By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer MARKSVILLE, La. (LBM) – John Riddle seemed like the least likely person to become a pas­tor he was in a battle with drug addiction that landed him in the Baton Rouge Salvation Army rehabilita­tion facility in March 2017. But an encounter with God three months into the treatment program, shortly after his release from jail, set him on a path to redemption in Jesus and an eventual call from the Holy Spirit to serve as pas­tor with Life Point Com­munity Church, Mansura. “That night I told the Lord, ‘I want you to be glorified in my life after taking drugs for so many years,’” Riddle told the Baptist Message. “For God to get the glory and what He did in the life of an individual who was so far out there and lost in the darkness speaks to the goodness He can bring on a person’s life. “I love the Lord so much,” he continued. “I have this yearning inside of me to learn the word of God and to preach and teach, and I just want to glorify God and for people to see that God is a God of transformation. “I remember dedicating the following six-and-a-half months in treatment to reading through the entire Bible,” he continued. “When I had completed this task, I took my Bible and … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Solange Parker was beaming with excite­ment as she entered the baptistery at Calvary Bap­tist Church, Nov. 10. With neighbor Justin Langford and personal primary care doctor Da­vid Guillot gathered be­side her, the 89-year-old fulfilled a 50-year dream of stirring the baptistery waters. “It was amazing, excit­ing and very important to my faith,” Parker told the Baptist Message. “I was filled with joy knowing I could get the order of my baptism right after all these years.” Though Parker turned to Christ many years ago, she never followed through with a public declaration of her faith through baptism. But because of a long-term friendship built with Langford and Guillot, the exposure to ongoing baptisms at Calvary and a message on the impor­tance of baptism by Pas­tor Todd Strain, Parker finally took that next step in her faith. “I knew it was a long time coming from the conversations we have had,” said Langford, also a professor of Christian studies at Louisiana Christian University. “After the service, when Todd preached about baptism, she looked at me and said, ‘Let’s make this happen.’” After several more months of delays because of … [Read more...]

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Baptist Message provides churches an opportunity to share with other Louisiana Baptists an upcoming revival, homecoming, new pastor, new staff member, a community outreach, or a concert in Louisiana Notables. To place your event in the paper, send your information (who, what, where, when, time) to philip@baptistmessage.com or call 318.449.4345. Please submit your information four weeks prior to the event to insure placement in the Message. ON THE MOVE Chris Poirrier is the new minister to median adults at First Baptist Church, Lafayette. Emily Slay is the new communication specialist for the Cenla Pregnancy Center. She previously served with the Louisiana Baptist State Missions Services team. Slay will manage social media accounts, utilize Facebook, Instagram and other platforms to reach mothers in need of our services and support. Lewis King is the new pastor at Mystic Baptist Church, Fields. POSITION SOUGHT Palestine Baptist Church, Bogalusa: Part-time or bi-vocational minister of music needed for Palestine Baptist Church in rural Bogalusa, La. If interested, please send resume to Palestine Baptist Church, 59369 Palestine Church Rd., Bogalusa, La, 70427, or call 985-732-7997, or email: … [Read more...]

By Baptist Message staff WISNER, La. (LBM) – High winds from a severe storm that passed through Wisner, Dec. 28, destroyed the fellowship hall of Holly Grove Baptist Church. One of several storms to strike communities in Louisiana that day, the damage occurred around 10:30 p.m. when 55 mph winds caused a tree to fall onto the roof of the facility, Pastor Dennis Fontenot told the Baptist Message. Fontenot said he is grateful that the church (which averages 40-50 in Sunday morning worship) had insurance and that no one was inside the building at the time of the storm. Until the church builds a new fellowship hall, the senior adult class that met there for Sunday school will be relocated to the worship center. “Even though it’s a loss, we are blessed,” Fontenot said. “By the grace of God, the incident occurred on a Saturday evening. If it had taken place a few hours later, some of our senior adults would have been injured or even killed because where the tree fell is the exact spot where they met for Sunday school.” Meanwhile, a Mississippi Baptist Convention congregation, O’Zion Baptist Church in Meadville, was destroyed when a tornado hit the facility around 3:30 p.m., Dec. 28. According to the Mississippi Baptist … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – Anticipated thousands of Louisianians will stand together for life at five pro-life marches throughout the state in the coming weeks, according to the lead organizer. The theme for the marches is “Every life is worth living.” “We are thrilled in 2025 to proclaim that ‘every life is worth living’ in Louisiana from the unborn child in her mother’s womb to other vulnerable populations like the disabled and handicapped,” Louisiana Right to Life Executive Director Ben Clapper told the Baptist Message. “We know that we have been in uncharted territory since the reversal of Roe v. Wade with an uptick of propaganda in the press accusing pro-life groups, pregnancy centers, and pro-life people of harming women because of Louisiana's pro-life laws. The truth remains that the pro-life community loves both the unborn child and the mother. Our goal has always been to empower women to choose life in even the most difficult of situations. We, together with nearly 40 pregnancy centers across the state, continue to stand strong, but we need you to show our elected officials and the community that we will never sway in our mission to save lives.” -- Jan. 22 (Lake … [Read more...]