By Message Staff BATON ROUGE – Amidst the strife and destruction a cowardly shooter caused on Sunday in Baton Rouge, God can work in a mighty way to bring about good to the situation said Pastor Jeff Ginn during a special prayer service Tuesday night. “There was a man who very recently meant evil and he brought about evil in this community,” said Ginn, pastor of Istrouma Baptist. “It was something Satan intended for evil. It holds in it the carnal for potential division, unrest and destruction. “But I believe in it all God intends for good,” he continued. “We are His children and the good He intends, He is going to bring part of that through us. That’s the God who we serve.” Ginn gathered with others inside Istrouma Baptist Church to lift up law enforcement, the community and other needs during a special 'Night of Prayer.' The church is one of many throughout Baton Rouge and the state holding prayer gatherings to help the city heal after a gunman fatally shot three law enforcement officers Sunday morning and wounded three others. The shootings took place a little more than a mile from the Church. On Wednesday, Istrouma Baptist Church will also host a community blood drive at their Baton Rouge campus from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.to … [Read more...]
Archives for July 2016
In the midst of tragedy, people are turning to prayer
By Staff, Baptist Message "Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord." Joel 1:14 BATON ROUGE – Col. Mike Edmonson, head of the Louisiana State Police recently requested prayers following the tragic shooting of three Baton Rouge law enforcement officers. “We want and need your prayers,” Edmonson said. “Baton Rouge is in need of your prayers right now.” And churches are responding, especially after what transpired over the weekend. Prayer is needed now more than ever. At 6 p.m. this evening (July 19), Istrouma Baptist Church will host a night of prayer for Baton Rouge and law enforcement. According to the church’s website, “Anyone is welcome to stop by and pray for our city, our nation, our local law enforcement, and the families and friends of the officers who lost their lives Sunday.” On Wednesday, Istrouma will also host a community blood drive at their Baton Rouge campus from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.to help the blood bank restock its blood reserves. That evening, there will be a Night of Prayer at Istrouma’s ‘The Grove’ Campus, located on Hwy 42 in Prairieville, beginning at 7 p.m. PRAYING FOR HEALING & … [Read more...]
Louisiana College announces four administrative promotions
By Norm Miller, LC News PINEVILLE (LCNews) - Louisiana College President Dr. Rick Brewer announced four promotions for academic and staff administrators on July 18. The personnel changes become effective August 1. Jerry Pounds will become the college’s vice president for academic affairs, thus vacating his duties as professor of psychology. “Dr. Pounds brings more than an impressive resume to this position,” Brewer said. “He has served in higher education in numerous roles, from adjunct professor at Liberty University to president of Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland, Georgia, and in several roles at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. “Well-versed in Baptist culture, Jerry has served the local church as a youth minister and in the interim, bi-vocational, and associate pastoral roles,” Brewer noted. “Dr. Pounds’ experience in higher education and local church ministry demonstrates his commitment to integrating faith in and out of the classroom.” “Having personally observed Jerry’s work ethic, his relationships with campus peers, and his heart for the classroom, I believe he will acquit himself not merely from a sense of duty, but from a deep-seated commitment to our students and our vision,” Brewer said. “Dr. … [Read more...]
Winnsboro shooting victim showing miraculous improvements
By Message Staff WINNSBORO – Prayer warriors from throughout the world are lifting up the wife of a Louisiana College graduate who was abducted and shot early Saturday morning in Franklin Parish and God is answering those prayers. On the morning of July 16, Kelly Kiper Longoria was on the way to work when she stopped at a convenience store. She was abducted at the store and taken to outside Gesthemane Cemetery in Winnsboro. She was shot in the head by her assailant by Kevin Mathis according to Franklin Parish Sheriff’s Department. She was discovered by workers. Emergency medical personnel were able to stabilize her, transport her to Franklin Parish Medical Center before being airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital. She is in critical but stable condition. Since she was hospitalized, Longoria has shown miraculous improvements. According to a Facebook post late Sunday evening by her husband, Shane Longoria, his wife is responding to voice commands. “The doctors told us today that Kelly is responding to commands,” said Longoria, who is music leader and youth pastor at Life Church, a non-denominational church in Winnsboro. “If they tell her to give them a thumbs up, she does. If they say to squeeze, she does. Today they let me … [Read more...]
Churches quickly rally to minister to heartbroken, urge unity and calm after Baton Rouge shooting
By Message Staff BATON ROUGE – Though heartbroken from Sunday’s deadly attack on Baton Rouge law enforcement, the community has hope for the future through Christ, said one pastor whose church was near the scene of the incident. “In the midst of our sorrow there is hope that God will redeem even this for His good purpose,” said Jeff Ginn, pastor of Istrouma Baptist Church. “What Satan intends to destroy and divide, God will use to unite.” The church, whose entrance was just feet away from a police barricade placed on Airline Highway on Sunday morning, was about to start its first morning service when Ginn learned a shooter had ambushed officers responding to a call. They quickly changed the order of service, focusing on a time of prayer for the situation. Though they decided to hold both worship services as planned, Ginn said the atmosphere was very different than most Sundays. “There was an air of heaviness over the services,” he said. “One of the points I made in my message was Jesus had joy in spite of the sorrow he experienced. So we pressed on, remembering those who were suffering.” The church staff is meeting to plan their response. Possible ministry opportunities may include hosting a blood drive, offering their … [Read more...]
