By Message Staff PINEVILLE – In a time when suffering, darkness and desolation are rampant in today’s culture, there is hope God will do just as He did during the time of Ezekiel – bring life when there seems to be no hope. “There is hope, not because of any human being but because of the God of the universe can breathe life in your lungs in the midst of sufferings,” said Curtis Zackery during Louisiana College’s March 9 chapel service. “Maybe you’re praying there is a revival at your school and you’re starting to feel hopeless. We don’t have to feel hopeless because in the midst of dry desolation God can breathe life into your lungs.” Zackery, a youth evangelist from Franklin, Tenn., shared with students about how in Ezekiel 37, lifeless bones came alive in a valley of dry bones after Ezekiel asked if they can come alive again. Likewise, God can do the same today. “It is God who breaths the breath of life,” Zackery said. “There is a living God who wants to breathe life into your lungs. It has everything to do with the God of the universe seeing you in the midst of your desolation and dryness and saying I want to breathe life into your lungs.” Zackery’s message was part of a campus-wide revival, which began Tuesday, … [Read more...]

PINEVILLE - A group of Louisiana College students brought to light the unborn though a one-day memorial on its campus. The Cemetery for the Innocent featured 600 flags scattered across the quad area Thursday, March 9. Each flag represented five lives aborted each year. Hannah Terrebonne, president of Louisiana College Students for Life, said while she believes many on campus are pro-life, the event painted a visual picture of the battle they face. "A lot of people here know about the issue but don't have a real picture of the magnitude of why we need to stand up," said Terrebonne, a senior and member of Gulf Coast Baptist Church in Galliano. "As a premed major, this is important to me because as a future physician the most important things are to preserve life. And as a Christian it's just as important to speak up for the unborn, elderly, kids in need of foster care and those needing adoption." Theressa Sanon, a sophomore at LC and member of Calvary Baptist Church in New Orleans, said the challenge she wants all of her classmates to take up is standing up for life. "An unborn child can change the world," Sanon said. "So it's sad that many kids get aborted in our country. If no one else speaks out, then the … [Read more...]

By Message Staff TROUT – A year after floodwaters destroyed the 100-year-old building housing Zenoria Baptist Church, the congregation will hold a time of celebration to mark the remarkable progress that has been made on a new facility. Scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 11, the event will give members and guests a peek inside its future home. Located at 3133 Hwy. 500 in Trout, the facility will feature a worship center seating 138, Sunday school classrooms and a fellowship hall. Since Monday, March 6, nearly 80 Kingdom Builders have literally raised a new building from the slab up and they expect to finish much of the work by the end of the week despite two days of rain. Pastor Joel Johnson hopes his congregation of 65 people can be in their new facility by Easter. “It’s going to be a time of jubilee,” Johnson said. “We couldn’t have pulled this off without the help of people in the community, sister churches and the Kingdom Builders. We’re not finished yet but we’re approaching a place where we can soon meet together again.” Zenoria Baptist Church was destroyed after 9 feet of water from Little River – located less than a half-mile away – surrounded the church March 11, 2016. In just 12 hours time, … [Read more...]

By Message Staff MONROE – The Baptist Collegiate Ministry at the University of Louisiana-Monroe will break ground on a new building Wednesday, March 8. Scheduled for noon, the groundbreaking ceremony will take place at 1005 University Avenue with a lunch to follow. This new facility will be built within 12-18 months on the existing property of the original building, which was demolished in 2015. Since the building was torn down, the ministry has held worship services at College Place Baptist Church, just a few blocks from the ULM campus. Once complete, the center will be able to hold between 300 and 400 people for worship services, meals and special programs. ULM BCM director Chad McClurg said the new building will position the ministry to reach students for decades to come. “We are excited about the impact BCM will continue to make at ULM,” said McClurg. “Our ministry loves the students, faculty, and administration of this university and we are grateful to many faithful givers to this project so that we can continue our ministry here.” For information about ULM BCM visit www.ulmbcm.com. … [Read more...]

