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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

LC revival: Wilton urges students to become ‘new’

By Baptist Message staff PINEVILLE, La. (LBM) – Don Wilton challenged Louisiana College students, during the campus revival service Wednesday, Sept. 29, to examine their own relationship with Christ and surrender all to Him. Wilton, pastor of First Baptist Church in Spartanburg, S.C., based his message on Colossians 1:25. He emphasized to the students that they could experience the same transformation that the apostle Paul experienced in his encounter with Christ. He also offered that each follower of Jesus will experience the fullness of God’s Word if they surrender their life to Him. “Do you know Jesus,” Wilton asked the students gathered inside Guinn Auditorium. “It begins with your relationship with Christ. Maybe today you need to give your heart to Jesus. Pray that simple prayer. Just do it.” Wilton was the featured speaker for the revival services, Sept. 28-30, which resulted in numerous decisions for Christ. Campus faculty will follow up with the students and disciple them. The decisions come as 30 students already have professed their faith in Jesus during the fall semester through the “Awakening” worship services featuring evangelist Curtis Zackery of Franklin, Tenn.,  Aug. 14-16 and the “Arrival” … [Read more...]

CRT: Three problems that evangelicals must navigate

By Ron F. Hale In times of headlong cultural change and confusion, secular philosophies tend to taint our biblical values and virtues. Distinguishing fact from fiction becomes harder. This is even harder when new media-driven narratives automatically put you in a defensive posture as an oppressor of others due to the color of your skin and gender. To read the rest of the article, click here. … [Read more...]

Children’s home opens new recreation center

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer MONROE, La. (LBM) – The Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home and Family Ministries has opened a new recreation center that not only will provide a place to swim, play basketball and enjoy birthday parties but will offer healing to the many children on campus. “This place will be special because it will be filled with joy and laughter of our children,” LBCHFM President and CEO Perry Hancock said during his remarks at the dedication ceremony, Aug. 20. “For them, that is more than special. Most of them have experienced neglect. Many have faced abuse. But here, they will be able to relax and enjoy life. And while they are playing, God will be at work healing their minds and hearts.” The 18,300 sq.-ft. Children’s Recreation and Activity Center includes an indoor pool, gymnasium, and gift room (Christmas and birthday surprises are processed and stored here), and replaces the former gymnasium and pool, which were more than 60 and 40 years old, respectively. Though the project was announced in 2018 and set to open in 2020, the novel coronavirus pandemic, hurricanes and unexpected rising construction costs delayed the dedication until this year. The recreation and activity center … [Read more...]

Letlow, Scalise, Graves, Higgins and Carter ask the Corps to speed up Operation Blue Roof

By Office of Congresswoman Julia Letlow WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Julia Letlow (LA-05) has joined Minority Whip Steve Scalise (LA-01), Congressman Garret Graves (LA-06), Congressman Clay Higgins (LA-03) and Congressman Troy Carter (LA-02) in sending a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, asking them to speed up the completion of Operation Blue Roof. In the wake of Hurricane Ida, more than 62,000 Louisiana households have applied for assistance under the program, but only 3,743 installations have been completed to date. The bipartisan group noted that while the Corps is dedicating additional resources to the program, even the advanced completion rate will not meet the pressing need in Southeast Louisiana. “While we appreciate the accelerated speed under this ramp up, at that rate it would take approximately 98 days to complete installation for every applicant under the Blue Roof program,” the letter states. “This timeframe is unacceptable and will lead to additional damage to homes while people’s roofs remain exposed to the elements.” The letter also included a request for the Corps to provide regular updates on the status of the program to Louisiana’s Congressional Delegation, including regular reports of … [Read more...]

