By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA – Armed with a bag of clothing in one hand and a cup of hot chocolate in another, Kelvin Reynolds mingled among other needy individuals on a chilly Thursday morning in downtown Alexandria. With Christmas just days away, Reynolds, who is homeless, will be spending the holiday season on the streets or in a shelter. Yet, despite his situation, Reynolds said he is thankful. “God is still good,” Reynolds said. “Jesus is the reason for the season. I’m praying one day soon I will not be homeless. Please pray for me.” One Thursday a month, Reynolds and 75 others can be found at the Emmanuel Baptist Church parking lot for a street outreach event called H20 – Helping 2 Overcome Homelessness. Since August 2013, the Volunteers of America Homeless Outreach Program has hosted the event with help from area churches and non-profit organizations. Those who attend the event receive hygiene items, clothing, shoes, haircuts, food and even a Bible. Most of all they receive the love of Jesus. On this Thursday, Dec. 15, 10 organizations came to help out, including Alpine First Baptist Church, Pineville; Journey Church, Pineville; Family of Grace Church, Alexandria; Calvary Baptist … [Read more...]

By Message Staff The Christmas season is not all cheer for some Louisiana Baptist churches after being victimized by burglars in the past two weeks. Five churches of various denominations in Grant Parish and four Baptist churches in Rapides Parish have reported theft or vandalism inside their buildings. According to Robert Daniel, director of missions for Big Creek, Central Louisiana and North Rapides Baptist Associations, the Baptist churches vandalized were Wayside Baptist Church in Pollock, Alpine First Baptist Church, Bethel Baptist Church in Colfax, First Baptist Church in Lacompte, Lamourie Baptist Church in Lecompte, Oak Grove Baptist Church in Bentley and Riverview Baptist Church in Alexandria. Grant Parish Sheriff Steven McCain said the burglaries occurred late Sunday following evening services. He is urging churches not to leave cash in their facilities for any reason. “Also, make sure all doors and windows are locked,” McCain said in an e-mailed statement. “If you have a surveillance system, please make sure it is working properly and if you have an alarm system make sure it is turned on. We are working hard with the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Detectives to solve these cases.” Lt. Tommy Carnline, public … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer WELSH – Judy Bertrand felt the sting of tragedy twice in August. After 49 years of marriage, her husband Joe passed away, having lost a lengthy battle with cancer. Next, floodwaters deluged her house near Welsh, destroying most of her possessions and forcing Bertrand out for what she thought would be a long while. Home for Christmas seemed unlikely for 2016. But those prospects greatly improved when an army of Louisiana Baptists and other volunteers converged in late August to rebuild what nature had destroyed. Now, unwrapping presents under the tree is just a matter of her avoiding Santa’s naughty list. Bertrand calls what transpired “a Christmas miracle.” “It was surreal,” she said. “I felt like God was taking care of me. How else do you get that kind of help? From day one they were a blessing to me.” After meeting Bertrand during a meeting at the First Baptist Church in Welsh, one disaster relief volunteer felt led by the Holy Spirit to spearhead the rebuild effort. “The Lord just tells you to do things some time, so I put my arm around her at the church and told Mrs. Bertrand we would rebuild her house,” said Reggy Saxon, the project manager who is a … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer LAKE ARTHUR – The four-day revival may have ended in late November, but for the congregation of First Baptist Church in Lake Arthur a season of spiritual awakening has only just begun. The revival drew around 175 each service, with 23 making first-time salvation decisions in all. Four people were baptized during the revival itself, with many more expected to do so before the end of the year. It was the culmination of months of prayer by the congregation capped with 24 hours of continuous prayer by a sequence of members just prior to the revival. “People let go of their pride and gave their lives to the Lord,” said Jered Thomas, pastor of First Baptist Lake Arthur. “We had fire beginning to burn in the hearts of our people. “They are pressing on,” he continued. “Revival has just begun. It starts now, today, with each person. They are ready to continue on. We will continue to grow, invite and get those to come.” Bill Britt, an evangelist and native of Haughton, preached each night and Broken Vessels of Deridder performed music. “The biggest thing Bill Britt got across to those coming to the revival was gaining a relationship with the Lord,” he said. “From the beginning to … [Read more...]

By Joe McKeever, Special To The Message We interrupt this program to bring you the following news…. “I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people!  Today in the City of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord! And this will be a sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger.” We return you now to your regularly scheduled program. Wonder how Heaven decided who would deliver the news of Jesus’ birth that night? Was there a competition among the angels? Did they draw straws? Was the announcer chosen by merit? Did anyone say, “Gabriel got to tell Mary and Joseph; it’s my turn?” What were the requirements?  A good speaking voice? Fluency in Aramaic? And was the announcing angel disappointed when Heaven’s light was switched on and the audience for this event-for-the-ages was revealed to be a few rag-tag shepherds? Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite eat your hearts out!  This was the best announcing job of all time. Let’s break this wonderful announcement down into its ten components… Do not be afraid. Angels always prefaced their announcements with these words.  We smile at that because it makes complete sense. We get … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE – Louisiana College President Rick Brewer announced Dec. 1 the school’s plans to start three new programs, and shared details about a matching gift opportunity for alums, saying Louisiana College has much to be thankful for heading into the Christmas season. During the press conference held in the Granberry Conference Center, Brewer told the crowd about the development of programs for students to attain a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Science in Social Work. The school also hopes to offer an online RN to MSN program, which will enroll registered nurses practicing with an associate degree in nursing or hospital diploma. These new programs could accept students as early as next fall, pending approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools-Commission on Colleges. “Our academic leaders in this room have been working on these for several months and we’ve identified a need in our region and are trusting that these programs will help us meet that need,” Brewer said. He also explained that two of the proposed degrees will receive funding thanks to a Healthcare Occupations Program Grant from the … [Read more...]