By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer MONROE – The front lawn of New Hope Baptist Church in Monroe was the scene for a special baptism service last August that served as a visible witness for friends and family, and also for motorists who passed by. One by one, each of the nine new believers stepped into a horse trough filled with cold water on a hot summer Sunday afternoon, to publicly restate his or her individual faith in Christ by being baptized. “Everyone was gathered together, singing praises to the Lord for all the things He did that day,” said Gray, winner of the 2017 Exemplary Bi-vocational Pastor of the Year for the North region. “It was really cool for people to pass by and see what was going on -- to see entire generations baptized together, from age 10 to 65, was something I never will forget.” The baptism service signifies a personal revival New Hope Baptist has experienced since Gray’s arrival in April 2017. When Gray became pastor of New Hope Baptist, the Sunday morning worship service attendance averaged 30 and baptisms were a rarity, according to church records. Eleven months later, attendance for worship services has more than tripled, and 16 new converts have participated in … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message NEW IBERIA – Pastor David Denton believes it is time to remove the stigma from mental illness and believes the church is a good place to start. Pastor at Highland Baptist Church in New Iberia, Denton felt God’s prompting after the Jeremiah Johnston study – “Unanswered: Lasting Answers to Trending Questions” – to address the issue of Christians and mental illness. This study was timely as several of his church members had been impacted by traumatic events associated with mental illness. “I did some research and it shows 25 percent of our population has or will be diagnosed with some form of mental illness,” he said. “That affects a lot of people. There is no instantaneous fix but the issue needs to be addressed in a Christian worldview.” In order to do so, Highland Baptist will host a one-day, interactive event on mental health April 22. The event’s theme, “Hope for Mental Health,” will begin Sunday morning as Kevin Richard, staff counselor at Trinity Baptist Church in Lake Charles, will be casting some biblical light on the subject of mental illness at the 8 and 10:30 a.m. worship services. The afternoon schedule begins at 4 p.m. in the church’s fellowship hall with a light meal and … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message ALEXANDRIA (LBM) – Philip Robertson and Clay Fuqua, senior pastor and campus pastor for Philadelphia Baptist Church in Deville and Alexandria, respectively, led a host of local pastors and community leaders in testifying before the City of Alexandria Alcohol, Beverage and Drug Abuse Commission to oppose an alcohol beverage permit to the Grand Theatre of Alexandria – and won. The movie theater had applied to serve low and high alcohol content drinks at its 14 screen facility as a means to improve profits and avoid closing in light of changing movie-going habits of the public. Its representatives also argued that it operated other movie theaters in the state that served alcohol and did so “without a single incident.” But its representatives admitted, when asked, that it was operating profitably now with ticket and concession sales. Likewise, they revealed that there have been some problems at the Alexandria location, which is dry, with underage youth sneaking in alcohol. Interestingly, the Grand Theatre representatives also offered that most of its best attended features are family-friendly films that allow adults to bring their children with them to enjoy a night of … [Read more...]

By John Marcase, Special to the Message PINEVILLE -- What was supposed to be a 1,000 mile cycling trip for a growing ministry in Bossier City did not launch exactly as planned April 4. Still, it did not prevent the group, consisting of men from Men of Courage Louisiana and the Christ Fit Gym in Bossier City, from seizing upon a ministry opportunity when it presented itself. The “1,000 Miles for a Mission” trip had barely started when Christ Fit Gym owner Billy Weatherall suffered a malfunction with his bike. “We were 20 miles out of Bossier and I had a blowout,” Weatherall said. Later that night at First Baptist Church in Pineville he shared his testimony and the cycling group took part in a worship service. “It was the only one we experienced” that day. But, it just so happened the blowout occurred near some railroad tracks where maintenance was being performed. “There was a railroad worker who I knew and hadn’t seen in years,” said Weatherall. “He came over and said he had been going through a rough time and needed prayers. “God has been using us like this all along the way.” Officially, the 1,000 Miles for a Mission ride is to raise funds for both Men of Courage and Christ Fit Gym. Both organizations … [Read more...]

By Robin McCall, WMU Communications BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – WorldCrafts, the fair trade division of Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU), has expanded an initiative that supports Southern Baptists’ work for children and families through a partnership with Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home & Family Ministries in Monroe. The initiative, which was first launched with Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes & Family Ministries and Arizona Baptist Children’s Services & Family Ministries in January, supports the work of the Baptist Coalition for Children and Families. Through this initiative, churches or individuals partner with WorldCrafts to support at-risk children and to provide life-sustaining work for global artisans and their families. “The new WMU WorldCrafts initiative for Baptist Children’s Homes will make a significant impact on the lives of our children here in Louisiana,” said Perry Hancock, President and CEO of the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home & Family Ministries. “LBCH is one of the few children’s homes across America that receives no government funding for the care of foster children. The new WMU project will help us expand our support of foster children both on campus in Monroe and across the state,” he … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer NEW ORLEANS (LBM) -- Louisiana Baptist churches have come alongside the only Southern Baptist church in the New Orleans French Quarter to serve up food with the love of Christ on Friday afternoons. Since 2013, First Baptist Church, Ponchatoula, and more recently, First Baptist Church, Norco, have sent teams to help prepare and hand out meals to as many as 70 homeless men and women who come inside Vieux Carre Baptist Church for what Pastor Tom Bilderback calls “Shower Fridays.” Bilderback said the Shower Fridays are a way to reach people who may be stepping into a church for the first time. Visitors often include drug dealers, satanic worshipers and homeless individuals. “We share the Gospel and are there to practice what it means to be in the presence of Christ for the least of these,” Bilderback said. “Once we offer them some food and a hot shower, we’re able to then share with them hope found in Christ. Many times it will build bridges with those who may have come far from Christianity.” The homeless hear a Christian testimony from Bilderback or someone else who has overcome the hardships that homeless people typically experience. The first time can be a little … [Read more...]

EDITOR’S NOTE: Do you have a Revival, Homecoming, a new pastor, a community outreach or a concert? The Baptist Message would love to share your church news with the rest of the state. It is very easy to do, just send in your information (who, what, where and when) to philip@baptistsmessage.com or call 318.449.4345. To get your event in the paper, please submit your information three weeks prior to the event. ON THE MOVE Carl Sullivan is interim pastor at New Bethlehem Baptist Church, Denham Springs. Bubba Courtney is interim pastor at Gray’s Creek Baptist Church, Denham Springs. Rebecca Galloway is the new Children’s Minister at Norris Ferry Community Church, Shreveport. Caleb Walls has resigned as music minister at Northside Baptist Church, Denham Springs. Howard Turner has retired as pastor from Live Oak Baptist Church, Denham Springs. Johnny Morgan is the new pastor at Live Oak Baptist Church, Denham Springs. Michael S. Fielding is the new Student Minister at Live Oak Baptist Church, Watson. Austin Bedwell is the new youth minister at Emmanuel Baptist Church, Shreveport. Chris Lee is the new interim pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Jonesboro. HOMECOMING First Baptist Church, Gretna: 100th … [Read more...]

With the Southern Baptist Convention presidential election just two months away, Brad Jurkovich, pastor of First Baptist Church in Bossier City, hosted separate lunches with both candidates who have announced their intentions to run for the office. Jurkovich now has released a series of video clips at www.firstbossier.com/sbcpresident containing the interviews he conducted with Ken Hemphill and J.D. Greear. … [Read more...]