If you have an upcoming event – homecoming, revival, concert, conference or a new staff member –please aloe the Baptist Message to share it with others in the state. In order to do so,  let us know at least three weeks prior to the date to make sure it makes our print deadlines. You can e-mail your info to philip@baptistmessage.com or call 318.449.4345.  ON THE MOVE Robert Daniel, Director of Missions for Big Creek, Central Louisiana and North Rapides Baptist Associations is retiring October 31.  A reception will be held at the Baptist Mission Center, which is located at 2201 Melrose St, Pineville LA  71360, October 29, 2-4 p.m. Thomas Walker is the new pastor at First Baptist Church, Boyce. Johnny (wife Kathy) Dammon is the new pastor at First Baptist Church, Lake Charles. HOMECOMING Main Street Baptist Mission, Pineville: 30th Homecoming, October 15, 10:30 a.m. There will be testimonies, singing and a message from God’s Word. We will be celebrating what God has done and what God is going to do at the service followed by a time of fellowship. Anyone who has ever been involved in the Mission or who is interested in getting involved is welcomed to come. Pastor: Sam West. Gilgal Baptist Church, Minden: 175th … [Read more...]

By Norm Miller, LC News PINEVILLE (LCNews) – For two years running, Louisiana College’s upward trend in enrollment continues, with a 24 percent increase in 2017's freshman class. Last year’s saw a 14 percent increase, reversing a five-year downward spiral that began in 2010 under previous school leadership. Louisiana College began its fall semester welcoming 310 freshmen and a 9 percent overall enrollment increase. Since becoming president in April 2015, LC President Rick Brewer is continually "pressing on," as his team often hears him say. He immediately began revitalizing the school's standing in the community to ensure its future, by creating the Louisiana College 2020 Vision with a primary goal of raising enrollment to 1,500 students. "When our Board of Trustees unanimously elected Brewer as president, we did so in the confidence that his previous 28 years of leadership success in Christian higher education would continue at Louisiana College," said Dr. Randy Harper, Chairman of the Board of Trustees. "We believe it has because the significant increase in enrollment is directly due to Dr. Brewer and his leadership team who has implemented his vision." Professor of English and Coordinator of Academic Advising … [Read more...]

By Message Staff WASHINGTON, D.C. – Five of Louisiana’s six members of the U.S. House of Representatives have voted in favor of the Pain-Capable Unborn Protection Act, which prohibits any person from performing or attempting an abortion after the 20-week period. During a vote Oct. 3, H.R. 36 passed by a vote of 237 to 189, largely along party lines. Voting in favor of the bill were Louisiana Republicans Ralph Abraham, Garret Graves, Clay Higgins, Mike Johnson and Steve Scalise. The lone no vote from the state’s delegation to the House of Representatives was Cedric Richmond, a Democrat from New Orleans. The piece of legislation now goes before the Senate for consideration. President Donald Trump has already voiced his support of the bill. Following the vote, several members of Congress from Louisiana released statements including two Louisiana Baptists, Abraham, a member of Alto Baptist Church and a medical doctor, and  Johnson, a member of First Baptist Church in Bossier City. “As a doctor, I believe in defending life at all stages. I've heard a child's heart beat at six weeks old,” Abraham said in a written statement. “Babies can feel pain at 20 weeks; to abort them is a cruel practice that must end. The … [Read more...]

by Marilyn Stewart, NOBTS Communications NEW ORLEANS -- Celebrating 20 years of a women's ministry program and its impact around the world, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary honored Rhonda Harrington Kelley, wife of NOBTS President Chuck Kelley, for her integral role in the NOBTS program. The presentation in chapel Sept. 26 was followed by a luncheon in Kelley's honor where the Rhonda Harrington Kelley Scholarship benefiting women in academics was announced, with details forthcoming. Dorothy Kelley Patterson, wife of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson and Kelley's sister-in-law, praised her in remarks at the luncheon. "She is in the Titus 2 tradition a spiritually mature woman, a spiritual mother to many women in this room and to countless others, not only on the campus now but scattered throughout the world," Patterson said. NOBTS offers women's ministry certificates at the undergraduate and graduate levels, an undergraduate minor in women's ministry and concentrations in women's ministry with graduate degrees. A ministry wife certificate is also offered. Women from across the nation and as far away as Kodiak Island in Alaska, Canada and Ghana are enrolled. A … [Read more...]

As Congress considers a fiscal 2018 budget this week, U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Benton) is among the Republican House members in support of his party’s top goal of overhauling the tax code. “Our federal tax code is more than 60 times longer than the Bible, and it contains none of the Good News,” Johnson, a member of First Baptist Church in Bossier City, said in a statement. “It has been over 30 years since we updated the tax system, and it is well past time for reform. The Republican plan will create more jobs, fairer taxes and bigger paychecks for working-class Americans and small businesses. We must unleash the free market and get our economy back on track. Passing meaningful tax reform is a crucial first step in completing that mission.”   … [Read more...]

