FOREST HILL, La. (LBM) – Randy Carruth, founder and president of I Am Able Ministries based in Forest Hill, died Friday, Oct. 15, after being on a ventilator for four weeks with COVID, family members shared. Carruth’s ministry consisted of finding money and volunteers for various missions projects – often church construction or vacation Bible school – across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Ukraine and Honduras. Amiable Baptist Church in Glenmora was his home church since before he made a profession of faith in Jesus as a bashful 10-year-old boy, relatives said. In time Carruth became a Sunday School teacher, youth leader and deacon. According to his wife, he turned to the ministry after a work-related accident in 1997. Reading missionaries’ prayer requests made him want to help, said Carruth’s wife of 43 years, Savannah NesSmith Carruth. His first short-term missions trip was to Mayan Indians in Mexico. That sparked Carruth’s interest in ministry with and among indigenous people. That interest culminated in Carruth working with other Southern Baptist pastors to start the All Nations Camp Meeting on the grounds of the Coushatta Indian Reservation, about 45 minutes northeast of Lake Charles, Louisiana. News outlets … [Read more...]

The CENLA Pregnancy Center recently received the 2021 Always St. Elizabeth Award for their promotion and support of adoption. Executive Director Claire Lemoine and Volunteer/Education Coordinator Maria Burke accepted the award on behalf of the center during the St. Elizabeth Foundation gala Oct. 5 in Baton Rouge. Located at 1254 MacArthur Drive in Alexandria, next to the Louisiana Baptist Building, the center since it opened Dec. 4, 2017, has served 964 women through pregnancy decision coaching by trained advocates, free pregnancy tests, free ultrasounds, information about pregnancy options, maternity and physical resources and post-decision support including parenting education and abortion recovery groups. … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message staff writer LA ESPERANZA, Honduras (LBM) –Verona Langford felt humbled and privileged to witness new converts step into the local river for baptism as part of a multi-church worship service in Honduras. One by one, eight individuals came in and out of the water and were greeted with applause and hugs from the 60 Hondurans in attendance for the occasion. Langford, who has taken multiple trips to the country with her husband, Marlyn, said the service that took place in 2017 signifies the fruits of the labor reaped from a multi-church, multi-state partnership that frequently sends teams to share Christ in La Esperanza. “The people were so excited to gather for what was, at the time, a rare thing,” Langford, a member of Woodridge Baptist Church in Shreveport, told the Baptist Message. “You could just see the excitement on the faces of those baptized and the gathered crowd. Another team witnessed 27 new believers baptized this spring. We return year after year there, and this was a blessing to see a visual picture of the harvest from the seeds that have been sown.” Woodridge Baptist, joined by First Baptist Church, Dry Prong, Forest Hill Baptist Church and Sweetwater Baptist Church, Quitman, are … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message staff writer NEW ORLEANS, La. (LBM) – Bobbie Wallace was headed on a path of hopelessness when he was sentenced to a 66-year sentence on two counts of armed robbery, but his Georgia Barnette Offering assists Angola graduate to pursue his ministry dream life was forever changed when he found restoration through Christ inside the walls of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. Through the encouragement of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary staff and other Louisiana Baptists, Wallace earned his bachelor’s degree through the seminary classes taught in the prison and became a sold-out follower of Christ. Wallace, who miraculously was released in 2014 after only 20 years at Angola, used the years of biblical knowledge gained inside the prison to become a missionary outside the walls and eventually met Jacob Crawford, director of City Life NOLA. Crawford presented Wallace with the opportunity to offer the hope of Christ to others in the city who were struggling and overlooked. Since 2020, Crawford has helped former Angola inmates like Wallace grow deeper in their faith and participate Jacob Crawford, director of City Life NOLA, joined others in prayer for the lost to discover the hope … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer WOODWORTH, La. (LBM) – The Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home and Family Ministries’ campus is bustling with activity lately, President and CEO Perry Hancock told Executive Board members, Sept. 28. He said that