By Office of Sen. John Kennedy MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) released the following statement following a phone call March 5 with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “I just got off a conference call with President Zelenskyy. He has pilots, but he needs planes. His pilots aren’t trained to fly American planes, but European countries have planes that Ukrainian pilots can fly. “President Zelenskyy said these European countries are waiting on the okay from the United States to loan him the planes. I made sure that President Zelenskyy knew he had my support, but I think they are all waiting to hear from the Biden administration. We need to help Ukraine now with the planes it needs, for God’s sake. This will not involve U.S. planes, pilots or troops.” … [Read more...]

By Office of Sen. John Kennedy WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. John Kennedy has urged Ambassador-at-Large in the Office of International Religious Freedom, Rashad Hussain, and Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Ian Campbell, the current leading U.S. diplomat in Finland, to closely examine the Finnish government’s criminal prosecutions of Rev. Dr. Pohjola and Dr. Räsänen for expressing their religious beliefs. “The origins and circumstances of the criminal prosecution against Rev. Dr. Pohjola and Dr. Räsänen are clear: these Christians are on trial for their faith—which is, apparently, incompatible with Finnish law.  Even more concerning, Rev. Dr. Pohjola is a Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, and Dr. Päivi Räsänen is a Member of the Finnish Parliament. If these Finnish leaders are unable to engage in freedom of speech and the free exercise of their Christian faith, what ultimately protects ordinary people exercising their faith in Finland and elsewhere from similar abuses of power at the hands of intolerant governments?” Kennedy wrote in a letter to Hussain and Campbell. Kennedy noted Congress’s 1998 passage of the International Religious Freedom Act, which establishes an annual report on international … [Read more...]

By Baptist Message staff ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – A SEND Relief assessment team plans to leave next week for Poland to determine how they can best assist refugees fleeing from the war in Ukraine. The SEND Relief team will minister to refugees in camps in Poland. Once their mission is complete, future opportunities in the country will be determined. Louisiana Baptists Disaster Relief State Coordinator Stan Statham said one of the most pressing needs for the team and refugees is prayer. He asked Louisiana Baptists to pray for: -- Peace in Ukraine; -- God's protection for believers serving and ministering on the front lines of this crisis; -- Those suffering in the areas of active conflict and for those who have lost loved ones; -- God to open people to the hope of Christ through this difficult season in their lives; -- Displaced individuals, including women and children without husbands or fathers, as they find a place to live away from the areas where fighting continues; and -- Wisdom for local churches who serve and offer compassionate ministry in difficult circumstances. “Like any disaster, we need people to pray, provide with donations and maybe even volunteer to serve on site,” Statham said. ‘Pray … [Read more...]