By Message Staff Bert Langley just thought he had served his final day as a director of missions when he retired from Evangelism Baptist Association in April of 2016. However, God had other plans and called Langley to the Acadia Baptist Association. Langley assumed the role of DOM after messengers to the association annual meeting voted him in Sept. 24. “I have always advocated to young preachers the job seeks the man; the man doesn’t seek the job,” Langley said. “My dream was when I got to the end of 22 years at Evangeline and Gulf Coast Association, I would find a small church and pastor a group of people and help them if I could. I guess God’s dream is different from mine because I am DOM of 37 churches now.” Langley replaces Alan Knuckles, who previously filled the role until his retirement May 31. He plans to remain in the role on a permanent basis, not in an interim capacity. His vision for the association is unity among the churches. “The primary role of a DOM is to help pastors succeed at their churches and carry out whatever unified effort they can do to reach the area for Christ,” Langley said. “No one church, no matter how strong, can reach the entire area by itself. It’s going to take them all working … [Read more...]

By Norm Miller, LC News PINEVILLE - For the third year running, Louisiana College faculty will study and discuss another book that underscores the importance of integrating faith and learning. Evangelical author Mark Noll’s book “Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind” follows the previous two: “Conceiving the Christian College” by Duane Litfin and “Renewing Minds” by David Dockery. Once a month, faculty gather in small, interdisciplinary groups to discuss Noll’s book with a view to gather information and inspiration regarding the integration of the Christian faith into the liberal arts courses they teach. “We are first grateful for our president, Dr. Rick Brewer, who initiated the study groups when he arrived in 2015,” said Phil Caples, vice president for the Integration of Faith and Learning. “The books and subsequent discussions have enriched our pedagogy and informed our content as we teach from a Christian worldview.” Caples believes Noll’s book is another building block for LC’s faculty. Noll observes: ... it has become conventional to think that belief in the Christian story opposes serious commitment to intellectual explorations of the world. There are no good reasons for this opinion. It rests on … [Read more...]

By Message Staff Prayer will be the emphasis early Wednesday morning, Sept. 27, when Louisiana students of all faiths, including Southern Baptists, join thousands of others across the country for this year’s annual See You At The Pole prayer time. Held the fourth Wednesday of every September around their school’s flagpoles, the students will assemble to pray for their friends, community and nation, as well as participate in a time of worship afterwards. According to the official See You At The Pole website, the effort is 100 percent student-initiated, student-organized and student-led. Started in 1990 with 10 students praying at their school in Texas, the grass roots movement has spread to thousands of campuses worldwide. This year’s theme is Fix Our Eyes, based on Hebrews 12:2 which states “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The Baptist Message would like to post pictures of your See You At The Pole activities on our Facebook page and publish a photo gallery later at our website, baptistmessage.com. Anyone with photos who would like to share what your students are … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer DENHAM SPRINGS – Courtney Miley did not imagine she would ever enter the worship center of Genesis Church when she first met Pastor Jeff Smith while he was reaching out to families at the community soccer complex in 2014. She and her husband, Shaun, were believers, but had lapsed in their fellowship with the body of Christ. However, God providentially used the historic 1,000-year flood of August 2016 to draw her and him back to Him through her involvement with disaster relief efforts at the church plant. Moreover, their repentance and obedience resulted in a special gift neither expected. In August of this year, they witnessed the baptism of their four children, all who accepted Christ within a four-month period leading up to the special worship service. The Miley children were among 17 converts baptized that day from among 87 people who attended, both high marks during one service for the church plant. “It was very surreal to see each of them baptized in a place that we have worked so hard in the past year and seen so much change,” Courtney Miley told the Baptist Message. “For us, it was like God was confirming to us of His fullness and reaffirming that we had made the … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer MOSS BLUFF – A Louisiana Baptist pastor is thanking Southern Baptist Disaster Relief teams for helping to restore his house after two feet of water damaged his Moss Bluff home as a result of Hurricane Harvey. “I’ve never been the recipient of something like this in my life, ever,” Rick Edwards, pastor of Magnolia Baptist Church in Vinton, told the Baptist Message. “I don’t have words to describe the gratitude I feel right now. I am proud to be a Southern Baptist and humbled that these men from different churches gave up their time and resources to show love just like Jesus would have done if He had done it Himself. “They became His hands and feet to me and my wife, Mary,” he said. “They brightened our days while they were here.” RISING WATERS, CONCERNS The nearby Sabine River began rising Aug. 28, eventually overflowing its banks to surround and penetrate houses and businesses. Edwards watched helplessly from the second floor as water began to enter his home. He said just as the burdened grew heavy on his heart, God reminded him of the words in Psalm 46:10 to “Be still and know I am God.” These were his comfort during the eight days he was unable to leave his … [Read more...]