Students from Louisiana College, as well as those from Southern Baptist seminaries recently graduated. Below is a list of the graduates. LC President Brewer addressed the 148 graduates and hundreds of onlookers May 16 at the college’s 158th commencement ceremony. His message was entitled "And Then Some," with the goal of challenging the graduates to "do hard work, and then some." Meanwhile, Daniel Akin told the spring graduates of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC, that "Our God is a global God. He is always with those who are on mission with him." The seminary's 61st graduating class of 274 graduates heard Akin, the president of the seminary, issue a challenge with Jesus’ last words in Matthew 28:18-20. He highlighted God’s sovereign power, plan and promise. And at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., 297 graduated on May 14, with 107 graduating from the seminary's Boyce College on May 8. Seminary President Albert Mohler Jr. charged the new Southern graduates to "Take your place in line and fulfill your ministry with eyes wide open, knowing your destiny in Christ. Go into the world of darkness as brave children of the day." Click here for 2015 graduate listings … [Read more...]

By Joe Dupree, Message Staff Writer OLLA - Out with the old and in with the new. That seems to be the popular way of doing things nowadays. For the folks at Standard Baptist Church, it was just time to replace an aging sanctuary with a larger and newer building that would house congregants comfortably. The original church structure, which was made of wood, was built back in 1945. The current structure was built later in the 1960's. But as time progressed, the building began deteriorating and the leaders of the church decided it was time to build a new, larger sanctuary. "Our old building has some age issues, " said Rodney Shelton, chairman of deacons, Standard Baptist. "Our attendance has grown. The Lord has blessed us with our attendance growing and with this building project. "With our growth, there's just a good chance they'll be uncomfortable," said Shelton. It was about a year ago the church decided a new sanctuary was needed to accommodate the large growth in congregants. "If you talk about the history of the building, that's one thing," said Shad Tibbs, pastor of Standard Baptist. "The history of this church five years ago, what I saw, is a very small group of people who were, in reality, tired of … [Read more...]

By Joe Dupree, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE – As the Red River continues to rise, concern of potential flooding also continued to rise amongst the officials of Pineville. On Thursday, the Louisiana National Guard sent a group out to the riverfront, on the Pineville side, to help secure sewer pump stations that will help pump excess water out should it reach people’s homes along the river. The river is expected to reach its cresting point of 38 feet by this weekend. The National Guard has also been sandbagging the area around Pump Station #23 on Dupree Road in Pineville to prevent any potential flooding from getting into the sewage pump. City officials are hoping the sand bags aren’t needed but they prepared for the worst. “There are some low areas that we are concerned about,” said Rich Dupree, Pineville’s city manager. “The mayor has been going door to door, visiting those homeowners, letting them know, if water doesn’t cut into their homes, it will cut off access to their homes.” Fortunately for much of the downtown and greater surrounding areas of Pineville, it sits among the high parts of the river so there isn’t much concern of any massive flooding but only concern for minor flooding along the … [Read more...]

By Norm Miller, Special to the Message PINEVILLE --Louisiana College president, Dr. Rick Brewer, received notice today that the college’s probationary status has been extended to allow the college to provide more information regarding Comprehensive Standard 3.2.4, External Influence. “Our accreditation remains intact,” Brewer said, “and our academic reputation speaks for itself. We remain encouraged because of the recent upsurge of interest in and support for the college. Our stakeholders continue to entrust their students into our care as evidenced by our enrollment numbers that are on track,” Brewer added. An official of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) notified Brewer of its governing board decision via telephone, saying that a detailed letter about the matter is forthcoming. During the coming weeks, officials from both SACSCOC and LC will confer prior to the college filing an official response later this year. “We are crafting several academic and revenue development initiatives that we anticipate launching this year. We believe these efforts underscore our commitment to preparing graduates and transforming lives in a culture that is relational, rigorous and … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief officials are making preparations now to respond to those directly impacted by the floodwaters of the Red River – and every Louisiana Baptist has a chance to participate. According to Louisiana Baptist state Disaster Relief Director Gibbie McMillan, four areas in north and central Louisiana likely will serve as staging areas when disaster relief teams are activated. Teams will use locations in Shreveport, Coushatta, Natchitoches and Alexandria as ministry hubs to sleep and eat at themselves. It is not certain that feeding for the public will be needed until the assessments are completed. Though trained disaster relief team members will be working, Louisiana Baptists who have not completed official training may also serve, McMillan said. Donations to the response along with prayers also are needed. Those interested in volunteering should call the disaster relief office at 318.448.3402. Donations can be made by going to louisianabaptists.org/disasterrelief or by mailing checks to Louisiana Baptist Convention, Attn: Disaster Relief, PO Box 311, Alexandria, LA 71309. In addition to teams from throughout Louisiana, others from out of state are also … [Read more...]

