By Office of Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry BATON ROUGE, La. (Office of Gov. Jeff Landry) - The Louisiana Children’s Trust Fund has launched a statewide #PutThePhoneDown campaign to address the growing problem of excessive cellphone use and its adverse effects on Louisiana’s children. Governor Jeff Landry has proclaimed August as #PutThePhoneDown Month, encouraging families, educators, and communities to reduce screen distractions and focus on meaningful, face-to-face connections. Studies show that giving children screens as a distraction harms their language skills, emotional security, and social development. Educators across the state report rising classroom distractions, lower student engagement, and challenges in students’ focus and relationships. Research links excessive cellphone use among children and teens to increased anxiety, depression, behavioral problems, disrupted sleep, less physical activity, and poorer academic performance. “#PutThePhoneDown Month is about reclaiming our attention and our relationships,” said Executive Director of the Louisiana Children’s Trust Fund, Ursula Anderson. “Too many people are trading face-to-face connections and meaningful conversations for endless scrolling. It’s time to … [Read more...]

By Baptist Message staff WOODWORTH, La. (LBM) – Individuals with special needs will experience a full slate of activities during the upcoming Champions Camp, Sept. 5-7, at the Tall Timbers Baptist Conference Center, Woodworth. The camp will match participants with buddies who will accompany them throughout the weekend. The camp will feature games, activities, crafts, karaoke, worship and Bible study designed for children and adults, ages 8 and up, who have intellectual or developmental disabilities. Champions Camp began with 20 participants in 2018 and surged to 55 campers in 2024. Already, there are 87 registrants for 2025. Champions Camp Director David Anderson, who also serves as the Louisiana Baptist children’s ministry strategist, had always dreamed of bringing the camp to Louisiana so people with special needs like his daughter, Chloe, could have a chance to experience camp like so many others. Anderson has been blessed to see the camp grow and to further fulfill his goal of expanding opportunities for individuals with special needs to experience spiritual enrichment at events hosted just for them. “I love all that I get to do in my ministry; however, this camp has a special place in my heart,” Anderson … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – During the upcoming CENLA Pregnancy Center ‘Gift of Life’ Fundraising Banquet, Sept. 18, 6 pm, at the Randolph Riverfront Center in Alexandria, veteran morning on-air radio personality J.J. Jasper will share his testimony about hope found in Christ amid difficult circumstances. According to jjjasper.com, Jasper hosts a national morning radio show on American Family Radio network that has approximately 200 stations in 36 states. When he is not offering encouragement on his show, Jasper motivates others to grow closer in their faith through his humor as a comedian and best-selling author. Jasper, in his book “Losing Cooper: Finding Hope to Grieve Well,” shared how his family came through the tragic death of their son, Cooper, who passed at the age of five on July 17, 2009. Through that tragedy, God walked with the family and turned their sorrow into hope. Jasper and his wife, Melanie, have been married for 27 years and have seven children and five grandchildren. Jasper explained that their commitment to the pro-life movement only strengthened after the birth of their son, Bode, who has Down syndrome. “We had lost our Cooper, and we didn’t … [Read more...]

HOMECOMING South Winnfield Baptist Church, Winnfield: 100th homecoming, August 24, 10:30 a.m. Speaker: Phil Howard. Reception in the fellowship 2-4. Red River Baptist Church, Benton: 176th Anniversary, August 31. Morning Worship begins at 10:30 a.m. followed by a covered dish lunch in the Family Life Center. Former Members, pastors and all guests are invited. Pastor: Mike Palmer. First Baptist Church DeQuincy: Homecoming October 5. Celebrating the Past, Embracing the Future. 9 am Open House, 10 am Worship service, meal to follow. Message by Rev. Gil Arthur, Music led by Frank Nihart. Pastor David Earnest. First Baptist Church DeQuincy Homecoming October 5, 2025. Celebrating the Past, Embracing the Future. 9 am Open House, 10 am Worship service, meal to follow. Message by Rev. Gil Arthur, Music led by Frank Nihart. Pastor David Earnest. Point of Life Community Baptist Church, Plaucheville: Come celebrate our10th Homecoming Celebration, September 7. A special morning worship service with Jacob Crawford preaching and others sharing testimonies of encouragement. Lunch and then a note burning ceremony. Will follow the worship service. Please RSVP to Rev. Norris Landry at NLand4@gmail.com or (318) 305-8254 by Aug. 31, … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil (LBM) – A Louisiana Baptist-led mission team which ministered in Brazil witnessed more than 700 people turn to Christ and celebrated the fulfillment of Wayne Jenkins’ dream to construct 75 church facilities in the country. Jenkins, who had led 34 mission trips to Brazil, died of cancer on Nov. 13, 2018, having catalyzed the effort to build 68 chapels. Prior to his death he served as the director of evangelism for Louisiana Baptists and co-founded Beyond the Walls, the Louisiana-based ministry that continues to serve in Brazil. In 2019, his son-in-law, David Denton, picked up the baton and began leading this overseas emphasis. “The theme for this year was God’s faithfulness,” Denton, senior pastor with Highland Baptist Church, New Iberia, told the Baptist Message. “We were eyewitnesses of God’s faithfulness to work through His people but also in His people." “This trip was not just about reaching a goal,” he continued. “It was about the treasure of the Gospel in jars of clay. We heard testimonies of what God was doing in people's lives to bring healing and to further them along in their walk with the Lord.” GOSPEL HARVEST Sixty-nine … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer ZWOLLE, La. (LBM) – Mary Gore has seen many souls added to the Kingdom during 32 years of “fishing for men” as director of the Toledo Bend Resort Ministry. With the help of staff and hundreds of volunteers, the Gospel has been shared at more than 30 parks, marinas and low-income housing projects through worship services, block parties, fishing tournaments and area fairs. HARVESTS REAPED This year, the ministry has reaped Gospel fruit because of multiple outreach events: -- During Easter weekend, volunteers from 15 churches shared Christ’s love during a block party attended by 250 people at Wildwood Resort in Zwolle and 128 at a worship service held during the block party that Saturday morning. There were also 30 people who attended the ministry’s first Easter Sunrise service the next morning on the pier at Wildwood Resort. -- In May, eight people made decisions to follow Jesus through a children’s fishing tournament at San Miguel State Park in Zwolle. -- In July, a team from First Baptist Church, Cotton Valley, Texas, saw three people indicate a need to come to Christ during a Backyard Bible Club held at several apartment buildings in Zwolle. -- Also in … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Send Network Louisiana churches celebrated a Gospel harvest to start the new year, producing 190 decisions for Christ and 115 baptisms by 44 church plants from April to June. Additionally, the Louisiana Baptist church plants reported 6,959 Gospel conversations and an average of 72 in weekly worship attendance, according to a recent second quarter report by Send Network Louisiana. Since January, these newly formed congregations have seen 341 come to Christ and baptized 183 new converts. Send Network Louisiana Director Lane Corley said the work would not be possible without Louisiana Baptist churches who contribute to the Cooperative Program, Annie Armstrong Easter Offering and Georgia Barnette Louisiana Missions O­ffering. “Baptisms doubled in church plants this quarter from quarter one,” he said. “Church planting is evangelism that leads to a new congregation. It’s great to see churches starting through healthy evangelistic growth.” GOSPEL VISION The Send Network Louisiana partnership 1 between Louisiana Baptists and the North American Mission Board, which went into e­ffect Aug. 1, 2023, has helped the state further its God-sized vision to … [Read more...]