By Message Staff NATCHITOCHES – A recent series of strong and violent storms in Louisiana has left a path of downed trees and damaged homes in its wake. And it has kept Disaster Relief teams busy cleaning up in its aftermath. A team of Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers spent Saturday, March 25, removing a tree from a home in Oak Grove, a community off Highway 504 west of Natchitoches that saw more than 24 homes damaged from a storm the night before. David Cheatwood, a coordinator with Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief, said a team of volunteers from Sabine and Natchitoches Baptist Associations helped local volunteers take away the pine tree from the homeowner’s living room, as well as assisting covering the damaged roof. Coldwater Baptist Church in Hagewood also had several large trees down but reported no damage to the building, Cheatwood said. Church members and the community came together to clear the property. More violent weather rolled through the state last evening, March 29, though no Disaster Relief teams were activated, according to Gibbie McMillan, Louisiana Baptists State Disaster Relief director. Tornado watches and severe thunderstorm warnings were issued throughout the day Wednesday. … [Read more...]

By Norm Miller, LC News PINEVILLE (LCNews) – With the anticipated reduction in TOPS, Louisiana College in Pineville is closing the college tuition affordability gap by offering to qualified enrolling freshmen and transfer students who live on campus the G. Earl Guinn Scholarship. “Louisiana College takes seriously the value and proven advantages of campus residential life,” said Rick Brewer, president of Louisiana College. “Residential students perform at a higher level academically, adapt more quickly for life after college, and establish lifetime relationships.” Brewer said LC is also “serious about the shortfall created by TOPS cuts and how that affects families with college-bound students. We are as committed to making college affordable as we are in continuing our rich tradition of academic excellence and heritage of spiritual development.” The G. Earl Guinn Scholarship is named in honor of Louisiana College’s 5th president. He served from 1951 to 1975. LC has significantly reduced tuition for international students enrolling in the college for the first time to a cost that is more than 60 percent less than peer institutions. Qualified enrolling freshmen will pay  at only $10,000 for two, 12-18 hour semesters … [Read more...]

By Message Staff Louisiana College is positioned for a bright future, President Rick Brewer told Louisiana Baptists Associate Director of Communications and Stewardship Strategist Matt Tullos, during a recent interview. “Our vision is to prepare graduates and transform lives,” Brewer added, describing Louisiana College as "transformational" through the exceptional people, programs and places students experience by being part of the Wildcat family and being active in its campus community. Brewer shared about new scholarships, such as the C.S. Lewis Honors Scholars Program (valued at $8,500) for qualified enrolling freshmen who score 28 or higher on the ACT, and, the Francis Schaeffer Scholarship Program, a $2,500 tuition scholarship per year for four years -- that requires involvement as leaders for Disciple Now events in Louisiana Baptist churches, as well participation in mission service projects. Brewer also said 17 buildings on campus have received new roofs, windows in Alexandria Hall have been replaced and Guinn Auditorium is undergoing a $6.5 million refurbishment, adding that he hopes the renovations inside Guinn Auditorium will be complete by the summer of 2018. He also expressed gratitude to Louisiana … [Read more...]

PINEVILLE (LCNews) -- Louisiana College will honor former legendary coach Billy Allgood March 29 at 3:30 p.m. by dedicating a new sign on the campus at the entrance to Billy Allgood Field. Allgood came to LC as head basketball coach and assistant football coach in 1959. He was appointed athletic director in 1965 and was given head baseball coach responsibilities in 1969. Athletes from that 1959 team have led in procuring the sign and planning the dedication ceremony. Two of those athletes -- Bobby Tindall and Larry Ladner -- will be on-hand to speak at the dedication. In 26 years as basketball coach, Allgood’s teams won 327 games, which ranks him sixth all-time among college basketball coaches in the state. Twice, Allgood was chosen NAIA District 30 Coach of the Year, and he was picked as coach of the North team in the 1979 and 1980 Louisiana collegiate all-star games. In 1986, the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches tabbed him "Mr. Louisiana Basketball," and the group inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 1990.  Allgood has also been elected to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Allgood's 1969-70 team, led by Billy Jones, became the first in school history to win 20 games. Included among those wins was … [Read more...]

BATON ROUGE – New Orleans Pastor Fred Luter will headline next month’s Louisiana Governor’s Prayer Breakfast. Scheduled for April 11 at the Raising Cane’s River Center, 275 River Road S. in Baton Rouge, the prayer breakfast will feature Luter, who will share how prayer has impacted his life as pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, according to a news release from the office of the Louisiana Governor’s Prayer Breakfast. Luter, the first African-American to become president of the Southern Baptist Convention, grew Franklin Avenue Baptist Church from 65 members in 1986 to more than 5,600 today. Since 2009, Franklin Avenue Baptist Church has baptized at least 120 people, including 121 in 2016. Luter’s strategy for congregational growth can be traced to a concept he calls FRANgelism. His congregation is encouraged to invited one of the following groups from among the acronym FRAN to attend church – friends, relatives, associates and neighbors. Also featured on the program is Rick Skaggs, a 14-time Grammy Award winner from Hendersonville, Tenn. Skaggs will perform a variety of Christian and patriotic songs. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards will address elected officials and others in attendance at the … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer WOODWORTH – The upcoming Royal Ambassador Congress will honor those who serve and protect the United States at home and abroad. Scheduled for April 7-8 at the Tall Timbers Conference Center, the RA Congress for first through sixth grade boys will feature testimonies from law enforcement and armed forces officers as an emphasis of this year’s theme, Honor the Protectors. “Many of the boys may never have had much interaction with a law enforcement officer or someone else who protects them,” said Mike Collie, RA consultant for Louisiana Baptists. “This year’s RA Congress will allow them some time with those on the front lines while exposing them to the Gospel.” RA Congress also will include its annual Pinewood Derby, where participants display their cars before the race, and soap box races, camp craft skills competitions and presentations from David Cheatwood, a Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief volunteer, and Bill Robertson, pastoral leadership director for Louisiana Baptists. The cost for RA Congress is $63 per person, based on multiple-occupancy of rooms, and includes lodging, three meals, a shirt and registration. March 31 is the deadline to register. For more … [Read more...]