ALEXANDRIA -- Nearly 75 people attended a counseling training session September 13 at Calvary Baptist Church in Alexandria for the upcoming Hope4U2018 Crusade. Organizers have held similar training sessions at other churches in central Louisiana in preparation for the multi-denominational event October 14-17 at the Rapides Parish Coliseum in Alexandria. The crusade is part of a statewide Harvest campaign to “pray for every home and share with every person” in Louisiana. Nearly 900 of 1,650 Louisiana Baptist churches have signed up to participate in concentrated prayer and soul-winning activities such as multi-church crusades, door-to-door outreach, one-on-one evangelism, single-church revivals and other activities which leverage compassion ministries to share about the love of Christ. For more information on how to get involved with the crusade, visit the Hope4U website. … [Read more...]

By Staff, Louisiana Baptist Message PINEVILLE – Louisiana College’s final session of its fall revival ended on a high note when 30 students surrender their lives to Christ September 13. LC President Rick Brewer said he was overcome with emotion as he watched the students walk forward to make their decision public. “We rejoice with the news of at least 30 LC students who asked Christ to step out of Heaven and step into their hearts on this final day of our fall semester revival,” Brewer said. “We prayed for a spiritual awakening on campus this year and we trust this is just the beginning of what the Lord wants to do here.” Brewer said his staff will follow up with each student and direct them to a church in their respective hometown. The final revival meeting, which took place in the newly renovated Guinn Auditorium, capped a three-day campus revival September 11-13 with messages by evangelist Dave Edwards and music by the Louisiana College student band. It is one of several spiritual gatherings the school is hosting this semester, including a Fields of Faith student revival Oct. 7 from 5-7 p.m. at LC’s Wildcat Stadium which is in conjunction with Hope4U Crusade, which will be held at the Rapides Parish Coliseum … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE – During difficult times, Blake Newsom believes pastors should turn to God, seek His refreshment and ignore Satan’s temptation to give up. “God is so gracious that even when we are being knuckle heads, even when we are doing right in our own eyes, when we call out to him He still refreshes and revives us,” said Newsom, pastor of Dauphin Way Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama, during the 2018 E4 Preaching Conference Sept. 11. “Not because we’ve earned it but because He’s gracious.” Citing Judges 13, Newsom recounted how Samson was a strong individual set apart by God for a divine purpose. Yet, Samson succumbed to worldly pleasures and eventually found himself in need of God’s deliverance. As a result, God returned his strength one final time before his death so he could defeat the Philistines. Newsom said the account of Samson is a reminder that Christ followers should seek God’s guidance before making important decisions. “We see in him a man who is familiar with what God wants but he does not care that God wants it,” he said. “How many of us in this room legitimately and regularly bring everything in our lives before God and say God I only want to do what you want … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA – Dallas Hixson took a trip down memory lane at the first-ever Gift of Life Banquet September 11 when he recounted how his birth mother chose adoption over abortion and gave him the gift of life. During the event at Calvary Baptist Church in Alexandria, Hixson shared how his mother’s decision allowed him to live a life on mission for God. “I’ve never asked why,” said Hixson, who was adopted from the Sellers Baptist Home in New Orleans after his birth mother gave him up for adoption in 1969. “I realize that because of the honesty and transparency of my parents about my adoption, just how blessed I am to be adopted. “They’ve never ceased to remind me that I’m special and God has great things in store for me. They’ve also have continuously expressed how I’ve been given much and God expects much from me,” he added. Hixson was one of several pro-life advocates who gave testimonies at the Gift of Life Banquet, a fundraiser for the Cenla Pregnancy Center in Alexandria that was attended by more than 250 people. The event also featured recognition of individuals who played a vital role in creating the Cenla Pregnancy Center. Brian Gunter, pastor of First Baptist Church … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE – Evangelist Dave Edwards challenged Louisiana College students to be a part of the Jesus generation on the first day of the school’s fall revival September 11. “The idea that you and I are called to live like Jesus can seem like an unattainable task,” said Edwards, founder of Dave Edwards Speaks in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. “We become more aware of our weaknesses when we think about that. We become more aware of our inconsistencies and the contradictions in our life.” Edwards said members of the Jesus generation are controlled by the Father’s desire, committed to faithfully disciple other believers and consumed by a future dream that one day the presence of God will cover the earth. He encouraged all students to ask themselves the same question that forever changed his life as a high school student … what does God want for them? “What’s the eternal significance of your major?” he said. “What’s the point of your athletic ability? It can’t just be to put points on the board or get people’s respect. There’s got to be something deeper than that. “To any person who is bold enough to ask this question, the spirit of God begins to place the desires of God into your … [Read more...]