By Message Staff An outbreak of tornadoes left death and destruction in its path Friday, April 13, and Saturday, April 14, as tornadoes touched down in Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Lincoln and Union parishes, according to the National Weather Service. Louisiana Disaster Relief teams wasted no time responding in the wake of the storms. “Storms are a reality in Louisiana and we have volunteers ready and willing to help when needed,” Gibbie McMillan, state disaster relief director for Louisiana Baptists said. “Many ask why and the answer is so we can share the good news of the gospel.  It seems like God uses the storm to get our attention and then we are called to respond with help healing and hope.” McMillan said the tornado outbreak is a reminder of how valuable volunteers are for responding with Christ’s love in disastrous situations. DEADLY STORM Besides uprooting trees, causing structural damage and knocking out power to more than 76,000 SWEPCO customers in a three Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana, the powerful storm claimed the life of 20-month-old Carli Ortiz, who was killed early Saturday when a tree feel on the recreational vehicle in which she was sleeping in the Hill Crest Mobile Home & RV Park in … [Read more...]

By Gary D. Meyers, NOBTS Communications NEW ORLEANS -- New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary announced a multi-ethnic initiative designed to diversify the seminary community and a tuition cap plan during its spring trustee meeting on April 12. Trustees approved a $23.4 million dollar budget, four new master of arts in missiology specializations, new undergraduate training sites and faculty promotions. In addition, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission President Russell Moore was named visiting professor of theology and ethics, and Liberty University apologist Gary Habermas was named as visiting professor of apologetics. NOBTS President Chuck Kelley introduced the multi-ethnic initiative, which he calls "Different Voices," during the presidential report. The goal of the initiative is the increase in minority representation in every layer of the seminary community -- students, staff and faculty. Initial plans include workshops for minority students seeking a ministry in Southern Baptist Convention academics and a doctoral fellowship for minority students. As the plan was developed, Kelley met with minority students to share ideas and receive feedback. Kelley said the group wholeheartedly endorsed the name of the … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer MONTGOMERY – Micheal Young once spent his free time enjoying the ways of the world, but a visit to a youth meeting at Northside Baptist Church in Montgomery transformed the high schooler into a Christ-follower on fire for the Lord. “I went for a girl at first, but when I got to the church the Lord spoke to me,” said Young, who was baptized the Sunday after his conversion in October. “Before I started going to church, I would get into mischief every weekend and bully people. Now, the Lord has touched me and I have a testimony of a person who has given up the bad ways of his past life to live a reborn life.” The change in Young’s life even inspired his brothers, Aaron and Jacob, and his cousin, Jeremiah, to repent of their sins and turn their lives over to Christ in the ensuing months. “My family and I talked and shed a bunch of tears,” Young said. “It feels great knowing I am able to help someone get out of a bad situation by offering them real hope found in Jesus.” Baptisms of students like Young have not been the exception but the norm recently at Northside Baptist Church. Since 2016, 78 new converts – many who are youth – have stirred the baptistery waters there. The … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer MONROE – The front lawn of New Hope Baptist Church in Monroe was the scene for a special baptism service last August that served as a visible witness for friends and family, and also for motorists who passed by. One by one, each of the nine new believers stepped into a horse trough filled with cold water on a hot summer Sunday afternoon, to publicly restate his or her individual faith in Christ by being baptized. “Everyone was gathered together, singing praises to the Lord for all the things He did that day,” said Gray, winner of the 2017 Exemplary Bi-vocational Pastor of the Year for the North region. “It was really cool for people to pass by and see what was going on -- to see entire generations baptized together, from age 10 to 65, was something I never will forget.” The baptism service signifies a personal revival New Hope Baptist has experienced since Gray’s arrival in April 2017. When Gray became pastor of New Hope Baptist, the Sunday morning worship service attendance averaged 30 and baptisms were a rarity, according to church records. Eleven months later, attendance for worship services has more than tripled, and 16 new converts have participated in … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message NEW IBERIA – Pastor David Denton believes it is time to remove the stigma from mental illness and believes the church is a good place to start. Pastor at Highland Baptist Church in New Iberia, Denton felt God’s prompting after the Jeremiah Johnston study – “Unanswered: Lasting Answers to Trending Questions” – to address the issue of Christians and mental illness. This study was timely as several of his church members had been impacted by traumatic events associated with mental illness. “I did some research and it shows 25 percent of our population has or will be diagnosed with some form of mental illness,” he said. “That affects a lot of people. There is no instantaneous fix but the issue needs to be addressed in a Christian worldview.” In order to do so, Highland Baptist will host a one-day, interactive event on mental health April 22. The event’s theme, “Hope for Mental Health,” will begin Sunday morning as Kevin Richard, staff counselor at Trinity Baptist Church in Lake Charles, will be casting some biblical light on the subject of mental illness at the 8 and 10:30 a.m. worship services. The afternoon schedule begins at 4 p.m. in the church’s fellowship hall with a light meal and … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message ALEXANDRIA (LBM) – Philip Robertson and Clay Fuqua, senior pastor and campus pastor for Philadelphia Baptist Church in Deville and Alexandria, respectively, led a host of local pastors and community leaders in testifying before the City of Alexandria Alcohol, Beverage and Drug Abuse Commission to oppose an alcohol beverage permit to the Grand Theatre of Alexandria – and won. The movie theater had applied to serve low and high alcohol content drinks at its 14 screen facility as a means to improve profits and avoid closing in light of changing movie-going habits of the public. Its representatives also argued that it operated other movie theaters in the state that served alcohol and did so “without a single incident.” But its representatives admitted, when asked, that it was operating profitably now with ticket and concession sales. Likewise, they revealed that there have been some problems at the Alexandria location, which is dry, with underage youth sneaking in alcohol. Interestingly, the Grand Theatre representatives also offered that most of its best attended features are family-friendly films that allow adults to bring their children with them to enjoy a night of … [Read more...]

