 29. In addition to Cameron’s message, speaker and singer/songwriter Warren Barfield also shared some inspirational thoughts on the subject. Known for his role as young Mike Seaver on the ABC sitcom “Growing Pains” in the 1980s, Cameron now uses his notoriety on the big screen to share the Gospel. He can be seen alongside evangelist Ray Comfort presenting Christ on the video series “Way of the Master” and has starred in such films as “Left Behind” and “Fireproof.” During Love Worth Fighting For, Cameron made several references to … [Read more...]

By Message Staff A round of severe weather swept through the state late Saturday and into Sunday dumping more than 10 inches rain in some areas, producing high winds and at least one confirmed EF-1 tornado. At least one Louisiana Baptist church – Faith Baptist Church in Livonia – had the majority of its roof ripped off and a significant amount of water damage inside. CLECO, AEP-SWEPCO and Entergy – three utility companies that serve many areas impacted by the storms – reported significant outages. At the height of the storm, more than 42,000 Entergy, 12,000 Cleco and 13,500 AEP-SWEPCO customers were without power. Among the churches damaged was Faith Baptist Church in Livonia, which lost a portion of its roof. Tommy Middleton, director of missions for the Greater Baton Rouge Area Baptist Association, said the congregation of Faith Baptist was trying to remain positive. “Pray as they try to figure out what to do going forward,” he said. Pastor Freddie Rodrigue, who rushed to the church as soon as the storm had passed, found half of the church’s roof missing, pieces of tin wrapped around a tree and a broken brick column lying on the roof line on the fellowship hall. "Water was coming into the building, the … [Read more...]

By Message Staff PINEVILLE – Louisiana College has chosen to stay inside the family in its selection for its next athletics director and head football coach. During a press conference April 27, school officials named men’s basketball coach Reni Mason as athletics director and promoted defensive coordinator Justin Charles to the head coaching position. “God takes men of integrity, conscious, character and conviction and He raises them to levels of influence,” said LC President Rick Brewer. “Without a doubt, it’s a new day. There are new opportunities for us to grow and get better.” Mason will continue in his current role as head men’s basketball coach, a position he has held since coming to the school May 30, 2015. Before that, Mason had a 154-53 record at Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport. There, his teams earned three district championships. He was named district coach of the year in 2010, 2011 and 2015. Mason is a graduate of the University of New Orleans with a B.S. in General Studies. Besides his time at UNO, he also played at Louisiana Tech. In addition to experience on the collegiate level, Mason also brings expertise on the professional level. He was general manager and assistant coach of the … [Read more...]