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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

LCU begins faith integration workshops for faculty

By Elizabeth Clarke, LCU News PINEVILLE, La. (LCU News) – Louisiana Christian University has adopted a new initiative during the 2023-2024 school year to integrate faith into every academic course. “Students coming to LCU expect to learn about faith and theology in the religion classes and in Chapel, but we want to be intentional about our mission and vision here,” said LCU President Rick Brewer. “We want students to know that no matter what their individual callings are professionally, that the Lord expects all Christians to be evangelists. We are preparing graduates and transforming lives because we know transformed people transform culture.” Each syllabus will include references to faith and how it will be tied to the individual disciplines students are studying. Additionally, workshops throughout the year will be held to train faculty how to be purposeful not only with integrating faith into their courses but tying it to the specific learning outcomes and subject matter of their courses. Louisiana Baptist Executive Director Steve Horn commended LCU faculty for their efforts to incorporate faith into the classroom, during the first faculty workshop on Aug. 31. He encouraged them to continue creating a culture of … [Read more...]

VIDEO: CENLA Pregnancy Center announces theme for ‘Gift of Life’ banquet

ALEXANDRIA, La. - The CENLA Pregnancy Center has announced the upcoming Gift of Life banquet's theme, "A Royal Homecoming." The largest fundraiser of the year for the pregnancy center, the event will feature Claire Lemoine (former CPC executive director, who will emcee of the event), a testimony by a former CPC client, music by a local band comprising members from area multi-denominational churches and updates about how God has used this ministry to help serve moms in need so they can experience healthy pregnancies. To purchase individual tickets, call 318.314-3061 or visit the event website. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtLipLePvV4&feature=youtu.be … [Read more...]

FIRST PERSON: God was at work in the rescue of a Louisiana family on a Tennessee lake

By Laura Holeman Trahan, special to the Baptist Message DANDRIDGE, Tenn. (LBM) -- In the Bible, the Hebrew word “ruach” is translated as wind, breath and spirit, interchangeably. How ever one chooses to interpret it, God was undeniably hovering over our family this past Independence Day holiday in the form of “ruachַ” to guide us safely through a storm. In the hustle of church activities, work, summer sports, camps, trips, and more, summer in this season of life with two adolescent kids is not quite as free and easy as is often advertised. Consequently, when we realized all four of us were free on the same days of July 3 and 4, we decided to relive some of our best family memories of primitive camping on one of the many TVA-owned islands on Douglas Lake. Excited by the possibility of disconnecting from the outside world and connecting with each other, we loaded our four kayaks with camping gear and launched our boats across the street from our house. After paddling a mere 100 feet from shore, the blue sky turned black, and a heavy downpour drenched us for roughly five minutes. We could not communicate in the storm, and my husband and the kids continued to paddle forward while I turned back to the shore. When the rain … [Read more...]

Churches pray, serve amid wildfire responses

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer SINGER, La. (LBM) – Churches in Beauregard and Vernon Baptist associations gathered for special prayer services Aug. 27 and asked God for much needed rain in areas where wildfires have scorched more than 50,000 acres. Sunday, the congregations of First Baptist Church, DeRidder, and East Leesville Baptist Church services sought God’s help, through prayer, to ask the Almighty to intervene as weary first responders, church members and people in the community have waged a two-week battle against the wildfires. By the end of the evening, their prayers were answered as many areas in west-central Louisiana saw their first measurable rainfall since mid-July. The Sunday evening gathering at FBC DeRidder drew more than 350 while the service at East Leesville Baptist had more than 120. “We believe that God wants His people to draw close to Him in every circumstance,” FBC DeRidder Pastor Steve Graves told the Baptist Message after the service. “The drought and fires happen to be the circumstance that has brought our community closer to God. And when that happens, it’s pleasing to God and honors God. “God is faithful, whether it rains or not,” he continued. “And last night, in his … [Read more...]

DR fire response continues in Singer/Merryville

By Baptist Message staff SINGER, La. (LBM) – As wildfires continue to rage in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief teams and churches remain in the area to show Christ’s love to those impacted. According to Gary Hahler, pastor of Shady Grove Baptist Church, Pitkin, and DR coordinator for Beauregard Baptist Association, a Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief feeding team had cooked 450 meals since Wednesday for first responders battling the fires. “Yesterday during supper preparations, the quick response feeding unit (from Philadelphia Baptist Church, Deville) had to evacuate where they were preparing meals at First Baptist Church in Singer because the fire took an unexpected turn,” LBDR Strategist Stan Statham told the Baptist Message. “The quickly moved to the Beauregard Baptist Association office in DeRidder, reopened and fed first responders. Once again, they showed the determination of our volunteers.” Philadelphia Baptist Church is providing a feeding trailer while other churches have stepped up as well to provide feeding team members: Trinity Baptist Church, Oakdale, Glenmora Baptist Church, Shady Grove Baptist Church, Pitkin, Singer Baptist Church, Cherry Grove Baptist Church, Dry Creek, New Life … [Read more...]

