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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

CENLA gathers to pray for schools, community

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Baptist pastors joined other concerned citizens from Central Louisiana, Oct. 2, to pray for students, teachers, families and the community. Held outside the Rapides Parish School Board offices in Alexandria, the event was marked by special music and prayer led by pastors of various denominations and by small groups who prayed for an area recently impacted by social media shooting threats involving several schools, Sept. 27-29. Juveniles who published the threats against Alexandria Senior High School, Peabody Magnet High School, Pineville High School and Tioga High School have since been arrested on charges of “terrorizing” and  were placed into the Renaissance Home for Youth in Alexandria. The Peabody Magnet High School principal as well as local officials and law enforcement considered the social media posting against that school to be a credible threat and consequently cancelled the homecoming parade and football game that had been scheduled for Sept. 27. Brad Webb, pastor with Family of Grace Church, Alexandria, said that the events of the week did not take God by surprise and that God still is on His throne. “Today, God, we come, … [Read more...]

LCU President Mark Johnson offers encouragement amid school social media threats

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Shortly after several Central Louisiana schools received social media threats of possible shootings, Louisiana Christian University President Mark Johnson travelled to be the light of Christ on the campuses of Alexandria Senior High School, Peabody Magnet High School, Pineville High School and Tioga High School, Sept. 29-30. “Normally I’m allowed to go and visit with students in lunchrooms but recently they've had a lot of shooting threats in our area,” Johnson told the Baptist Message. “We’ve been having a lot of opportunities to sit alongside young people and remind them they’re going to be okay. “I went from being president to pastor real quick because they're nervous over these last few days,” he continued. “And it turned out to be a time of great encouragement and hearing from the students.” All four schools received threats on social media, Sept. 29, though the shootings never took place. The juveniles who made the threats were arrested, placed into the Renaissance Home for Youth in Alexandria and charged with terrorizing, according to the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Department. Additionally, Peabody Magnet High School’s homecoming parade and football … [Read more...]

Cenla Hymn Sing scheduled for Oct. 26

By Baptist Message staff TIOGA, La. (LBM) – Faith Baptist Church will host a hymn sing, Oct. 26 at 6 p.m., to bring together central Louisiana churches for a time of joint worship. The sixth annual hymn sing will include reading of scripture, prayer and singing of hymns under the direction of Kevin Boles, a bivocational pastor with Lone Star Baptist Church in Hineston “They are wonderful times together,” Faith Baptist Pastor Clark Palmer told the Baptist Message. “The sound of brothers and sisters in Christ singing with full hearts and full voices is a rich and uplifting experience. I hope you will join us.” … [Read more...]

Vandal attempts to destroy crosses inside Bedico Baptist worship center

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer PONCHATOULA, La. (LBM) – A man attempted to destroy crosses inside the Bedico Baptist Church worship center, Sept. 25, but its surveillance camera helped lead to his capture before he left the facility. According to Pastor Jonathan Gers, the incident began around 1 a.m. Sept. 25. The individual only tried to damage crosses situated throughout the worship center. While the individual destroyed one cross that was painted onto a stained glass window, the other six crosses were not damaged. “When we arrived at the church, the man was exiting the building and babbling,” Gers told the Baptist Message. “We recognized quickly it was a demonic attack.” Gers said the identity of the man has not been released and that he and 150 others from at least three churches who gathered for a prayer and praise service at the church on Sept. 26 are hopeful he may one day turn to Christ. “We gathered to pray and sing the night after the break-in and it was a great time of healing for us,” Gers said. “We are praying for his salvation. When I get the okay from the jail where the man is staying, I hope to go and pray with him.” … [Read more...]

LSU BCM: 16 salvations during ‘welcome week’

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – The Louisiana State University Baptist Collegiate Ministry welcomed back students for the fall semester, including 39 who made decisions for Jesus, according to LSU BCM Director Blake Grundy. The decisions, including 16 who placed their trust in Jesus, took place during the final day of a week that included a Cajun lunch, waffles and trivia gathering, a freshman fest and a worship night attended by 300 students that included a steak and potato supper. Grundy said he was excited to see the Lord move during the week. “It’s been really encouraging,” Grundy told the Baptist Message. “When we arrived over the summer, the campus felt empty. We didn’t see many students around. We spent those months preparing, reaching out via text, and praying, all without much face-to-face interaction. But then during Welcome Week, seeing so many students come through, and witnessing the decisions made — it was incredibly rewarding.” Grundy asked for continued prayers as they disciple those who made decisions, and as they seek to obey Christ’s call to reach a campus of nearly 40,000 students with the Gospel. “Just like every other campus, ours is in desperate … [Read more...]

