By Mark H. Hunter, Regional Reporter BATON ROUGE - A cold wind whistling through downtown skyscrapers, could not discourage a crowd of 1,500 to 2,000 pro-life Louisiana residents from declaring “Life is Priceless” and marching five blocks from the Old State Capitol to the new Capitol in the 6th annual Louisiana Life March. One of a kind in the state until 2014, this Baton Rouge event was joined last year by “Life March North” in Shreveport (held this year the same day, Jan. 23). A third march was added for 2016 in Alexandria, Jan. 30. All three events protest the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in all 50 states. Since then, more than 58 million children have been aborted, pro-life advocates report. Tommy Middleton, director of missions for the Baptist Association of Greater Baton Rouge, said prior to the march that it was important for Baptists to participate in events like this because, “it is a Biblical concern. “The Bible is an advocate for life,” Middleton said. “Our voice should be clear and known within the community.” Cold temperatures may have discouraged some from marching in Baton Rouge. However, winter storm “Jonas” turned back more than 400 Catholic … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer SHREVEPORT — Bone-chilling temperatures may have kept the numbers down but it could not dampen the enthusiasm at the third annual Louisiana Life March North in Shreveport/Bossier. A crowd of 6,000 – men, women and children of all ages and denominations – joined together for the 1.2 mile walk that started at the Louisiana Boardwalk in Bossier City and ended with a post-march rally at Festival Plaza. A large contingent led the procession with a “Louisiana Life March” banner. Others held up signs proclaiming “Life is Priceless” and “Life is a gift from God,” or urging to “Stop Abortion Now.” The theme of the event—held Jan. 23, the same day as a similar one in Baton Rouge—was “Life is Priceless.” Organizer Mike Johnson was pleased that so many would endure the 32 degree weather to take a stand for the unborn. “We were delighted by the thousands of folks who braved the cold today to make this important stand for life,” said Johnson, a state representative and legal counsel for Louisiana Right to Life. “It was a great event, and a tremendous opportunity for all of us to reach out a renewed hand of compassion again and raise more awareness about this critical issue. We can save … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer LAFAYETTE – Wayne Jenkins and Charles Billingsley shared moving testimonies of thankfulness with those attending Louisiana Baptists 2016 Evangelism Conference, their stories epitomizing the messages of God’s power and grace presented throughout the program. The impromptu testimonies by both men highlighted how God used a dark hour in each man’s life to bring glory to Christ. Jenkins is evangelism and church growth director for Louisiana Baptists while Billingsley is a vocalist from Lynchburg, Va., who led worship during the conference, held at First Baptist Church in Lafayette Jan. 25-26. During the afternoon session, colleagues and others surrounded Jenkins as the whole crowd prayed for him. A teary-eyed Jenkins praised God for sustaining him throughout his battle with cancer. "God is so good, really good,” Jenkins said. “This summer I was close to going home. ... He chose to leave me here. And I’m glad. I think I’ve got a lot to do. Thank you for all the prayers." https://youtu.be/yL3KCNLtxnw Billingsley offered how his music career nearly ended in 2009 when he severely injured his voice during a concert in Florida. Addressing the audience for the evening session … [Read more...]

By Deanna Wallace, Louisiana Right to Life BATON ROUGE – A federal judge struck down the 2014 Louisiana law requiring abortion clinic doctors to have admitting privileges to a hospital with obstetrical and gynecological services with 30  miles of the clinic where the abortion is performed on Jan. 26. U.S. District Judge John deGravelles, who presided over a June trial of a lawsuit challenging the admitting privilege requirement, said the requirement in Act 620 violates the constitutional right of Louisiana women seeking abortions. In his ruling, deGravelles wrote the admitting privileges requirement would place an undue burden on Louisiana women seeking an abortion, and issued a preliminary injunction preventing the law from being enforced against the abortion clinics involved in the challenge -- Hope Medical Group for Women in Shreveport, Bossier City Medical Suite in Bossier City, and Causeway Medical Clinic in Metairie. Upon reviewing the court's opinion, Benjamin Clapper, Executive Director of Louisiana Right to Life, stated the following, "Louisiana Right to Life firmly believes the admitting privileges requirement in HB 388 / Act 620 would increase the health and safety of women seeking an abortion in the state … [Read more...]