Freshmen welcomed to Wildcat family at Convocation

By Elizabeth Clarke, LCU News PINEVILLE, La. (LCU News) – Louisiana Christian University welcomed 250 freshmen and offered highlights from the most recent school year during its annual convocation ceremony, Aug. 23. LCU President Rick Brewer delivered a message based on Galatians 5:1, the first of many that students will hear from faculty and guest speakers on the book of Galatians throughout chapel services for the 2023-2024 school year. “Christian education is about preparing you for life; we at LCU seek to prepare graduates and transform lives,” Brewer told the students gathered inside Guinn Auditorium. “We believe that transformed people transform communities, transform culture, transform families and others’ lives.” Freshmen attended in their major cohorts with their faculty mentors. During the ceremony, Brewer recognized LCU athletes and others for their many accomplishments last year including: LCU received the Red River Athletic Conference Sportsmanship Award for the second year in a row; Olivia Scott was named recipient of the first Clarence and Rose Fields Emerging Black Leader Scholarship; Josie Holt was crowned Miss LCU and a Top 10 Finalist for Miss Louisiana; Addition of a new Master of … [Read more...]

FBC Harrisonburg ordains Hardie

First Baptist Church, Harrisonburg, held an ordination service Aug. 20 for Youth Minister Justin Hardie. Photographed are the church's ordained deacons, Hardie (front row, second from left) and Louisiana Baptist Executive Director Steve Horn (front row, third from left). The church currently does not have a pastor. … [Read more...]

Preddy’s legacy lives through paintings inside almost 150 church baptisteries

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer FOREST HILL, La. (LBM) – Almost 150 Baptist churches in Louisiana, five other states and Paraguay may not realize they share a common bond inside their baptistries. Phil Preddy, who died in 1995, spent decades painting murals of scenes depicted in the Bible that were placed inside baptistries of churches in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Paraguay (some of those worship centers have been destroyed by hurricanes, fire, floods or tornadoes). Such was a labor of love for a man who did not charge churches for his work but only wanted to honor the Lord by using his artistic gift. His daughter, Judi Kent, who along with her husband, Tom, served as International Mission Board medical missionaries in Paraguay for 33 years and recently paid a visit to view one of his paintings at Elwood Baptist Church, Forest Hill. His granddaughter also served as an IMB missionary and a great granddaughter is nearing her departure for mission work (their names and locations are with held because of security reasons). “God had given him the talent of art, and he wanted to give back to the Lord in a way that would have a presence in baptisms,” Kent told the … [Read more...]

DR teams headed to fire-stricken Merryville, Singer

By Baptist Message staff MERRYVILLE, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief crews have been deployed to minister to those impacted by wildfires in the Merryville-Singer area. According to LBDR Strategist Stan Statham, a feeding unit will serve lunch at First Baptist Church, Singer, to firefighters and other first responders on Aug. 23 and chaplains will be on hand. Additionally, LBDR will distribute bottled water and Gatorade to those impacted by the fires. Beauregard Baptist Association Mission Strategist Tom Bruce said that Green Oak Baptist Church, Merryville, and Dry Creek Baptist Camp have offered their facilities to shelter evacuees and that FBC Singer will serve as a cooling station for first responders. The fire broke out Aug. 22 near Highway 110 between Merryville and Singer. The Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office issued a mandatory evacuation Wednesday morning for residents on Neale Oil Field Road, where the fire was just one-half mile away Wednesday. Additionally, a voluntary evacuation had been issued for the town of Merryville as crews continue to battle the wildfire. Wildfires have been an issue in Louisiana with the ongoing lack of rainfall. In mid-August, LBDR teams prepared 545 meals at First Baptist … [Read more...]

FIRST PERSON: Small churches can be ‘global,’ too

By Mike Holloway WEST MONROE, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Baptist congregations get to celebrate being part of some wonderful ministries around the world. By giving through the Cooperative Program, we are part of God’s work around the globe. But sometimes smaller congregations also wish they could do overseas missions “on their own,” too. However, it’s often difficult to do because of modest resources. Still, we learned at Ouachita Baptist Church that even with our moderately sized membership we could make a direct impact to the ends of the earth. Three years ago, we were contacted on Facebook by an interpreter in Zambia who had assisted me during a week of evangelism there nearly two decades earlier. Edward Mulenga was now the pastor of “Word of Truth Ministries,” but the congregation had no building. Still, he simply asked us to partner with his church in prayer. And we did. Through that commitment, God began to move us to help these fellow believers, half a world away. It was a step of faith for several reasons. About 200 worshipers regularly gather each week in our West Monroe facilities. But 2020 was punctuated with COVID stay-at-home mandates. Also, we were engaged in a focused effort to pay off our … [Read more...]