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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Treme to be LBC 2VP nominee

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer GLENMORA, La. (LBM) – Neil Treme, pastor with Glenmora Baptist Church and a former International Mission Board missionary, will be nominated for the office of second vice president during the Louisiana Baptist Convention 2025 Annual Meeting of church messengers. Ferran Bertrand, associational mission strategist with Mt. Olive Baptist Association, shared with the Baptist Message, Oct. 21, his intention to make the nomination. The yearly gathering of Louisiana Baptists is scheduled to be held in the Randolph Riverfront Center, Alexandria, Nov. 11. STATEMENT OF SUPPORT Bertrand said Treme’s experience as a pastor and missionary will benefit the Convention. “Brother Neil has a long tenure of service to Southern Baptist,” Bertrand told the Baptist Message. “He has served with the IMB in multiple countries and has worked to prepare new missionaries deploying to countries around the world. Closer to home, Brother Neil is currently serving as pastor of Glenmora Baptist Church in Glenmora. He is an able teacher and preacher of the Word. And, to use his own words, he is always encouraging us to ‘make much of Jesus.’ Brother Neil is an encourager, and I know he will serve and … [Read more...]

Liberty Counsel seeks justice for Louisiana Baptist pastor illegally fired because of Baton Rouge library pronoun policy

By staff, based on a news release by Liberty Counsel BATON ROUGE, LA – Liberty Counsel, a Christian ministry that engages in strategic litigation to promote evangelical Christian values, sent a demand letter, Oct. 17, to the East Baton Rouge Parish Library on behalf of Luke Ash, a bivocational pastor with Stevendale Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, who was unlawfully fired from his job as a library services technician for refusing to use false pronouns for a female colleague. The letter denounced Ash’s termination, a result of his refusal to compromise his religious beliefs about human sexuality, as a violation of the Louisiana Constitution, the Louisiana Protection of Religious Freedom Act, the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Liberty Counsel requested the library to reinstate Ash with backpay and revise its pronoun policy to respect the religious free exercise rights of all employees, setting a response deadline of Nov. 10. In the letter, Liberty Counsel explained that the library’s “inclusivity policy” -- that employees have a “right” to choose their pronouns -- essentially mandates radical gender ideology and unconstitutionally compels employees to mouth their … [Read more...]

LSU BCM building damaged in on-campus shooting

By Baptist Message staff BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Baptist leaders are thankful for God’s protection over the Louisiana State University Baptist Collegiate Ministry building, which was vacant at the time of an Oct. 11 nearby shooting. According to WWL-TV, the shooting took place near the intersection of Highland Road and Dalrymple Drive around 8:40 p.m. Saturday during the LSU-South Carolina football game at Tiger Stadium. Two individuals were injured in the incident, which took place around 385 feet from the LSU BCM building. Louisiana Baptist Collegiate Ministry Director Mark Robinson said that several front windows were shattered, but no one was inside the building. Robinson and LSU BCM Director Blake Grundy are cooperating with law enforcement’s investigation. WWL-TV reported that there is no ongoing threat to campus safety. “This incident is a sobering reminder of the brokenness and lostness in our world and the urgent need for the peace and hope that only Christ can bring,” Robinson said in a news release to the Baptist Message. “We grieve for those injured and pray for their full recovery. We also pray for our campus, our city, and for all who are shaken by this violence.” Louisiana Baptist … [Read more...]

CENLA gathers to pray for schools, community

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Baptist pastors joined other concerned citizens from Central Louisiana, Oct. 2, to pray for students, teachers, families and the community. Held outside the Rapides Parish School Board offices in Alexandria, the event was marked by special music and prayer led by pastors of various denominations and by small groups who prayed for an area recently impacted by social media shooting threats involving several schools, Sept. 27-29. Juveniles who published the threats against Alexandria Senior High School, Peabody Magnet High School, Pineville High School and Tioga High School have since been arrested on charges of “terrorizing” and  were placed into the Renaissance Home for Youth in Alexandria. The Peabody Magnet High School principal as well as local officials and law enforcement considered the social media posting against that school to be a credible threat and consequently cancelled the homecoming parade and football game that had been scheduled for Sept. 27. Brad Webb, pastor with Family of Grace Church, Alexandria, said that the events of the week did not take God by surprise and that God still is on His throne. “Today, God, we come, … [Read more...]

LCU President Mark Johnson offers encouragement amid school social media threats

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Shortly after several Central Louisiana schools received social media threats of possible shootings, Louisiana Christian University President Mark Johnson travelled to be the light of Christ on the campuses of Alexandria Senior High School, Peabody Magnet High School, Pineville High School and Tioga High School, Sept. 29-30. “Normally I’m allowed to go and visit with students in lunchrooms but recently they've had a lot of shooting threats in our area,” Johnson told the Baptist Message. “We’ve been having a lot of opportunities to sit alongside young people and remind them they’re going to be okay. “I went from being president to pastor real quick because they're nervous over these last few days,” he continued. “And it turned out to be a time of great encouragement and hearing from the students.” All four schools received threats on social media, Sept. 29, though the shootings never took place. The juveniles who made the threats were arrested, placed into the Renaissance Home for Youth in Alexandria and charged with terrorizing, according to the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Department. Additionally, Peabody Magnet High School’s homecoming parade and football … [Read more...]

CenLA Hymn Sing scheduled for Oct. 26

By Baptist Message staff TIOGA, La. (LBM) – Faith Baptist Church will host a hymn sing, Oct. 26 at 6 p.m., to bring together central Louisiana churches for a time of joint worship. The sixth annual hymn sing will include reading of scripture, prayer and singing of hymns under the direction of Kevin Boles, a bivocational pastor with Lone Star Baptist Church in Hineston “They are wonderful times together,” Faith Baptist Pastor Clark Palmer told the Baptist Message. “The sound of brothers and sisters in Christ singing with full hearts and full voices is a rich and uplifting experience. I hope you will join us.” … [Read more...]

Vandal attempts to destroy crosses inside Bedico Baptist worship center

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer PONCHATOULA, La. (LBM) – A man attempted to destroy crosses inside the Bedico Baptist Church worship center, Sept. 25, but its surveillance camera helped lead to his capture before he left the facility. According to Pastor Jonathan Gers, the incident began around 1 a.m. Sept. 25. The individual only tried to damage crosses situated throughout the worship center. While the individual destroyed one cross that was painted onto a stained glass window, the other six crosses were not damaged. “When we arrived at the church, the man was exiting the building and babbling,” Gers told the Baptist Message. “We recognized quickly it was a demonic attack.” Gers said the identity of the man has not been released and that he and 150 others from at least three churches who gathered for a prayer and praise service at the church on Sept. 26 are hopeful he may one day turn to Christ. “We gathered to pray and sing the night after the break-in and it was a great time of healing for us,” Gers said. “We are praying for his salvation. When I get the okay from the jail where the man is staying, I hope to go and pray with him.” … [Read more...]