By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – Casey Williamson was at a spiritual crossroads in early 2023. A former professional baseball player, Williamson had hung up his glove and spikes to serve with Campus Outreach, which hosts student ministries on more than 100 campuses in 10 countries. As the years passed, Williamson and his wife, Jill, saw fruit at Louisiana State University, Southeastern Louisiana and University of Louisiana at Lafayette but had gotten to a point where their passion had grown more to minister to students who had graduated and now had families of their own. Williamson knew he had been called to be a pastor and that God had him there to prepare for this next step. After a season of prayer, Williamson and the other leaders of the sending church, Christ Covenant Church in Baton Rouge, were approached by Trinity Baptist Church in the city with another to donate their facility while its congregation remained in the building for weekly worship. The aging congregation had dwindled in worship attendance (from 60 in 2019 to 20 in 2023) and sought the Lord to use another church to reach the community for Christ. After a series of conversations with the leadership of Trinity, … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – The world was a summertime mission field for 245 students from the state’s Baptist Collegiate Ministries. From serving at Tall Timbers Baptist Conference Center, in Vacation Bible School with Louisiana Baptist churches and a camp in Wyoming to working overseas alongside International Mission Board missionaries in Chile, Mexico, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and other undisclosed locations due to security concerns, the students relied on the Lord to help them be His hands and feet. “Through serving, students not only discover but also internalize their gifts and calling – experiencing firsthand what it means to share the Gospel, rather than just hearing about it,” Louisiana BCM State Director Mark Robinson told the Baptist Message. “It is a joy to watch them grow in confidence and boldness as they share their faith. At Louisiana BCM, our four pillars are Reach, Connect, Strengthen and Mobilize. We remain committed to mobilizing students with the Gospel to reach a world far from God.” GOLA VBS Ten students sowed Gospel seeds through GOLA (Go Louisiana) VBS in Louisiana and Wyoming. GOLA VBS is an LBC BCM emphasis that allows students to serve on … [Read more...]