By Message Staff ALEXANDRIA- Area principals and teachers took a break Tuesday, Aug. 1, from preparations for the upcoming school year to learn how they can help grow the Central Louisiana Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Throughout the course of the hour-long meeting, they heard from FCA board members, principals and school leaders about what they offer, answers to any legal concerns and how to form a chapter. “We wanted to do this before school starts first of all to thank the principals for their leadership and let them know how FCA can have an impact on campus,” said Central Louisiana FCA board chairman Warren Morris. “It's not just for athletes. It’s for all students. “We want to have a thriving Fellowship of Christian Athletes huddle on each campus,” said Morris, a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Alexandria and former LSU baseball standout. “We’re excited about having that start right now with the principals.” Board member Sheila Johnson added that support for existing chapters has helped reach thousands of students since the organization was formed 60 years ago. “We felt like this was a great time to get all the principals together to lift them up and pray for them as they begin a new school year,” … [Read more...]

By Norm Miller, LCNews PINEVILLE (LCNews) - For the third year running, Louisiana College faculty will study and discuss another book that underscores the importance of integrating faith and learning. Evangelical author Mark Noll’s book “Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind” follows the previous two: “Conceiving the Christian College” by Duane Litfin and “Renewing Minds” by David Dockery. Once a month, faculty gather in small, interdisciplinary groups to discuss the book and gather information and inspiration regarding the integration of the Christian faith into the liberal arts courses they teach. “We are first grateful for our president, Dr. Rick Brewer, who initiated the study groups when he arrived in 2015,” said Philip Caples, vice president for the Integration of Faith and Learning. “The books and subsequent discussions have enriched our pedagogy and informed our content as we teach from a Christian worldview.” Caples believes Noll’s book is another building block for LC’s faculty. Noll observes: ... it has become conventional to think that belief in the Christian story opposes serious commitment to intellectual explorations of the world. There are no good reasons for this opinion. It rests on … [Read more...]

PINEVILLE (LCNews) - Louisiana College’s annual faculty/staff retreat welcomes Linda Karges-Bone Aug. 14, making this the third time LC has tapped the best-selling author’s expertise in higher education. Karges-Bone’s address it is titled, “Three Strikes and You’re In: The Truth about Meeting the Needs of First-Generation College Students Who Live in Poverty.” The Aug. 14 session is from 9:45 to 11:00 a.m. in the Georgia Barnette Conference Center on the grounds of the Tall Timbers Baptist Conference Center, located at 10218 Hwy. 165 South, Forest Hill. Drawing from her best-selling book, “Rich Brain, Poor Brain: Bridging Social and Synaptic Gaps in Schools,” Karges-Bone said the training session “is designed to both motivate and inform faculty and staff on brain-friendly strategies to increase retention and success of all students,” particularly those from low-income backgrounds. “The world says these students are ‘at risk.’ We say they are a gift,” she added. Karges-Bone says there is a “distinct Biblical mandate guiding this work,” as she cites Jeremiah 29:11, which states: “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a … [Read more...]