By Message Staff PINEVILLE – Full-time law enforcement and first responders, who enroll in Louisiana College’s criminal justice program, will receive a 20 percent discount on their tuition the school announced a Tuesday, Jan. 15 press conference. “I personally have a desire to help more men and women who are serving us – both protecting and preserving our communities and doing a wonderful job – to enable them  to receive a degree in criminal justice from Louisiana College,” LC President Rick Brewer said during the press conference. “We hope it will encourage men and women to come and get this great education that’s Christ-centered and focused toward making a difference in our community and beyond.” The 127-academic credit hour criminal justice program equips students with the analytical and critical thinking skills in the areas of crime prevention, justice and public safety. Students can take classes on campus, on-line or a combination of the two. LC Professor of Criminal Justice Joshua Joy Dara called the partnership between LC and the criminal justice field a perfect union. “Our US Constitution, our Bill of Rights and our court system are all linked into the Word of God,” said Dara, who also serves as pastor of … [Read more...]

By Message Staff PINEVILLE (LBM) -- Louisiana College has entered into an agreement to accept coursework completed by students at the Louisiana Community and Technical College System who transfer to the Louisiana Baptist school. LC President Rick Brewer and LCTC System President Monty Sullivan signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday, January 9, to create a partnership that grants qualified transfer students opportunities that include possible junior status at LC, scholarships and priority status for on-campus housing. Incoming students must meet certain criteria, including an associate degree with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher. Students who have not completed an associate degree can still transfer with a minimum of 24 credit hours with a grade point average of 2.0 or higher. Brewer said the agreement is effective immediately. “As Central Louisiana Technical College and the other branches of the Community and Technical College System are going to grow, those students will have the opportunity to matriculate directly into Louisiana College,” Brewer said. “It’s going to give students more opportunity to get a Christ-centered education, whether they are working adults, whether they are … [Read more...]

By Norm Miller, LC News PINEVILLE (LCNews) — Membership with the Board of Visitors is growing, individual donations are on the rise in volume and amount, and in general, Louisiana College’s donor base is on the upswing. “As the turnaround at Louisiana College continues since 2015, alumni, donors, and friends are getting on board -- and some back on board -- with the new direction on the Hill in Pineville,” said LC President Rick Brewer. “We appreciate the return of so many prayer partners and financial supporters.” The college recently received a substantial gift from the Cason Foundation, and within two weeks, the Foundation doubled the gift, Brewer said. “Words fall short in expressing how grateful we are for the open-handed generosity of Edgar and Flo Cason.” “We’ve heard about the good things happening at Louisiana College,” Flo Cason said. “And when we met with Rick and Cathy, Edgar and I were convinced that LC is in the very best of hands.” Edgar Cason told LCNews: “Our consideration for Louisiana College is two-fold: We fully endorse the college’s vision for ‘Preparing Graduates and Transforming Lives’ as we wholeheartedly support the leadership of President Rick Brewer and his leadership team.” Though … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer BOSSIER CITY - Members of the First Baptist Church in Bossier City are facing a “new normal” after a fire destroyed 75 percent of their facilities, but Pastor Brad Jurkovich believes the congregation’s greatest days are ahead. “We will move forward and rebuild,” Jurkovich said Dec. 16 during the first Sunday worship service following the devastating fire. “And I believe God will use First Bossier to reach thousands for Jesus in the coming years.” On Dec. 10 a three-alarm fire began at 5:30 a.m., originating with an uninterruptible power supply backup battery for a computer. The flames began in an office space near Faith Chapel — the original worship center — and spread quickly to the attic and other buildings including the childcare center and various youth facilities. About 65 firefighters fought the blaze, finally extinguishing it about 3:30 p.m. that same day. The congregation held a meeting in the Bossier Civic Center on Wednesday, Dec. 12, to pray, worship and organize for recovery, but the Sunday service was the first post-fire gathering on campus. There was an extended time for expressing gratitude to first responders and thanking officials for their support Dec. 16, … [Read more...]

By Kirbi Cochran, Message Staff Writer MELVILLE – For more than a decade, the First Baptist Church in Melville had declined in numbers, dwindling to just nine members as recently as 2015 and at risk of closing its doors for good. But in just three years, the congregation has experienced revitalization with more than 30 worshipers regularly attending Sunday services. Pastor Nathaniel Dutton told the Baptist Message he sensed a spiritual malaise among the members during his first Sunday in the pulpit in December 2015. “They were in a deep funk,” said Dutton, “They were playing church: Come Sunday morning -- come to Sunday school, come in and listen to the service -- and go home. “That was their church life,” he said. Dutton, who was named a 2018 Louisiana Baptist Convention Exemplary Bivocational Pastor of the Year for his dedication and hard work at his secular job and his congregation, is pastor of First Baptist Church, Meville. Also photographed are Stacy Morgan, church administration strategist for Louisiana Baptists, and Jacob Crawford, pastor of Life Point Community Church in Mansura and director of missions for Louisiana Baptist Association. said the key to his revitalization approach has been to love them, … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer MONROE – Greater New Antioch Baptist Church accepted God’s call to take a leap of faith in late June and move from their long-time home to another area of Monroe, and the blessings have been supernal. Since relocating, the Lord has blessed the obedience of the African-American church re-plant with a 20 percent increase in attendance, including 15 new members by baptism since moving. The success of the relocated congregation might have been foreseen from the huge welcome the congregation received at the new location, when more than 750 individuals from the community attended the initial service. The June 24 service was a combination of the launch of Greater New Antioch and the dissolution of College Place Baptist (a predominately Anglo congregation), which was transferring its property to the incoming group. Now running an average of 150 in morning worship, Greater New Antioch members truly understand the importance of them taking the step of faith to move. “We all had the emotional attachment to the old building we had been in for 20 years but we prayed the Lord would open the door to move,” said Pastor John Russell. “My members had faith in the leadership and vision of … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer CROWLEY – Reaching some of the 100,000 people who attend the annual International Rice Festival seemed daunting, but members of the First Baptist Church in Crowley embraced the challenge using jambalaya, antique tractor demonstrations and train rides to plant Gospel seeds in the community. The 15th annual Harvest Fest, held on the grounds of First Baptist Crowley, drew nearly 15,000 people who enjoyed a wide selection of Cajun foods, Zydeco music, family activities such as a petting zoo and bouncy houses and more. While organizers did not see many commitments to Christ at the festival, the results usually are seen several months later, they said. “For many people, it’s an introduction to our church,” said Michael Doughty, one of the Harvest Fest coordinators. “The harvest is seen not the following weekend, but 6-9 months down the road. When we see someone come to Christ it makes all the hard work of planning months in advance worth it. The festival began in 1995 when a few church members served water on the church grounds to Rice Festival goers. Through the years, the congregation added activities and has used Harvest Fest to build a bridge between the community and the … [Read more...]