At Survivor Camp, 17 find sufficiency in Christ

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer EUNICE, La. (LBM) – Survivor Camp taught survival skills to 93 boys and 80 fathers, and more importantly, connected through the Gospel with 14 boys and three dads in the group who found Christ. Held Sept. 5-6 at Acadian Baptist Center, the 17th annual camp focused on survival skills, spiritual growth, and deepened relationships. Activities include water purification, go-kart racing, medical training and rifle shooting. “We’re teaching boys how to be men,” Camp Director Steven Ancelet told the Baptist Message. “The weekend is based around physical and spiritual survival that’s filled with many life and Gospel lessons.” Survivor Camp also included a time for the dads to have a “man talk.” “As a man, you need to be a leader in your marriage, in your home, in your workplace and in your community,” continued Ancelet, a member with First Baptist Church, Lafayette. “You can’t be passive and must be willing to accept change. We walked the men through that and were pleased at the change we saw in them in just a short time.” The weekend also featured a tribute to Hartie Spence Jr., long-time director of Survivor Camp who lost his life in a glider crash near Salt Lake City Utah, … [Read more...]

UPDATE: La. Baptist women offer 1,000 giftboxes, God’s love to female prisoners

By Louisiana Baptist Women’s Missions and Ministry Team PINEVILLE, La. (LBC) – On Aug. 29, the Louisiana Baptist women’s missions and ministry team led women from across the state to pack hygiene giftboxes for those at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women. With representatives from 16 Louisiana Baptist associations, the day became a powerful demonstration of cooperation and compassion. ­ The effort, hosted on the campus of Louisiana Christian University, brought together not only women from every corner of Louisiana but also men – including three associational mission strategists - who joined in the packing. Among the churches who participated were First Baptist Church, Gonzales, which brought donated supplies from several churches in the Baton Rouge area, and Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, New Orleans. By the close of the packing day, 912 giftboxes had been completed - just shy of the 1,000-box goal. ­ Thankfully, the story does not end there. In the two weeks following the packing day, churches from around the state continued to bring in additional hygiene kits to the WMM office, pushing the effort over the top. The 1,000-box goal was the largest in the history of this ministry, doubling what was … [Read more...]

Point of Life celebrates debt retirement

Norris Landry, pastor with Point of Life Community Church, and Stewart Holloway, pastor with First Baptist Church, Pineville, that has helped sponsor the church, recently celebrated the retirement of $50,000 in debt on the congregation’s worship center. Sixty members and guests rejoiced during a special note burning service, Sept. 7, as they celebrated the milestone during observance of the church’s 10th anniversary … [Read more...]

LBF holds its first ChurchBiz Conferences

By Baptist Message staff ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – The Louisiana Baptist Foundation recently wrapped up its inaugural ChurchBiz Conferences which was designed to enhance church business practices and support effective ministry operations. Held Sept. 8-11 in Ruston, Alexandria, Lake Charles and Baton Rouge, the conferences drew 57 and included pastors, treasurers, financial team members and other church/ ministry staff members. Speakers included Josh Henry, founder of Simplify Church, Tyler Moore, senior producer with GuideStone, and Jared Price, executive director with the Louisiana Baptist Foundation. “Attendees expressed that the conferences were very beneficial, not only in terms of information shared but also due to the opportunity to collaborate with others working in similar roles,” Price told the Baptist Message. The conferences are part of the LBF’s ChurchBiz services, a one-stop shop for church business that includes podcasts, conferences, publications, comprehensive solutions and other offerings for churches, Price said. The ChurchBiz Services specifically include accounting services, capital/stewardship campaigns, cash management, church loans, computer support line, giving-gateway.net, online giving, and … [Read more...]