By Louisiana College communications Christian Universities Online (CUO) has ranked Louisiana College the third most affordable Christian college in the United States and included LC in the category of “50 Best Value Christian Colleges and Universities” for 2015 - 16. “Though the two are related, there is a distinct difference between affordability and value,” said Dr. Rick Brewer, president of LC. “We have worked hard to close the affordability gap by making our rates competitive with public institutions,” he said. “Our differentiating value proposition, however, is that we offer academic rigor with curricula that are founded on a Christian worldview.” “We are intentional about offering the best education possible at a reasonable cost,” Brewer continued.  “We do this primarily because we believe what Colossians 2:3 says about ‘all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’ being in Jesus Christ.” “That so few schools are on both lists speaks to how God has blessed LC, and to our commitment to prepare graduates and transform lives for kingdom growth,” Brewer said. For information about financial aid at LC, go to www.lacollege.edu/finances/financial-aid.   … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer Two feet of water is now inside a church north of Monroe due to the heavy rainfall in the area but its members are looking for ways to show Christ’s love even in a bleak situation. “The building is flooded but the church is fine,” said Chad Merrell, pastor of First West Fairbanks. “The church is serving our community and loving people like Jesus. Pray that we have opportunities to serve and share the hope of Jesus with people whom we never would’ve met had water not risen.” Some of his members along with those from its parent church, First West Monroe, are helping evacuate homes, feed volunteers and fill and deliver sandbags, Merrell said. He expects many more opportunities to be available in the coming days and weeks ahead to minister to others affected by the storm. “Pray for first responders and volunteers,” he said. “Pray for families who have been evacuated. Pray the rain will stop.” Since Tuesday, torrential rainfall has caused massive flooding throughout Louisiana. Nearly two feet of rain has fallen in some areas and the rain may not move out of the state until sometime Sunday, according to long-range forecasts. Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency … [Read more...]

By Message Staff First Baptist Church in Haughton opened its doors Tuesday evening to neighbors whose homes were flooded after a strong system produced high winds and up to a foot of rain in some areas. Regardless of the amount of time evacuees need to stay at the designated American Red Cross shelter, Pastor Gevan Spinney says his congregation will shine the love of Christ in a dismal situation. “The evacuees have been very grateful but are devastated,” said Spinney, who also is Louisiana Baptist Convention president. “Most of the people here have lost a lot and are kind of shell shocked. We plan on loving them as long as we need to.” Nine people stayed inside the church’s Family Life Center Tuesday evening, and the church as well as some area businesses are providing food for the evacuees, Spinney said. “We are getting a lot of texts and calls from people in the community asking how they can help,” Spinney said. “We’ve gone through some tragedies in Haughton as a community in the past and this proves again that folks love on each other and take care of their neighbors.” Louisiana associational directors of missions in the affected areas told the Baptist Message no churches were damaged in the first wave of bad … [Read more...]

By Norm Miller, LC communications PINEVILLE - Louisiana College senior social work major Caroline Weatherford was chosen by the Louisiana Council on Social Work Education to present a paper at a statewide National Association of Social Worker’s Conference in Baton Rouge, La., March 17. Among all the papers submitted from Louisiana’s higher education social work programs, Weatherford’s committee-reviewed paper was top choice for presentation from the undergraduate level. Originally written as part of Weatherford’s Social Work with Communities and Organizations’ coursework, the paper conjoins her class’s semester-long community service learning project focused on reducing the stigma of mental illness in Central Louisiana. “I am honored to present this paper and am excited I was chosen,” Weatherford told LCNews. “But I am even more excited that I'll be able to share the work that my classmates and I did. Hopefully, this will raise the awareness of stigma even more.” Weatherford and her classmates completed two public awareness projects. The first was a "Chalk Out," where students wrote statistics about mental illness on public sidewalks. “The purpose was for people to read these statistics and, if they have a mental … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court has blocked enforcement of a Louisiana law March 3 which called for doctors who provide abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. The justices reversed an order by the federal appeals court in New Orleans that allowed Louisiana to begin enforcing its 2014 clinic regulation law even as it is being challenged in the courts. Louisiana Right to Life Executive Director Benjamin Clapper expressed his disappointment in the reversal of the federal appeals court in New Orleans. “We are disappointed the Supreme Court has blocked our common-sense admitting privileges law until further appeals in the 5th Circuit, and ultimately, the Supreme Court’s upcoming decision coming in June on a similar law in Texas,” Clapper said. “Abortion physicians shouldn’t have exceptions to safety standards, and we hope the Supreme Court will ultimately decide to protect Louisiana’s right to enact appropriate regulations to protect the health of its citizens.” By blocking Louisiana’s law, this could be a sign that a similar law in Texas also could be in peril. The legal group representing the clinics says facilities in Baton Rouge and Bossier City already have … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer WASHINGTON – The ‘Energizer Bunny’ has nothing on church planter Louis Charrier. On any given Sunday morning, he is preaching from the pulpit at Washington Baptist Church, a congregation he has pastored since 1994. Later, Charrier travels 25 miles south to New Life Church in Arnaudville, where he will lead a Bible study. In between, he even stops off to visit with a prospect who recently attended a service at the third church he pastors, Bayou Life Church in Cottonport. While juggling three churches at once can present a challenge, Charrier said the rewards outweigh any drawbacks. “What keeps me going is the calling,” Charrier said. “If you start to think about the plans for the week or month, it can be overwhelming. You have to take the task at hand one day at a time. God will call you and supply all you need.” Charrier first felt the call to plant churches while attending the 1986 Louisiana Baptist Convention Annual Meeting at First Baptist Church in Lake Charles. The emphasis that year was Mission 90, which was a campaign with a goal to start 250 missions and ministries throughout the next five years. He came back to Miller French Baptist Church in Iota, where he … [Read more...]