By Joe Dupree, Message Staff Writer BALL - Summer is upon us and you know what that means ... it's Vacation Bible School time. Kingsville Baptist Church in Ball is one of many Louisiana Baptist churches that are hosting or will host VBS this summer. VBS is considered to be one of the biggest outreach ministries a church has during the year. "Like any other opportunity placed into the life of a church, the importance of VBS depends on the individual church," said David Anderson, Children's Ministry Strategist, Louisiana Baptist Convention. "VBS is still the single largest evangelistic opportunity that the church will have all year long," said Anderson. "We also know that unchurched families will bring their children and engage with the church like no other time during the year." Kingsville wrapped up their VBS festivities last week  averaging 280 kids per day and 130 workers (teenagers and adults). "We have seen a renewed interest in training for VBS as we doubled our registration and attendance at the state wide training this year," said Anderson. Several churches have also requested that GOLA (summer missions program for college students) teams come to their churches to help assist them with VBS. "In … [Read more...]

By Joe Dupree, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE – Less than a month after Mark Rosier resigned as Louisiana College’s softball coach, Wildcat Athletics Director and head football coach Dennis Dunn didn’t waste time or have to go very far to find Rosier’s replacement. On June 8, Winnfield High School’s Lyn Bankston was introduced as the Lady Cats new head coach. He becomes only the sixth head coach in the softball program’s history and succeeds Rosier, who spent four seasons at LC. Dunn said he's known Bankston for many years and called the hiring "a good move on several levels." "I've known Lyn since he was a player at Louisiana Tech," Dunn said. "Just his grit as a competitor is something I always admired.  So, really, all of this came together like a glove, in terms of fit. He is a great fit for LC.” The opportunity to coach on the college level, especially at a college which has special meaning to him, was just too much for Bankston to pass up. "When you're in my profession and you're extremely passionate about it like I am, the thoughts always come into your mind," said Bankston. "You always want to coach at the highest level." “Louisiana College softball has such a rich history and is full of tradition,” said … [Read more...]

Joe Dupree, Message Staff Writer SHREVEPORT/BOSSIER CITY - With the floodwaters threatening and already making their way onto the streets in Shreveport and along the lower levels of the riverfront in Bossier City, the Louisiana National Guardsmen have been put on alert and have busy securing the area and bracing for more possible flooding. "Engineer teams have been working nonstop on the construction of an 800 linear ft. HESCO barrier, consisting of two rows on the bottom and one row on the top totaling 2,400 linear feet, to fortify a concrete wall," said Staff SGT Denis B. Ricou. The Guardsmen have been busy hauling assets, assisting with construction efforts, and positioning various teams to affected areas since June 3rd. … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer SHREVEPORT/BOSSIER CITY – As flood waters of the Red River rise, Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief teams are on alert to respond if needed. According to Louisiana Baptist state Disaster Relief Director Gibbie McMillan, teams originally scheduled to deploy to Oklahoma and Texas are now being kept in Louisiana in case they are activated. McMillan said they could be in areas of the state affected by recent flooding as soon as next week. “We are paused and waiting to see how much damage will take place then the teams will come in,” McMillan said. “It could be next week before we can begin work. We need people to pray for those affected and be ready to respond when the time comes. We will need places for volunteers to stay when they respond.” As of Monday, 84 homes in the Shreveport/Bossier City area were flooded, McMillan said. Streets in the area also have seen floodwater, including a small portion of the Louisiana Boardwalk in Bossier City and near the SciPort museum in Shreveport. Numerous streets also have been closed, including some off and on ramps on and in some sections of lanes on I-220 westbound. Lane Moore, director of missions for the Northwest Louisiana Baptist … [Read more...]