By Will Hall, Message Editor BATON ROUGE (LBM) — Ed Orgeron’s professional life, particularly his coaching résumé, is pretty well known around the country, but not much has been publicized about his religious life. However, during an informal interview conducted by Gary Borgstede, executive pastor and chief administrative officer of the Church of the King in Mandeville, LSU’s head football coach, “Coach O” and his wife, Kelly, shared glimpses about their walk of faith as they traveled along his demanding career path to become the head football coach at LSU. The Orgerons were speaking April 11 at the 2017 Louisiana Pastors’ Legislative Briefing, held in the Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge and co-sponsored by the Louisiana Family Forum and Louisiana Baptists Office of Public Policy. Orgeron elicited robust laughter when asked whether he had a “coach” in life, responding, “No question. Number one, my wife … and Number two, Pastor Jacob and Pastor Steve.” Jacob Aranza is pastor of the multisite Our Savior’s Church, based in Lafayette, and once served as chaplain for the New Orleans Saints, and, Steve Robinson is pastor of the multisite Church of the King, based in Mandeville. FAITH IN THE FIRE But, while Orgeron … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD – Nicole Wall and her family have experienced their fair share of tragedy, including damage to their home caused by the 2005 Hurricane Katrina. But they also have been blessed beyond measure, evidenced most recently when their son, Noah, was baptized seven months after 36 inches of rain damaged their home church, Woodland Baptist Church in Springfield. The family returned to the area after the record August 2016 flood so they could be a part of the revitalization of the community. “We are thankful God has allowed us to be a part of the rebuilding process,” Wall said. “For us, because we had already been through a flood back in 2005, we were more burdened for them and wanted to help. It’s been neat being back with family and seeing the community come back up.” The March 5th baptism of Noah – who publicly professed Christ as Lord last year – signified his rebirth, but also represented something of a renewal for the congregation, where Nicole and her husband were members of the youth group, and, where they were married. Combined with a string of other baptisms, it is a sign the evangelistic nature of the church is being restored. REGAINING MOMENTUM Woodland … [Read more...]