By Julie Cupples, Louisiana Baptist Children's Home and Family Ministries communications MONROE - Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home and Family Ministries was presented the Faith in Families Award from the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services. The award was given for LBCH’s efforts and commitment to promoting adoption awareness and community support for children in need of permanent families. The Children’s Home Connect 1:27 Foster Care and Adoption ministry seeks to recruit and certify Christian foster and adoptive families and works with churches to establish support ministries for foster care and adoption. If you or your church would like to learn more about helping children in need contact Beth Green at 318.243.2244. … [Read more...]

NATCHITOTCHES - Christmas has come and gone, but the impact some Louisiana Baptists made in the city is eternal. A group gathers one Saturday each year during the annual Festival of Lights in Natchitoches to distribute Bibles to those attending the event. Below is a video recap of the 2015 See the Light Bible distribution. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-7AbBcAbdg … [Read more...]

The Message is preparing to launch a special feature on its website to celebrate every baptism of Louisiana Baptists by publishing a picture or brief video clip of each one on www.BaptistMessage.com as a kind of yearbook of evangelism within the Louisiana Baptist Convention. “Our aim in celebrating each walk of faith into the baptismal waters is that it will inspire Louisiana Baptists to be even bolder in proclaiming the Gospel and lead to even greater harvests of souls,” said Will Hall, editor of the Baptist Message. March 1 is the target start date for the initiative and The Message is asking churches as well as individual Louisiana Baptists to email a 10-15 second video clip or a high resolution photo file to brian@baptistmessage.com and include the baptized person’s name, pastor’s name, church name and date of baptism.​ … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer SHREVEPORT -- Snow and cold temperatures may have kept the numbers down but it could not dampen the enthusiasm as Saturday mornings 3rd annual Louisiana Life March North in Shreveport/Bossier. “We were delighted by the thousands of folks who braved the cold today to make this important stand for life,” said State Rep. Mike Johnson, event organizer and legal counsel for Louisiana Right to Life. “It was a great event, and a tremendous opportunity for all of us to reach out a renewed hand of compassion again and raise more awareness about this critical issue. “We can save more lives if we get more people talking and working for the cause,” said Johnson. Check back later for an in-depth story on the march. … [Read more...]

By Mark H. Hunter, Regional reporter An estimated crowd of 1,500 to 2,000 attending the 6th annual Louisiana Life March South, walked five blocks through downtown Baton Rouge on Saturday from the Old State Capitol to the new Capitol building. A bright, sunny day belied a bitter wind that howled through the canyons between the tall buildings chilling participants but they soon warmed up at the Capitol steps where speakers, including Tommy Middleton, Baptist Association of Greater Baton Rouge Director of Missions, encouraged the crowd to stay involved in pro-life issues. Check back later for an in-depth story and additional photos. … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer DOWNSVILLE – In early 2015, Bobby Kranz was brokenhearted. Facing personal setbacks in his own life, the long-time pastor was searching for God’s direction and wondering if he would preach again, so he prayed for direction. God answered those prayers and led him to a church seeking a pastor who would join them as they headed down the path in search of brighter days. When he became pastor of Mt. Ararat Baptist Church in Downsville, March 2015, attendance for Sunday morning worship was around 30. Today, the congregation regularly has 100 in worship and has baptized 20 people, including eight on one Sunday. Kranz believes the growth is nothing he has done as pastor but rather a gift from the miraculous hand of God. “If I had to boil it down to one word, it’s brokenness,” Kranz said. “This church was broken-hearted over strife. They realized if something didn’t change, and quickly, the life of the church could be gone. “I’ve been at a lot of churches and I’ve never seen anything like it,” he continued. “It’s all to the glory of God. It’s not about me. It’s about Him.” Early in his Christian life, he attended a church where Wayne Jenkins, now the Evangelism and Church … [Read more...]