By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer NEW ORLEANS, La. (LBM) – Easter Sunday felt like a long-awaited family reunion, Pastor Fred Luter told the Baptist Message. In 2020, Luter preached to an online only crowd from inside a nearly vacant worship center on Easter. But for Resurrection Day 2021 Luter shared his Easter message to 800 people (limited by New Orleans’ social distancing restrictions), the most since COVID-19 attendance restrictions shut down in-person services in late March 2020. Luter’s son, Chip, who recently became associate pastor, preached at the second service to another crowd of 800. “It was like opening presents on Christmas morning,” the senior Luter said. “I looked at the people in the room and told them it was good to see them, especially those who had not been here in more than a year. While we have learned this past year that you can never count on tomorrow, I am anticipating and praying that we will continue moving forward closer to what we knew was normal. We are trusting God to see us through this.” Fortunately, churches outside New Orleans did not face capacity restrictions, and across the state there were reports of similar boosts in attendance on Easter Sunday. Louisiana … [Read more...]

By Baptist Message staff BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Tuesday, March 30, the easing of additional restrictions as the state continues moving forward in reopening the economy. Citing continued positive trends in low COVID-19 cases counts and hospitalizations, Edwards said during a news conference that while the mask mandate will remain in place and social distancing will be required, restaurants, bars, gyms, salons and beauty shops, malls and retail establishments no longer will have occupancy limits once the current proclamation expires on Wednesday, March 31. Edwards added that capacity for event centers and reception halls will remain at 50 percent, with a maximum size of 500 people. Attendance at sporting events will still be capped at 50 percent. Also, churches will be allowed to continue to operate at full capacity. The new proclamation Edwards will sign on Wednesday will remain in effect through April 28. “Today marks a big step forward,” Edwards said. “But we all are going to have a role today and do have a role to play in making sure that cases don’t spike again.” The LDH reported 499 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the statewide total to 444,414, and an … [Read more...]

By Norm Miller, special assignments editor DERIDDER, La. (LBM) - New Life Baptist Church in DeRidder suffered no damage from Hurricanes Laura or Delta but had to meet without electricity for several weeks. But, acting as a hub for responding to others’ needs, the church opened its doors to host four church groups that came to serve the community with food and other supplies. Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Jonesville, sent about 20 members who spent just one day to gut out the home of New Life’s worship leader, Jennifer Stark. The roof was destroyed, and the interior was completely soaked. Still wrestling with their insurance company, the Starks’s home is not yet completely repaired. Pastor Keith Manuel expressed deep gratitude for all the churches that sent help. “We are thankful for those who came into this devastated area to give their time and resources to help people who were suffering through the most desperate days of the disaster. They helped our community, and they shared the Gospel.” Manuel said the church saw four professions of faith from among five unexpected visitors to the church in January. A mother and her son committed their lives to Christ. Three teens who work at a local pizza restaurant owned by a … [Read more...]

By Elizabeth Christian, LCNews PINEVILLE, La. (LCNews) - Louisiana College has learned that two former students have been charged in a federal indictment in connection with alleged fraudulent use of grant money made available to students as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). According to the Justice Department press release, Hayden Philip Breaux, 21, of Houma, and D’Quincy Marquis Jones, 23, of Baton Rouge, have both been charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury with one count of conspiracy to commit identity theft and five counts of identity theft. The indictment alleges that in June 2020 Breaux and Jones and other co-conspirators used LC students’ personal information and passwords to gain access to the Louisiana College Online Student Portal to apply for these emergency funds and direct the money into their accounts. “Louisiana College has and will continue to cooperate fully with the federal investigation,” said Elizabeth Clarke, LC college communications director. “Once college officials discovered possible fraudulent activity by grant recipients in June 2020, we immediately notified law enforcement officials and an investigation ensued.” LC received the … [Read more...]

Louisiana College President Rick Brewer signs a memorandum of understanding with Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary President Daniel Akin during the school's chapel service March 18. Earlier in the month, LC signed a similar agreement with Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary that will allow students to apply college credits toward a seminary degree. The memorandums of understanding between the institutions will allow LC graduates to earn their seminary degrees more quickly to pursue God’s calling on their lives, Brewer said. He explained that students who successfully complete certain senior-level courses in LC’s missions and ministries program may receive at least 15 credit hours toward a Master of Divinity at the two seminaries. … [Read more...]

By Norm Miller, Baptist Message special assignments reporter SULPHUR, La. (LBM)--Despite the double calamities of a hurricane and the coronavirus, Maplewood First Baptist Church is rebounding. “We’ve been seeing quite a few visitors – new people we’re trying to get to know,” said Pastor Jeremy Blocker. Some had moved to the area before Hurricane Laura and are now looking for a church home, Blocker told the Baptist Message. “Some of them in these hard times -- when things opened back up -- they started searching; we’ve tried to help them find Jesus. Worship’s been awesome, and we’re seeing a lot of answers to prayers.” Blocker said the congregation’s passion for doing ministry never wavered, but “it’s just kind of crazy trying to decide when do we restart and what and how do we restart it.” Such decisions would be easier if the church still had its 13,000 square-foot building that housed its Hope Christian School. Considered irreparable from water damage, all that remains of it after demolition is a concrete slab. The church likely will not rebuild where the school once stood but is looking to maximize their existing footprint. “We’re not going to rebuild for 1950. We’ll use this as an opportunity to build for the … [Read more...]

By Norm Miller, Baptist Message special assignments reporter DRY CREEK, La. (LBM)—Many people refer to Hurricanes Laura and Delta and the coronavirus pandemic as “acts of God.” Combine these with a hotel fire, and the subsequent revenue losses from the several calamities have slammed Dry Creek Baptist Camp in Beauregard Parish. But Director Todd Burnaman remains undaunted, saying God is acting now, after the disasters. “I trust that God has a plan to renew us, give us new tools, better tools, for ministry to attract people,” he said. “James chapter one says that trials develop perseverance, and that brings us to completion. We’ve definitely experienced those trials. But without the bat of an eye, we understand God’s faithfulness.” Burnaman estimates that losses for the last 12 or so months approach $2 million. The recent fire that consumed the White House lodge, an old school building transformed into a hotel for camp leaders, accounts for about $1 million of that total. “That was a real gut punch,” he said, noting the significant loss of the asset and future revenue source. The cause of the fire is not yet known; regardless, Burnaman said he finds solace in “God’s decision that our time with the hotel was up.” The … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer BERNICE, La. (LBM) – Scott Scallan recently celebrated his 10-year anniversary at Shiloh Baptist Church in Bernice, honoring God through the church’s first baptism of 2021 and with a recitation from memory of the book of Hebrews. “It’s always a blessing to have a baptism; to have someone publicly declare their faith this way,” Scallan said of the special day, Feb. 28. “One of the themes of Hebrews is the importance of faith. I can’t think of a better way to introduce the book of Hebrews than to baptize someone to bring home the message of faith and Christ’s sacrifice for us all.” GRACE THROUGH BAPTISM Two months before the service, Adelynn Franks, 7, shared with her parents Kimberly and Daniel, how she was a sinner and needed Christ to come into her life. Kimberly Franks noted that several years of sowing biblical truths into her daughter resulted in reaping the hoped-for spiritual fruit in the youngster’s life. “Our hearts are filled with so much joy,” Kimberly Franks said. “As a parent, one of my responsibilities is to raise her in a godly way so at one point she will hopefully make that decision to accept Christ. Seeing that fulfilled through her and knowing … [Read more...]