Police shooter once Nation of Islam, committed to ‘religion of justice’
Reprinted with permission from the Christian Examiner By Gregory Tomlin, Christian Examiner BATON ROUGE (Christian Examiner) – The gunman who opened fire on Louisiana police officers Sunday, killing three and wounding three others, admitted in a video that he was once a member of Louis Farrakhan's Nation of Islam and associated with other black power groups, but he said he should not be identified with anything except what he called "the religion of justice." Gavin Eugene Long, 29, of Kansas City, Missouri, a self-described "nutritionist, life coach, dietitian, personal trainer, author and spiritual advisor" with no formal training in any of the fields, wrote three books on black spirituality and self-improvement for "melanated people" under the name of Cosmo Setrepena. He was a former Marine. To read the rest of the story, click here. … [Read more...]
I Feel Intense Grief
By Waylon Bailey, Pastor of FBC Covington It’s Sunday afternoon, and I feel intense grief over the shooting of a number of police officers in Baton Rouge. At this point, three are reported to have been killed. I cannot imagine what officers and their families all over the nation are feeling right now. What can we say about such unspeakable acts? First, never return violence for violence. Neither you nor I have the authorization to do so. “Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable” (Romans 12:17). Punishment is the duty of God and government. In this and all cases of violence and lawlessness, government must do its job. Second, we need police. Only law enforcement stands between us and anarchy or a wild West mentality. Recently, Charles Barkley, a former professional athlete, weighed in on the police killings in Dallas. Barkley, an African American, noted that the black community especially needs a police presence. We all do. We all need police officers who are called to uphold the rule of law and to treat all people impartially and with dignity and respect. Society cannot survive without it. It is in God’s plan. Read again Romans 13 about the responsibility of … [Read more...]
Gunmen kills three officers, wounds three more; State Police Col. Mike Edmonson: ‘We want and need your prayers’
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer BATON ROUGE -- In the wake of another senseless and cowardly attack on law enforcement early Sunday morning in which two Baton Rouge police officers and East Baton Rouge Sheriff Deputy were shot and killed and three more were wounded, Col. Mike Edmonson, head of the Louisiana State Police, requested prayers at a 3 p.m. news conference. "We want and need your prayers,” Edmonson said. “Baton Rouge is in need of your prayers right now." The shooting, which happened near Airline and Old Hammond highways and just over a mile from Istrouma Baptist Church, took place around 9 a.m. Sunday. One suspect is dead according to media reports coming from various outlets in Baton Rouge. The shooter has been identified by law enforcement officials as Gavin Long, a resident of Kansas City, Missouri. The shooting is the second fatal shooting of police officers this month and comes in the midst of ongoing protests in Baton Rouge following the fatal officer-involved shooting of Alton Sterling on July 5. On July 7, a lone gunman gunned down five police officers and wounded 12 others in an ambush before being killed. "This is such a tragedy that has befallen our city," Pastor Jay Avance of First Baptist … [Read more...]
Eddie Wren: No good can come from embracing the use of alcohol
Eddie Wren, Pastor FBC Rayville RAYVILLE -- I woke up Monday morning expecting to have a great day off, but the day soon hit a sour note. I came across an article shared on social media entitled: Alcohol Abuse, Perry Noble, and the Church Response—What Now? I read the article and discovered Pastor Perry Noble had been removed as pastor from New Springs Church due to “unfortunate choices” which apparently included abuse of alcohol. I say apparently because the article does not spell it out but does say “board members had confronted Noble on numerous occasions regarding his use of alcohol.” I do not know Perry Noble. I do not write to cast judgment upon him. I pray God will heal and remove any struggle he has with alcohol and I pray that he will have a God honoring ministry for the rest of his life. I write because I am terribly concerned with the approach to alcohol by my generation of pastors and more the approach to alcohol by the next generation of pastors. There appears to be a growing trend of young pastors embracing the use of alcohol. During a meeting at the Southern Baptist Convention there was a question asked of Al Mohler concerning the use of alcohol. He masterfully answered the question informing everyone in the … [Read more...]
Perry Noble fired from NewSpring Church after refusing to take ‘corrective’ steps related to alcohol abuse
By Leonardo Blair, Christian Post ANDERSON, S.C. (Christian Post) — After a week of whispers that he had been fired, NewSpring Church, a popular megachurch in South Carolina with a weekly attendance of 30,000, confirmed Sunday that Perry Noble, the church's founding and senior pastor, has been fired for alcohol abuse and other "unfortunate choices and decisions" and is currently under psychiatric care. "While this is the most difficult and painful decision we've had to make, unfortunately it was necessary. Perry has made some unfortunate choices and decisions that have caused us much concern," NewSpring Church Executive Pastor Shane Duffey said at the 9:15 a.m. service. He explained that the church tried for several months to help Perry after confronting him about his issues but he refused to take correction so they were forced to make the "painful" move. "Over the course of several months our executive pastors met with and discussed at length with Perry these concerns regarding his personal behavior and his spiritual walk, Perry's posture towards marriage, increased reliance on alcohol and other behaviors were of continual concern. Due to this the executive pastors confronted Perry and went through the steps of dealing with … [Read more...]