By Message staff PINEVILLE, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Christian University has named former Wildcat basketball player Anna Phillips as its new head women’s basketball coach. “I am going to show up every day and give this team and school everything that I have,” Phillips said in a new conference June 16. “Louisiana Christian University basketball is part of who I am today. And I’m looking forward to building towards a championship as well as transforming lives through the Gospel of Jesus Christ while making sure each student athlete succeeds on and off the court.” Phillips helped lead then-Louisiana College to a 41-34 record and qualify for the American Southwest Conference Tournament twice when she played for the program (2013-2016). After graduation, she joined the team as its academic and community service coordinator, and operated team camps. After LC, Phillips was an assistant women’s basketball coach at Western Texas College in Snyder, Texas (2017-2018) and head women’s basketball coach at Grace Christian School in Alexandria (2018-2019). Most recently, Phillips was head coach of Winnfield High School, her alma mater. During her time there, she led Winnfield to the 2A state playoffs during the three seasons she … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message staff writer GDANSK, Poland (LBM) – A Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief team recently saw a “spiritual breakthrough” with Ukrainian refugees during a week of ministry in Poland. Members of First Baptist Church, DeRidder, and Trinity Baptist Church, Lake Charles, worked out of First Baptist Church, Gdansk, May 8- 16. While there, the team treated the women to pedicures and took the refugees on an outing downtown. The team’s kindness and love saw the refugees experience Christ-filled joy. “Near the end of the trip we took the women and children out to enjoy ice cream and a Ferris wheel ride in downtown, which finally brought some smiles to their faces,” said Dan Batchelor, a member of FBC DeRidder. “The site coordinator at the church told us this was the first time that the refugees at the church began to smile and experience joy since disaster relief teams began taking teams here. We didn’t see any of the women or children accept Christ, but we saw the ice break which can lead to a spiritual harvest down the road.” Since late March, Louisiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Mississippi each have sent one team per month to serve in Gdansk on a rotating basis. However, Louisiana Baptists Disaster … [Read more...]

PINEVILLE, La. (LCUNews) -- Nine Louisiana Christian University students and two faculty members spent two weeks in England seeing firsthand the world in which C.S. Lewis walked. Anna Albury, The Bahamas, Madalyn Starns, Amite, Hannah Miller, Iowa, Louisiana, Jade Harmon, Lafayette, Joshua Poole, Lithia, Florida, Leanna Lanford, Pineville, Mackenzie Strickland, Monroe, Marisa Mercer, Winnfield and Emma Ellis, Krotz Springs joined professors Justin Langford, dean of the School of Missions and Ministries, and Sarah Payne, director of the C.S. Lewis Honors Program and a chemistry professor, on the 14-day trip. Students, several who were part of HN304 Honors Colloquium travel course, toured London, Oxford, Stonehenge and Bath. HN 304 is a travel course option that all honors students can take, and the location varies every year. “This was the inaugural trip to London and Oxford which, I believe, was delayed a couple years due to COVID restrictions,” Langford said. “The London trip will be the regular international trip offered every three years.” The colloquium travel courses are on a three-year rotation (national, local, international), said Payne. “A trip to Boston in May 2023 is in the works,” Payne said. “There … [Read more...]

By Message staff ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) - Louisiana Baptist college students gathered on June 3 to finalize details before embarking for GOLA summer missions in the state and beyond. Now, in its 14th year, GOLA (Go Louisiana) VBS is an emphasis by the Louisiana Baptist collegiate ministry that allows college students to serve on teams who spend the summer sharing God’s love through what is the largest evangelistic outreach – Vacation Bible School -- of the year for many congregations. Churches in which the teams conduct a VBS normally have low baptisms and would have trouble coordinating such an event without the help of the GOLA VBS team. Two teams that will comprise five college students on each will serve at churches around the state, June 4-July 16. Another team of six students will conduct VBS in Wyoming, June 9-July 31, while another team of students will serve in Costa Rica, June 21-28. One student will serve as a church staff apprentice in Louisiana. Additionally, the state’s 15 BCMs will provide many more to serve as interns, camp personnel, church staff and international mission board missionaries. GOLA strategist Ashley Jones said students who serve on GOLA teams are a blessing to both students and … [Read more...]

By Steve Horn ALEXANDRIA, La. - I, like many of you, read the report from Guidepost and experienced an array of emotions. We must do better. We must be better. Those affected by sexual abuse deserve better and certainly, our devotion to our Lord demands better. As promised during our Annual Meeting last November, we will seek to listen to, and support, those  who have suffered abuse. In addition, we will be proactive in implementing strategies that endeavor to eliminate all incidents of sexual abuse among our churches. During our May Executive Board meeting, I updated our trustees on what’s been done since our November gathering. We will continue to review the report from the SATF and discern what recommendations can and should be adopted among our convention of churches. I urge Louisiana Baptists to pray this moment brings us to a place of acknowledgment of sin which leads to repentance that makes way for the fruit of repentance. For about a year now, we have been calling people to introspection, consecration, intercession, and decision through the personal revival guide, Change Me. Today, more than ever, we need to be praying, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test and know my concerns. See if there is any … [Read more...]

By Message staff RUSTON, La. (LBM) – Rolling Hills Ministries has opened a bookstore and coffee shop. Located eight miles south of its main office in Ruston, the facility has more than 20,000 books for sale and offers fresh ground coffee, espressos, lattes, fresh baked snacks, smoothies and more that can be enjoyed in the store or underneath a porch. Ministry Director John Cowling said the bookstore and coffee shop is the culmination of 17 weeks of Rolling Hills staff and local volunteers working more than 4,000 hours to accomplish a vision that God gave the ministry more than a year ago. The coffee shop and bookstore are funded through donations and sales from its thrift store. “God has blessed us through the generous donations of the people in our community and we are so excited to be able to be good stewards of these gifts and provide a welcoming environment for the community to come together and know that God loves them through the new opportunities this facility will give us,” Cowling said. The bookstore and coffee shop, located at 1103 Farmerville Hwy. in Ruston, is open 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday to Friday and 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. … [Read more...]

By Message staff Ben Waites, a Christian musical recording artist and 2010 graduate of Louisiana Christian University, will appear on an episode of the upcoming season of America’s Got Talent. While the exact date of his appearance on the national talent show is not known, Waites expressed excitement about the opportunity on his Facebook page. The 17th season of the show premieres Tuesday, May 31, 7 p.m. on NBC. “Thank you for always believing in me and showing so much support,” Waites wrote on his Facebook page. “I couldn’t do this without you. I covet your prayers that God would use this opportunity to reach a lot of people.” … [Read more...]

By Baptist Community Ministries staff NEW ORLEANS, La. - The United Way of Southeast Louisiana and Baptist Community Ministries will name the recipients of the inaugural Summer Impact Grants during a news conference Thursday, June 2. The two organizations allocated $500,000, collectively, to help youth-serving organizations strengthen education, health and workforce during the summer in undeserved neighborhoods in Orleans Parish. More than 30 summer program providers won the awards, which ranged from $5,000-$20,000, based on qualifications that included operating in Orleans Parish and focusing on serving young people of color, ages 11 to 24, that live below the ALICE Threshold. According to the United Way website, ALICE is an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. Those who are ALICE workers earn just above the Federal Poverty Level but less than what it costs to make ends meet. … [Read more...]