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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

LCU welcomes new freshmen and new faculty

By Elizabeth Clarke, LCU News PINEVILLE, La. (LCU News) - Louisiana Christian University welcome the incoming Class of 2028 during its annual freshmen convocation chapel, Aug. 20. LCU Acting President David Jeffreys offered the message to a packed auditorium, reminiscing on his own freshman experience at what was then known as Louisiana College. “In the fall of 1988, I was sitting in the same spot as you,” he told the students, many who took their first classes the day before. “I had been to my classes for a couple of days, and the reality of the coursework was terrifying. I was an OK student in high school, but I had looked at my syllabi and was asking myself, ‘Can I do this?’” He said the Lord truly worked in his life at LC and provided exactly what he needed to be successful in and out of the classroom. “God has a calling on your life, and He will always provide for you,” he said. A relatively new tradition at LCU is naming a senior classman as ‘president for a day.’ Baptist Collegiate Ministry President Will Dunham, who was this year’s choice, challenged the freshmen to be intentional and leave their worriers to the Lord. He shared there would be times of great anxiety and that he too struggled with this … [Read more...]

Louisiana Christian announces additional Town Hall meetings

By Elizabeth Clarke, LCU News PINEVILLE, La. (LCU News) - Louisiana Christian University will hold three additional Town Hall meetings in September to hear from members of the public interested in offering input in the search for the next president and the direction of the school moving forward. The newly added meetings will be held: Sept. 3, 6:30 p.m. - Home of Beth Frith, 416 Marilyn Dr., Lafayette Sept. 5, 6:30 p.m. - Baptist Association of Greater Baton Rouge Building, 10560 Airline Hwy., Baton Rouge Sept. 10, 6:30 p.m. - Location TBD, Lake Charles Meetings already announced include: Aug. 20, 6:30 p.m. - Edgewood Building, 201 Riggs St., West Monroe Aug. 27, 6:30 p.m. - New Orleans Baptist Association Building, 2222 Lakeshore Dr., New Orleans LCU is conducting a nationwide search for the 10th president of the nearly 120-year-old institution, according to Tommy Kiker, who serves on the university’s Board of Trustees and as search committee chair. “As we continue this process, the committee and I need your prayers and ask for your input,” said Kiker, lead pastor with East Leesville Baptist Church, Leesville. “We are accepting applications and recommendations and have spent the summer praying, … [Read more...]

Back-to-school praying

By Steve Horn ALEXANDRIA, La. - Since I was four years old, this time of the year has meant “Back to School.” I have either been in school, Linett’s been teaching school, I’ve been teaching, or our boys have been in school. Many years, more than one of us were involved in school at some level. We’re still “going back to school” with Dru. This is a time ripe for prayer. Let me encourage us to be praying about all things “back to school.” Pray for our teachers — What a mission field they have! Pray for our students — Pray for their physical safety and spiritual safety. Pray for our Baptist College, Louisiana Christian University. Pray for our BCM’s — You know the importance of engaging new students and reengaging returning students in the early days of this new semester. Pray for our churches — Back to school time is prime time in the life of the local church. Ministries that have been put on pause for the summer are starting again. Pastors have been waiting to get through the summer to launch new ministries. Let’s pray for kingdom impact this fall. The Bible tells us to pray at all times and pray for all things. The “all things” right now is “back to school.” In a former community where I lived, a … [Read more...]

‘Concerned Women for America’ rally encourages women to vote

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer COVINGTON, La. (LBM) – On the heels of a presidential election, the Concerned Women for America’s “She Prays She Votes” bus tour recently made a stop at Lakeshore Church to encourage more than 150 women and a handful of men to pray for the United States and vote. Launched at the Republican National Convention in July, the tour features stops at 12 states through Aug. 20, and includes messages from elected officials and other speakers, food, giveaways and a large pink bus. “We're going coast to coast this summer just to pray over the election and then encourage Christians to be engaged in the upcoming election because we believe in the values and the importance of what we’re voting on in the voting booths,” Concerned Women for America spokesperson Macy Petty told the Baptist Message moments before the start of the Aug. 5 rally. “And ultimately, these are spiritual issues. We know that the devil can do harm through elections and politics, and it's another arena that we need to be engaged in and where we need to be fighting for Christian values. We continue to see women stand up to this call, really engage in amazing ways and stand boldly in faith.” State Sen. Heather … [Read more...]

WMU Foundation grants help CWJC sites expand their reach, deepen their help

By Grace Thornton, SBC WMU BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (SBC WMU) – Peggy Meeks said Cross Walk to Life, the Christian Women’s Job Corps site she leads in Las Cruces, New Mexico, has one common need — English classes. “Our group really is non-English-speaking people,” she said. “They’re comfortable in our smaller setting, whereas so many of them can’t go sign up for something at the community college — it frightens them. We want to take them as far as we can so then they have the confidence to move on.” One big tool in that process is a new curriculum that Cross Walk to Life implemented this past school year. “The other curriculum we were using, people weren’t advancing,” Meeks said. “We had a new volunteer who is a retired ESL teacher come in and say, ‘There’s much better curriculum out there than what you’re using.’” Since Cross Walk to Life made the switch, students are advancing and gaining confidence, Meeks said. And thanks to a grant from the WMU Foundation, they’ll be able to broaden their class offerings even more. “The grant allows us to purchase four levels,” Meeks said. In addition to the grant given to Cross Walk to Life, the WMU Foundation gave seven other grants to CWJC sites, which offer women the … [Read more...]

WMU’s Sybil Bentley Dove Award helps mother of three continue nursing journey

By Grace Thornton, SBC WMU BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (SBC WMU) Giselle Gonzalez-Rivera said she wondered if she was crazy going back to school in her late 30s with three young children. But she found a group that encouraged her — Moving Forward Chattanooga, a Christian Women’s Job Corps site — and in April she finished her licensed practical nurse certificate at Chattanooga State Community College. “Christian Women’s Job Corps encouraged and supported me so much,” she said of the group, which helps women with skills for life and work. “They saw the potential in me that I had not seen.” Beth Ray, site coordinator for Moving Forward Chattanooga, said Gonzalez-Rivera “gives God glory for the whole process.” “Giselle is a blessing to anyone she meets. She always has a smile and a kind word,” Ray said. “She’s a super sweet person with a sweet family, and she’s grown in her faith.” When Gonzalez-Rivera came to Moving Forward Chattanooga, she began working on six weeks of personal development, which included communication and financial management. She also took an inventory to help her identify careers that interested her, and site leaders helped her find educational resources and funding for school. Ray said in … [Read more...]