By Message Staff Authorities have arrested a suspect allegedly responsible for a string of church burglaries in Grant, Rapides and Natchitoches parishes from July to December 2016. According to a news release from the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office, Charles Wiltz of New Iberia conducted most of the break-ins during the evening and on weekends, concentrating on rural areas. The last burglary related to the investigation was reported on Dec. 12. Eight Louisiana Baptist churches were vandalized during that time, including Wayside Baptist Church in Pollock, Alpine First Baptist Church, Bethel Baptist Church in Colfax, First Baptist Church in Lecompte, Lamourie Baptist Church in Lecompte, Oak Grove Baptist Church in Bentley, Gateway Baptist Church in Ball and Riverview Baptist Church in Alexandria. “It’s a relief knowing he’s not going to be able to do it anymore,” said Jeremy Brister, pastor of Oak Grove Baptist Church. “The only good thing that can come out of this is people can get saved from future break-ins he may have committed.” Lucas LaCour, pastor of Alpine First Baptist Church, who has more than 16 years of experience serving with the Grant Parish Sheriff Department, said in a Dec. 13 article off the Baptist … [Read more...]

By Gary D. Myers, NOBTS public relations NEW ORLEANS – Despite challenges and distractions, the church is all about Jesus and rooted firmly in His power, Jack Graham said during chapel services at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary March 7. “This is not about us. My church. Your church. It’s all about Jesus,” he said. Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, preached in chapel weeks after news broke that his church was escrowing Cooperative Program funds due to concerns over the actions by some Southern Baptist entity leaders. Even though the event was scheduled months before Prestonwood's decision to withhold funds, some called on NOBTS to revoke Graham’s invitation. NOBTS President Chuck Kelley rejected the idea, and instead, called on Southern Baptists to be more intentional about dialogue in times of disagreement. A group of NOBTS students printed and sold “I Heart CP” shirts. Though they disagreed with Graham regarding the escrowing of CP funds, they insisted that their goal was not to protest Graham or Prestonwood, but affirm their commitment to the Cooperative Program. After the chapel service, Graham met with the students for a short question and answer time. The students also gave Graham a … [Read more...]

By Louisiana College sports information BATON ROUGE - Louisiana College baseball has added a midweek game to its schedule for Tuesday, March 14, at 6:30 p.m. against LSU in Baton Rouge at Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. The addition to both team's schedules comes after a rained out contest earlier this week between LSU and San Diego. The Wildcats had an open date on Tuesday, and will fill the spot on the Tigers schedule next week. With the addition of the LSU game, the Wildcats are now scheduled to play a total of six games in five days after the conclusion of the Marler Ford Classic at Billy Allgood Field this weekend. Wildcats assistant Matt Byrnes said, "LSU is a great team with great tradition. We have the upmost respect for their program and look forward to a great night of baseball." LSU and LC have met 22 times since 1914, most recently in 2012, when the Tigers posted a 10-2 win over the Wildcats. Over the past few decades, the Wildcats and the Tigers have played some tightly contested games, including a 7-5 Wildcat victory over LSU in 1994 and a close 2-1 LSU win three years earlier in 1991. … [Read more...]