Georgia Barnette Offering helps rescue women and children from sex trafficking

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer MONROE, La. (LBM) – Lindsey Crawford had not realized how prevalent sex trafficking was in her community until she met a young mother who was a former victim. For several weeks, Crawford could not forget the incident and asked God how she could be a part of the fight to end human trafficking in her hometown and beyond. What resulted was the creation of “Freedom13,” a jail ministry that focuses on outreach to formerly trafficked people in northeast Louisiana with the intentions of rebuilding their dignity. The ministry’s name is based on Galatians 5:13: “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” “At ‘Freedom13’ we want to provide opportunities for women to start over,” Crawford said. “But more than that, we want women to know how important they are to the Lord, to us, and to the Body of Christ. We hope they will find or be reminded of their Gospel-centered, God-given purpose and walk it out, every day.” Since its founding, “Freedom13” has helped rescue more than 20 women and children from the sex trafficking industry and offers them resources to gain a new life through a … [Read more...]

Missionary, minister residential care programs resume

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer MONROE, La. (LBM) – After COVID-19 temporarily halted a program that assists ministers and missionaries, the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home and Family Ministries has restarted the Ministerial Care Residential Program. The program that began in 2018 will host its first approved applicants as soon as Sept. 1. Louisiana Baptist terminated ministers, and International Mission Board missionaries on stateside assignment, transitioning to a new ministry or recently retired will be eligible to receive a free apartment on the LBCHFM’s campus in Monroe for up to one year. LBCHFM President and CEO Perry Hancock told the Baptist Message he is excited to offer the opportunity for ministers and missionaries to rest while they seek God’s direction for their future plans. “Ministers have benefitted greatly from the program,” Hancock said. “They have been able to rest from the challenging demands of ministry. That may sound ‘elementary’ but burnout is an ever-present possibility in ministry. “I believe that the program has also helped some to refocus or clarify God’s call for their ministry,” he continued. “Some have discovered that, rather than being a senior pastor, they need to … [Read more...]

Lifeway: Due to pandemic-related delays order winter studies early

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Lifeway Christian Resources is implementing measures to better serve churches as the business deals with shipping and raw material logistical issues. According to a news release from the organization, 40 percent of products such as quarterly Bible study materials have been impacted. Brian Daniel, director and publisher on Lifeway’s adult discipleship team, said “pandemic-induced volatility” and an increased amount of time required for reprinting has created challenges. Additionally, an unexpected increase in demand after slower sales during the pandemic has created “stock issues.” Devin Maddox, director and publisher of B&H books, said they have backed up their production schedule by one month to give their partners more time to fulfill orders and meet customers’ needs. Andy McLean, director of Bibles and reference at Lifeway, added they are also building in additional time into their schedules and working on additional solutions to offset increased costs in manufacturing and shipping. “Our team has worked incredibly hard at tracking the situation in real time, executing earlier reprints and absorbing additional costs so we could have inventory for our customers,” McLean said. “We’re incredibly grateful … [Read more...]

LC’s C3 speaker declares CRT unbiblical

By Staff PINEVILLE, La. (LCNews) - “CRT bears witness to the reality of whether or not you believe the Bible is true,” Dale Clayton said, Sept. 20, as the keynote speaker for Louisiana College’s annual Christ Church Culture Conference. “You have to question if you really believe in the Bible or not,” Clayton, vice president of Coaches’ Ministries at Nations of Coaches and former president of the Black Coaches Association, emphasized. “If you believe in the CRT junk, you’ve got a blind mind.” Critical Race Theory is an academic and social movement based on claims that U.S. law and institutions are inherently racist and function to create and maintain social, economic and political inequalities between whites (oppressors) and minorities, in particular blacks, (oppressed). “If you buy into this, you are buying into destruction of the United States,” Clayton observed. LC President Rick Brewer told the crowd that CRT is surging among diversity training programs and public policy positions by governments, corporations and educational systems of all levels nationwide. “Equity. Social justice. Inclusion. These are CRT buzz words,” Brewer said. “Equity sounds non-threatening as opposed to neo-Marxism. But this will be the … [Read more...]