three years after the project was announced, a new recreation and activity center has opened that replaces the former gymnasium and pool, which were more than 60 and 40 years old, respectively. Hancock also said Hope Cottage has been transformed into a building that houses the Ministerial Care Residential Program, which was restarted after COVID-19 temporarily halted it. Louisiana Baptist terminated ministers, and International Mission Board missionaries on stateside assignment, transitioning to a new ministry or recently retired are eligible to receive a free apartment on the LBCH[1]FM’s campus in Monroe for up to one year. “It is very easy to overlook the needs of pastors and missionaries in crisis,” said Dennis Phelps, director of the Ministerial Care Residential Program and director of church and alumni relations. “And we hope that this relaunch of this ministry will respond to the desperate need of our pastors as well as missionaries.” Hancock thanked Louisiana … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message staff writer DEVILLE, La. (LBM) – On Oct. 2, the Louisiana College football team posted their first victory as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, but the following day scored an even bigger win as six players shared their newfound faith before classmates and friends during a special baptism service at Philadelphia Baptist Church, Deville, which also has a campus on Horseshoe Drive in Alexandria. Coach Drew Maddox said he was overcome with emotion as he watched so many of his players, one[1]by-one, stir the baptistery waters. Fifteen other new believing wildcats were unable to attend the special service but have since been baptized at other churches or they plan to take part in baptism soon. “It’s such a great feeling seeing these guys take such a bold step in their faith,” Maddox told the Baptist Message. “From the first day we meet as a team, I share with them my testimony and use others to also plant those seeds that hopefully will result in some of them accepting Christ. Anytime you meet the Lord it’s bigger than football.” Jaden Conley, a freshman from Springfield, said he was convicted to give his life to Christ after hearing Maddox share his testimony … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message staff writer WOODWORTH, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Baptist Executive Director Steve Horn encouraged Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Board members to seek revival, and others shared an encouraging update on the massive disaster relief response to Hurricane Ida during the Sept. 28 meeting. DISASTER RELIEF UPDATE Horn distributed copies of his newly published devotional, Change Me, and invited the Executive Board to be part of the 28-day experience that is shaped to spur personal revival. He also thanked those who have led and responded in the wake of Hurricane Ida, and shared a large portion of the time allotted for his report to allow disaster relief officials to present an update on recovery efforts. “It’s one thing to just hear a report but it’s another thing to be encouraged that mission dollars that have been given through churches, individuals, other state conventions,” Horn said in a prayer he led at Tall Timbers Baptist Conference Center in Woodworth. He asked anyone present who had been impacted by the hurricane to stand, and for the remaining Executive Board members to silently pray for them. “We rejoice in the salvations, some 150 that have been reported, over 500 Gospel … [Read more...]

EDITOR’S NOTE: Do you have a Revival, Homecoming, a new pastor, a community outreach or a concert? The Baptist Message would love to share your church news with the rest of the state. It is very easy to do, just send in your information (who, what, where and when) to philip@baptistmessage.com or call 318.449.4345. To get your event in the paper, please submit your information three weeks prior to the event. ON THE MOVE Roland Fontenot is the new pastor at First Baptist Church, New Iberia. His first day at the church was Oct. 10. Aaron Watson is the new music minister at Calvary Baptist Church, Shreveport. Will Englerth will be ordained for the Gospel ministry October 17, 3:00 p.m. at Conway Baptist Church, located at 4323 HWY 549 in the Conway community in Union Parish. The council will meet at 2 p.m. Friends and family are invited to attend. HOMECOMING New Prospect Baptist Church, Dry Prong 97th annual Homecoming, October 10, 10 a.m. Dinner will be served after the service. Speaker: John Willie, pastor of Alpine Baptist Church. Worship: Robert Willie. Pastor: Trey Lewis. REVIVAL New Hope Baptist Church, Elmer: Revival, October 10-13; Sunday 10:45 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday-Wednesday 6:30 p.m.. Evangelist: Sam Moore. … [Read more...]