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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

State judge dismisses pro-abortion group’s suit, upholds Louisiana’s pro-life law

By LRTL staff BATON ROUGE, La. (LRTL) – Judge Timothy Kelley of the 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge dismissed, Aug. 5, the case, Lift Louisiana vs. The State of Louisiana. Lift Louisiana, a pro-abortion advocacy group, challenged the constitutionality of Act 492, passed recently by the Louisiana Legislature. This law limits the jurisdiction to authorize a minor's abortion without parental consent to courts within the minor's parish of residence (with some exceptions). Previously, the judicial bypass could be obtained in the parish where the abortion facility operates or in the minor's parish of residence. "Once again, the abortion industry ran to the shelter of a court to cling to its mission of abortion-on-demand, this time seeking to defend abortion for minors without any barriers or parental involvement. Judge Kelley rightly dismissed this ridiculous lawsuit and told the abortion businesses they can return to court once they actually have a real plaintiff," said Benjamin Clapper, executive director of Louisiana Right to Life. "We congratulate Attorney General Jeff Landry and his office on this expeditious victory for the parents and children of Louisiana. His office expertly defeated this challenge, … [Read more...]

Wildcats expected to welcome largest class in LC history Aug. 12

By Elizabeth Clarke, LC News PINEVILLE, La. (LC News) - More Wildcats than ever will be arriving on campus starting Aug. 12 as Louisiana College is expected to welcome its largest class in the institution’s 115-year history, 350 freshmen, according to the school's president, Rick Brewer. “I am so grateful for the favor of the Lord on Louisiana College,” Brewer said. “All our faculty, staff and I are ready to get on campus and meet our new Wildcats and welcome back our returning ones. It’s going to be a blessed year.” Brewer noted in particular that Gage Dowling, the new director of residence life and student engagement  "is roaring to go!" “This will be one of the largest classes in LC’s history; that means it will be more fun than ever,” Dowling said. “Students are very excited and can’t wait to arrive on campus.” Dowling, who began in his position this summer; has worked in residence life for other institutions for six years, and he “can’t wait to serve the Lord here.” His wife, Casey Dowling, is the college’s first director of international student affairs and expects to welcome more than 40 international students this fall - up from eight last year. Incoming freshman Julia Thompson, the youngest of three from … [Read more...]

September 30 is coming!

By Clark Palmer TIOGA, La. (LBM) – For Louisiana Baptist churches, Sept. 30 is “Numbers Day” – that’s the end of the fiscal year and a calendar reminder for our congregations to submit their individual reports to the Annual Church Profile. And these numbers matter. When I became moderator of my local association, I considered setting some goals for increasing attendance and baptisms. My first step was to look at “the data” to create a baseline, and I discovered the numbers were “off.” What I mean is there were no discernible trends. One year we were up, the next down. Even the numbers from a decade ago seemed suspect because of this undulation. As I dug deeper, what I realized is that several churches were not reporting their numbers every year. And it only took a couple to throw off the numbers for the entire association. I’ve since discovered that 15-20 percent of our churches statewide don’t fill out and return the ACP. Importantly, this is a problem for making decisions about cooperative ministries such as where to plant a church and what congregations might need revitalization assistance. Then I began to wonder if this could also account for at least some of the reported overall declines for the SBC in … [Read more...]

Long-time Tall Timbers food services director Reggie Burnaman passes away at 67

By Baptist Message staff WOODWORTH, La. (LBM) – Reggie Burnaman, food services director at Tall Timbers Baptist Conference Center in Woodworth, died Tuesday, July 27. He was 67. A native of Bridge City, Texas, Burnaman oversaw the operations inside the dining hall since 2006. Before he came to Tall Timbers, Burnaman owned Reggie’s Restaurant in Glenmora, a community he resided in since 1982. Burnaman also was an active member of Glenmora Baptist Church, where he was chairman of deacons (2004-2006 and 2013-2021). “Reggie has been so special to the Tall Timbers staff,” Tall Timbers Director Josh Bumgardner told the Baptist Message. “The word that has been said the most of him this week is his kindness. “His solid faith in Jesus and his character have always been an encouragement,” he continued. “He helped others, inside and outside of work. His work in the kitchen and his amazing food have transformed our camp over the last 15 years as he provided meals with that special touch for retreats.” Burnaman’s son, Todd, shared on Facebook that his dad faithfully served Christ. “Yesterday, daddy finished the race and received the prize,” said Burnaman, director of Dry Creek Camp. “I’m thankful for the Lord’s grace to … [Read more...]

Young LC alums follow the Lord’s lead to Amazon and Pacific Northwest

By Elizabeth Clarke, LC News PINEVILLE, La. (LC News) - From a college class of about 300 in small-town Louisiana, to working with Amazon to deliver smiles. Life since graduating from Louisiana College in 2018 has been nothing short of an adventure for Lake Charles’ natives Grant and Lauren (Hixson) Phillips. Grant and Lauren Phillips, both 25, say honoring the Lord and having a loving family with a supportive community have brought continued blessings into their young but successful lives. “We are proud of Grant and Lauren as they represent the ‘best’ of Louisiana College’s alumni base,” said LC President Rick Brewer. “Indeed, they faithfully amplify the Mission and Vision of their Alma mater by living the gospel of Christ in the place God has called them to serve. I am confident Grant and Lauren are the people they are because of a solid Christian example from Godly parents and the LC ‘family’.” Family may have played a major role in young Lauren Hixson’s choice to attend LC, as she hails from a long line of LC alums. Her great-grandfather James Hixon was, in fact, one of the founding language professors at the college. Her aunt and uncle, Sandy and Paul Hixson, attended LC, and cousins Meggie and Emma Hixson … [Read more...]