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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

FIRST PERSON: The LBC does not oppose Amendment 2

By Will Hall, director, LBC Office of Public Policy, and executive editor, Baptist Message ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Baptists saw a 19 percent jump in baptisms in 2022 and a 31 percent surge on top of that in 2023. Last week, many Louisiana Baptists took part in the Livingston Parish GO TELL AMERICA Crusade and witnessed more than 1,300 spiritual decisions -- with at least 602 new believers who are counted among that number. Moreover, there are similar evangelistic events planned around the state in 2025 as Louisiana Baptists commit to establish a culture of soul winning in our state. However, this week, all of that has been overshadowed in some circles because of the poor decision by a few individuals to wrongly characterize, or otherwise allow the wrong perception, that “Louisiana Baptists” oppose Amendment 2, a tax reform measure which is on the statewide March 29 ballot. Unfortunately, their misdirection on this issue involves a video clip of my testimony before the Senate Committee on Revenue & Fiscal Affairs regarding HB 7 (which removes language from the Constitution pertaining to property tax exemptions for ministries and nonprofits) and HB 11 (which transfers the exact same language to the statutes … [Read more...]

Johnston, former US Senator and member of First Baptist Shreveport, dies at 92

By Baptist Message staff MCLEAN, Va. (LBM) – J. Bennett Johnston, a U.S. senator who represented Louisiana for 24 years and a longtime member of First Baptist Church, Shreveport, died at a hospital in McLean, Virginia, March 25, from complications related to COVID-19. He was 92. Johnston served as a state representative and senator for eight years combined and U.S. senator for another 24 years. According to his obituary, Johnston was a “conservative Democrat known for working across the aisle, sometimes voting with Republicans when he thought it would serve his state. Johnston helped drive the creation of Interstate 49, brought money into the state to help protect wetlands (including helping establish two national parks and seven wildlife refuges), and in 1990, made national headlines when he defeated Ku Klux Klansman David Duke in that year's Senate race.” According to Lauren Ostendorff, a church secretary and long-time member of FBCS, Johnston joined the church in 1943 and was still a non-resident member when he died. He remained active in the church while practicing law in Shreveport and preparing to enter his first term as a U.S. senator. He served the congregation as a member of the board of directors, as did his … [Read more...]

LACOSBE elects 2025 officers

During its recent meeting, the Louisiana Conference Of Southern Baptist Evangelists elected 2025 officers: Sam Moore, president; Bill Blackmon, vice president; and Nancy Blackmon, secretary/treasurer. … [Read more...]

Former Chinese underground church member celebrates new life

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer LAPLACE, La. (LBM) – Guoybing Tang first came to faith as a member of a Chinese underground church in 2023 but only recently did he publicly celebrate his new life in Christ, having been bap­tized by the First Baptist Church, LaPlace. Tang, who stirred the baptistry waters Feb. 9, was greeted with thunder­ous applause from friends gathered for the service. “It was my happiest day ever,” Tang told the Baptist Message. “Baptism is very important to me, and it represents I’m a true Chris­tian with faith in God. “Everything in my life has now put me in the right direction with God,” he continued. “I have no pressure or no anxiety. Now I have joy.” Tang arrived in the United States seven months after he accepted Christ on April 16, 2023, during a Bible study with an underground church (the location is undisclosed for security purposes). After passing by FBC La­Place in December 2023, he decided to return the next Sunday for a worship ser­vice and has been faithfully attending ever since. During the first “En­glish as a Second Lan­guage” class he attended, Tang met church member Nick James and expressed his desire to be baptized. James and Pastor Shane Newton helped … [Read more...]