By Mark H. Hunter, Regional Reporter ADDIS – When Elizabeth Hill was asked why she and her husband George were baptized at The Church at Addis by Pastor Thomas Shepard, her face broke into big smile. “God brought us here,” Elizabeth Hill, 53, said, following the Feb. 21 service. “This is like a First Century church.” Her husband of 16 years, George Hill, 79, a lifelong Presbyterian and a well-known, retired businessman, agreed. He opened his worn Bible to Acts  2:47, and read aloud, “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.’ Well, that’s what’s going on right here. If not daily at least weekly.” Hill pointed to the front of the sanctuary where Shepard and several members were visiting with a young married couple who’d come forward to join and a young woman seeking baptism. “This is a dynamic church and I want to be a part of it,” Hill said. Shepard said they’ve baptized around 300 people, mostly adult Catholics, and he baptizes someone nearly every Sunday. “We have a massive amount of adult Catholics baptized,” Shepard said. “We‘re saturated with Catholics in this area.” “I was raised a Catholic so coming from that background I’m able to convey the message in a way that they … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA – As he visited with homeowners affected by a powerful tornado that badly damaged more than 200 homes in LaPlace, Gibbie McMillan, Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief director, was reminded again of why Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief exists – to show the love of Christ in a tragic situation. Among those he met was Pat Murphy, a single woman living alone in the LaPlace area. When McMillan arrived on the scene, Murphy’s two sisters were being assisted by a disaster relief team in removing debris from her yard. “She moved to LaPlace after Hurricane Katrina where she lost her home in New Orleans,” McMillan said. “She wept as the team prayed with her and her sisters.” Murphy was served by a large team of Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers from throughout the state. Hours after a series of tornadoes touched down in a number of southeast Louisiana communities, the disaster relief teams were on standby, ready for activation. At least 12 tornadoes touched down in the state Feb. 23, the National Weather Service confirmed. Convent, LaPlace, Paincourtville and Livingston Parish sustained the most significant damage with winds of 111-135 miles per hour … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer MONROE – Under construction for the last seven months, a new cottage -- the first in 40 years -- is ready to be unveiled according to Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home President and CEO Perry Hancock. Designed to provide trastional living for women and their children as they prepare for independent living, the cottage is scheduled to be dedicated April 22 at 10:30 a.m. Hancock informed trustees as the Home’s spring board meeting. The HomePlace Cottages, which are located at Martin Village, provide homeless women and their children housing for up to one year at no cost to the residents. While there, the women receive training for a high school equivalency degree and are given life and employment skills training through the Christian Women’s Job Corps. Two more cottages are planned for the near future as additional funds become available. Proceeds from the Brenda Hall Abney Golf Classic, sponsored by Roy O. Martin Lumber Company in Alexandria, is the major funding source for the cottages. Hancock said he had received numerous comments about the positive impact the HomePlace ministry has made on the women. “Many of our churches are providing support for the women,” … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA – Despite news reports and surveys saying the Millennial generation is not committed to the church, Michael Wood came away encouraged by this generation of students attending the recent Collegiate Evangelism Conference. “I’m so encouraged hearing from so many of you who have put your yes on the table,” Wood told a crowd of around 700, mostly college students from Baptist Collegiate Ministries throughout the state. “Whatever it is, the answer is yes. Wherever it takes me, the answer is yes.” Wood, who is pastor at First Baptist Church in West Monroe, challenged the students throughout the two-day conference at Calvary Baptist Church in Alexandria to make a difference for Christ in the near and far places. Citing Nehemiah 2:8, Wood said the prophet Nehemiah was presented with a mission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He said Nehemiah realized what his mission was after four months of praying and fasting and thus approached the king to seek permission and funding to carry out the task. “Rebuilt walls stand on the foundation of God’s presence and power,” Wood said. “And they are framed with a clear mission.” Likewise, students are tasked with a similar … [Read more...]