By John Marcase, Special to the Message PINEVILLE -- What was supposed to be a 1,000 mile cycling trip for a growing ministry in Bossier City did not launch exactly as planned April 4. Still, it did not prevent the group, consisting of men from Men of Courage Louisiana and the Christ Fit Gym in Bossier City, from seizing upon a ministry opportunity when it presented itself. The “1,000 Miles for a Mission” trip had barely started when Christ Fit Gym owner Billy Weatherall suffered a malfunction with his bike. “We were 20 miles out of Bossier and I had a blowout,” Weatherall said. Later that night at First Baptist Church in Pineville he shared his testimony and the cycling group took part in a worship service. “It was the only one we experienced” that day. But, it just so happened the blowout occurred near some railroad tracks where maintenance was being performed. “There was a railroad worker who I knew and hadn’t seen in years,” said Weatherall. “He came over and said he had been going through a rough time and needed prayers. “God has been using us like this all along the way.” Officially, the 1,000 Miles for a Mission ride is to raise funds for both Men of Courage and Christ Fit Gym. Both organizations … [Read more...]

By Robin McCall, WMU Communications BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – WorldCrafts, the fair trade division of Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU), has expanded an initiative that supports Southern Baptists’ work for children and families through a partnership with Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home & Family Ministries in Monroe. The initiative, which was first launched with Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes & Family Ministries and Arizona Baptist Children’s Services & Family Ministries in January, supports the work of the Baptist Coalition for Children and Families. Through this initiative, churches or individuals partner with WorldCrafts to support at-risk children and to provide life-sustaining work for global artisans and their families. “The new WMU WorldCrafts initiative for Baptist Children’s Homes will make a significant impact on the lives of our children here in Louisiana,” said Perry Hancock, President and CEO of the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home & Family Ministries. “LBCH is one of the few children’s homes across America that receives no government funding for the care of foster children. The new WMU project will help us expand our support of foster children both on campus in Monroe and across the state,” he … [Read more...]