BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BP) -- Michael Wood, lead pastor of First West church in West Monroe, La., will be nominated for vice president of the Southern Baptist Pastors' Conference, Tennessee pastor Jordan Easley has announced. Wood has "a love for the local church and our convention," said Easley, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Cleveland, Tenn. "He has a passion for lost people and a personal conviction to preach the Gospel, make disciples and mobilize people to live on mission." Wood has led First West since 2014, serving the congregation as student pastor the previous five years. He served on the 2017-2018 Young Leaders Advisory Council of the SBC Executive Committee, which Easley chaired, and is co-founder of the Louisiana Young Pastors Network. Also in the SBC, he has been a member of the Committee on Committees in 2016 and 2019. Wood additionally is executive director of Multiply NELA, a church multiplication and revitalization initiative in northeast Louisiana. First West, with a total membership of 8,626, recorded 93 baptisms in 2018 and average worship attendance of 2,487, according to the SBC's Annual Church Profile data. The church's Cooperative Program giving of $279,996 was 5.4 percent of … [Read more...]

NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today it will not renew a major contract with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) to fund research using the body parts of aborted babies. Last November, Trump Administration health officials met with national pro-life leaders, scientists and ethicists in hopes of resolving concerns over the administration's continued funding of medical research using tissue obtained from aborted babies. A statement released by HHS today stated: "The audit and review helped inform the policy process that led to the administration’s decision to let the contract with UCSF expire and to discontinue intramural research – research conducted within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – involving the use of human fetal tissue from elective abortion. Intramural research that requires new acquisition of fetal tissue from elective abortions will not be conducted." In response to the announcement, Louisiana Right to Life Executive Director Benjamin Clapper said: "Louisiana Right to Life applauds the Trump Administration for ending a NIH contract that necessitates the experimentation on the broken bodies of aborted babies. It is a tragedy when an … [Read more...]

By Norm Miller, LC News PINEVILLE (LCNews)--Louisiana College tapped Mark Shoemaker as vice president for Information technology and chief information officer. The former assistant director of infrastructure and Information technology at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, began full-time at LC on June 3. “Transformation is central to where we are as an institution, and Mark is a transformational leader. Pivotal to this pathway for transformation is solid, trustworthy technology,” said Louisiana College President Rick Brewer. “The is a new leadership position, and we are delighted to bring Mark on board to lead our information technology efforts. “We are confident Mark will provide the leadership the College needs to accomplish its overarching goals going forward. He brings 25 years of hands-on experience in information technology, with 20 of those years in higher education at Louisiana Tech.” Brewer said Shoemaker has demonstrated “remarkable prowess in analyzing our IT operations” as he has served as a consultant to LC since 2016. “He already has made several insightful recommendations and brought valuable solutions that have helped streamline what we do.” As a vice president, Shoemaker will join the … [Read more...]

By Kendall Christian, WMU Communications BIRMINGHAM, Ala.– Grace Cain of First Baptist Church in Pineville has been selected by WMU as a national Acteens Panelist and will be featured during the WMU Missions Celebration and Annual Meeting, June 9-10, in Birmingham, Ala. Acteens is an organization sponsored by WMU that encourages girls grades in 7-12 to grow in their faith and become rooted in missions and ministry. Through Acteens, girls learn how to become disciples of Jesus who live on mission, in accordance with WMU’s purpose, as they participate in missions work in their local community or abroad. National Panelists must demonstrate academic excellence, leadership skills, and involvement in church and community. Cain has been actively involved in Acteens for the past six years and has a heart for missions and being active in her faith. She said one of the most significant experiences she has gained through Acteens is the opportunity to mentor girls in grades 4-6 by praying for them and making care packages throughout the year. “Each Acteen is assigned one or two younger girls each year to mentor,” Cain explained. “To see the girls find more self-confidence and self-esteem is so heartwarming. You get to form such … [Read more...]

By Jerry Love, Louisiana Baptist Foundation Planning is a part of our daily lives. We plan menus for the day or week; we plan vacations; we plan meetings; and, … the list goes on. Why, then, is it difficult to make plans for one of the more important parts of our lives – our estates? Estate planning often is looked at as a dreaded or unpleasant task. Many people have expressed feelings that if they make plans for their estate their lives will be over. Others take a more cavalier approach, saying “someone else can deal with that after I am gone.” As followers of Christ, we should all be interested in the stewardship of our assets, or our “stuff.” A prayerfully thought-out estate plan can be the largest single act of stewardship that you will undertake in your lifetime. Indeed, determining how to take care of others, how to be a blessing to others and how to further the Gospel of Jesus Christ through your personal planning is stewardship. So, take a look at some essentials of estate planning, which is stewardship! PEOPLE The first step is as simple as making a list of the people who are most important to you. This should include anyone (children, spouse, grandchildren, parents) in your care during your … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer SAINT AMANT – Jacob Watkins was in bondage to a life of alcoholism, drug abuse and depression in Febru-ary when he accepted an invitation to attend New River Baptist Church in Saint Amant. One month later, Watkins was set free from the chains holding him back from a relationship with Christ when he turned to Jesus. “I have been clean of alcohol and drugs and haven’t suffered from de-pression because I have been shown that you just give all of your problems to God,” Watkins told the Baptist Mes-sage. Watkins is one of 17 new convert baptized since July 2018. Pastor Adam Beach celebrated Watkins’ salvation and his obedience by baptizing him March 10. Beach said Watkins’ story is representative of how God has moved through the congregation since August 2016, when its worship center and gymnasium were deluged under 4 feet of water during the record flood in that region of Louisiana. After the waters receded, the congregation went through a nearly two-year drought where no one was baptized. But since last summer the congregation has witnessed the wave of baptisms plus 13 other additions, growing by 30 new members, combined. “Once our members got back into the building and saw … [Read more...]