By Will Hall, Message Editor ALEXANDRIA – Brad Webb, pastor of Family of Grace Church in Alexandria, praises his congregation, which now includes members of the former Baptist Temple, because of their commitment to worship God through corporate ministry as well as through corporate church services. “God has granted favor to Baptist Temple members for their step of faith in embracing the vision of what we could do as one congregation,” Webb told the Baptist Message. “Likewise, He has blessed our people from family of Grace, who also stepped out in faith to see the possibilities here.” Those possibilities are reality now as more than 300 people receive ministry each week at Family of Grace on the south side of town, where attendance for Sunday morning service as Baptist Temple had dropped to fewer than 40. The campus is alive with children who receive academic tutoring three nights a week and other youth who come by bus on Wednesday nights for discipleship, families who are enrolled in English class, adults who are part of literacy courses, and people who come to be set free from addictions. Webb said the ministries meet needs in the neighborhoods surrounding both campuses while everyone gets to see the face of Christ … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer SLIDELL – Glenda Ledet’s life changed when her hometown church went down in flames July 2, 2016. It jarred her into realizing she needed to return to Bayou Baptist Church and her walk with Christ. Surrounded by friends and family, Ledet was one of two people baptized Jan. 29, a week after the dedication of the church’s new facility. “My dad was in ICU when we got the news that the church had burned,” Ledet said. “I felt this was a wake-up call, to come back to God after drifting away and return to the church I grew up in.” She had professed Christ at a younger age, but had not been obedient through baptism. “God was calling me back,” she said, “and since then I’ve never felt closer than I am now.” The special day drew some of Ledet’s family members who had not stepped inside a church building in many, many years. “I was so thrilled they came and I think maybe this will change their lives,” Ledet said. “A seed was planted and I am hoping and praying for them.” She is equally excited about God’s plan for her church. “My church has overcome a lot and I’m excited about where we are headed in the future.” THREE DISASTERS Like Ledet, other Bayou Baptist … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message ZACHARY – Jeff Palmer, executive director of Baptist Global Response, will headline the 2017 Louisiana Baptist Agricultural Missions Fellowship annual meeting. Scheduled to kick off at 9 a.m. March 18 at First Baptist Church in Zachary, the meeting will include a discussion by an agricultural missionary on how God continues to use the industry to help people help themselves in Eastern Europe. Other activities planned at the meeting include a time of worship and lunch. “The annual meeting of the Louisiana Baptist Agricultural Missions Fellowship is pleased to have Jeff Palmer as its keynote speaker,” said David Morrison, vice-president of the Louisiana Baptist Agricultural Missions Fellowship, in an e-mailed statement to the Baptist Message. “He is one of God’s most effective agricultural and development missionaries. “Much of Dr. Palmer’s early overseas training was received under the leadership of Harold Watson who established the Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center in the Philippines, which is recognized throughout Asia,” Morrison continued. Palmer currently serves as CEO for Baptist Global Response in Nashville. BGR is a non-profit Southern Baptist relief and development … [Read more...]

By Norm Miller, LCNews PINEVILLE – The Mosaic generation, those between the ages of 18 and 23, “rarely” have a biblical worldview as defined by The Barna Group. That’s what the christianpost.com reported in 2009, and Christianity’s cultural influence remains in an abysmal state. Barna’s research data found that less than one-half of one percent of Mosaics have a biblical worldview, which is defined by: - believing that absolute moral truth exists; - the Bible is completely accurate in all of the principles it teaches; - Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic; - a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by good works; - Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and - God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today. The Barna Group also states: “An increasing number of religiously unaffiliated, a steady drop in church attendance, the recent Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage, and the growing tension over religious freedoms all point to a larger secularizing trend sweeping across the nation.” “Situational ethics have replaced integrity and relativism has supplanted veracity. Values are no longer objective and truth … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer MINAS GERAIS, Brazil – Wayne Jenkins is making an urgent plea for Louisiana Baptists to join him in the annual summer mission trip to Brazil. Those participating have a chance to experience a life-changing opportunity and the ability to impact an area where just 2 to 3 percent of its residents profess to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Last year, 98 participants led 3,202 people to the Lord. “We have been working here with our SBC missionaries and Brazilian Baptists for 33 years,” said Jenkins, Louisiana Baptists evangelism and church growth director. “The areas they have assigned us are unreached and in need of both spiritual and physical ministry. Much of the work is done with two-thirds of the people living in extreme poverty. “This is a trip that can change your life,” he continued. “One of the volunteers who has gone several years sums up what many have said, ‘No other trips have had a larger impact on my life in ministry or a larger impact through my life in eternity than Beyond the Walls ministry’s trips to Brazil.’” The team will leave for Brazil on one of two departure dates – July 6 or 7 – and return either July 17 or July 19, if volunteers elect to stay … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer MONROE – With the completion of a wall and security tower in mid-February, the Louisiana Baptist Convention and Haiti Baptist Convention are much closer to fulfilling a five-year dream of having a facility to house children and train pastors. Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home and Family Ministries President Perry Hancock shared the news during the entity’s Feb. 24 board meeting, telling trustees that he is optimistic some of the dormitories for children will be ready by the end of the year. “The need in Haiti is significant,” Hancock said. “But with great need comes great opportunity for God’s people to share the Gospel in word and deed. It has taken a few years to gain traction, but the project is now moving forward.” The Louisiana Reach Haiti project is an effort sponsored by Hancock’s ministry, the LBC, HBC and 30 Louisiana Baptist churches. Haiti was devastated by 2010 earthquake that killed more than 250,000 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless. Louisiana Baptists were among the first to provide disaster relief, and since then have maintained a ministry presence through mission trips that includes construction projects, pastor training, medical clinics, food, … [Read more...]