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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

The bittersweet moments of college ministry

By Michael Aguillard “And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” - Romans 10:15 BATON ROUGE, La. – I am four years into my role as the Baptist Collegiate Ministry director with Southern University. The typical four-year degree plan made last spring a bittersweet time in our ministry. It was bitter because a good crop of students, who had been involved with our ministry, graduated. They were not students who simply attended our meetings and added to our numbers. They were leaders. They planned outreaches, on and off campus. They fervently shared their faith. They led small groups and even led our large group gathering when I fell ill once. After spending the past four years pouring into them, watching them grow, and watching them serve the Lord, it was a bitter moment to see them go. But it also was a sweet moment. One thing that has been reinforced within me is the fact that college ministry is not an end, in and of itself. Our goal as Baptist Collegiate Ministry directors is not just to reach our campuses. Our goal is to meet students at a critical stage of their lives, teach them to follow Jesus, and equip them to serve the … [Read more...]

LCU alumna attorney
doing Lord’s work in Grant Parish

By Elizabeth Clarke, LCU News PINEVILLE, La. (LCU News) - The adage “The Lord works in mysterious ways” is definitely true for Louisiana Christian University alumna Bonita Preuett Armour. What started as a desire to remain young and healthy has become a growing ministry in Grant Parish. “It’s not about me; this is the Lord’s place,” Armour said. “This campus is a ministry for the Lord. I’m just His hands and His feet. He does it all.” Armour, a native of Grant Parish, is a 1989 pre-law and history LC graduate, attended LSU Law School, and has been a successful practicing attorney in Central Louisiana for decades. She has recently turned the former Dry Prong Junior High School into a thriving location for fitness, a community garden, her law office and a pizza restaurant—and more is in the planning. The school had been in operation until 2011 before it was auctioned off. The owner, James Crooks, listed the gymnasium for sale on Facebook in 2018. So, when Armour saw the gym at the old school campus (where she had attended as a child in 1978) up for sale, she felt like the Lord was telling her something. “I had started B22 in my garage in 2012, and we had outgrown my garage and backyard,” she said. “I called … [Read more...]

Foundation Executive Director
Jeffrey Steed to retire

By Baptist Message staff ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) -- On Wednesday, Jeffrey Steed announced he will retire on May 31 as executive director of the Louisiana Baptist Foundation, having served in this leadership role since April 1, 2020. According to an LBF press release, Steed plans to travel with his wife, Shana, and they will be spending time with family in Texas. The LBF Board of Trustees met April 23 and named Director of Planned Giving Jared Price to serve as interim executive director, starting June 1. Price has served in his present post since October 2022. During Steed’s tenure, more than $70 million has been achieved toward the Foundation’s Vision200 strategic plan (impacting the Kingdom with $200 million or more in 20 or fewer years), and the Foundation has reached its highest short-term fund rate in more than 16 years. Following Steed’s announcement, LBF trustees released a statement expressing appreciation to him and reaffirming their commitment to the stewardship ministry they provide Louisiana Baptists. “The Board and Staff of the Foundation are grateful to Steed for his five years of faithful service as Executive Director and are excited to embrace Price in his new role,” they wrote. “The Foundation … [Read more...]

Speaker Johnson to Calvary students:

Live to make an ‘impact’

By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor SHREVEPORT, La. (LBM) – During a Calvary Baptist Academy assembly, April 22, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a member of Cypress Baptist Church, Benton, explained what made America a great country in the past, took a phone call from President Donald J. Trump, and shared the biblical concept of what makes an individual great in urging students to “live to make an impact.” The school is a ministry of Calvary Baptist Church in Shreveport, and Johnson is a former member. GREAT NATION Johnson compared the historical model of European monarchies, in which rights passed from God through the king to the people, to the American form of government “of the people, by the people, for the people,” with citizens’ rights coming directly from God. “We are the first country in the history of the world that set ourselves up with a statement of faith that is listed with theological clarity in our birth certificate, the Declaration of Independence,” Johnson said, noting that many of our founding fathers were seminarians who understood that “we are all made in God’s image,” meaning “every single person has inestimable dignity and value.” In contrast, Johnson pointed to the antitheses of a … [Read more...]