By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE, La. (LBM) – Twenty-five students came to the altar to cry out publicly to the Lord for personal renewal during the recent Louisiana College spring campus revival. Held inside Guinn Auditorium, March 10-12, the revival featured challenging messages by Blake Newsom, pastor of Dauphin Way Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama, and music led by the worship staff of Calvary Baptist Church in Alexandria, the LC Elevate worship band and the Voices of LC. Philip Caples, the LC vice president for the integration of faith and learning, said the fruit of the revival will be seen in the months to follow both on campus and in the community. “I am grateful to see our students praying over each other and for each other, which is a sign of revival happening on our campus,” Caples told the Baptist Message. In his messages, Newsom challenged students to reach out to Jesus and allow Him to rescue them from the abyss of their sins. “We need someone outside the depths who can go into the depths and pull us out,” Newsom said. “And that’s what Jesus has done.” He encouraged the students to admit their need for repentance and seek God’s forgiveness. “Sin can grip us so tightly we … [Read more...]
Revival fires lit at First Blanchard
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer BLANCHARD (LBM) – On a day when the nation faced uncertainty from the pandemic of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), members of the First Baptist Church in Blanchard witnessed the hope found in Christ with the baptism of four new converts on March 15. BAPTIZED BY WATER Andrew Roe, 18, was among those who shared their testimony of belief through baptism that day,and one of nine believers baptized by the congregation in 2020. He professed his faith in Christ during a church-wide revival that saw 100 people turn to Christ, Feb. 16-21. His dad, Jamie Roe, was given the honor of baptizing Andrew, and described the moment as emotional. “I cried like a baby when I did it,” the father told the Baptist Message. “I was so happy when we trusted God and we had worship that day. It does give us a sense of hope, knowing that Jesus is still in the saving business.” Pastor Clay Fuqua credits prayer as a factor for the Holy Spirit moving during the revival, which drew as many as 211 worshipers for one of the sessions. During the month prior to the revival, the congregation participated in 21 days of prayer, and fasted every Thursday. Additionally, they received a daily text … [Read more...]
Unprecedented times, unprecedented actions
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Baptists are facing a new normal since the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) led to the shutdown of schools, restaurants, entertainment venues, other businesses and churches in mid-March. President Donald J. Trump has essentially closed down U.S. borders, banning foreign travel to our country from coronavirus hot spots in Europe as well as Asia and the Middle East. He also has issued guidelines for protecting individuals from infection, asking Americans to work from home if at all possible and to limit assemblies to no more than 10 people. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards issued a proclamation March 13 that mandated all events of more than 250 people in attendance be halted through April 13, but days later decreed even tighter limits, restricting gatherings to no more than 50 people, leaving many people of faith wondering how to worship on Sundays and hold other church-related activities. In response to the directives from federal and state officials, the Louisiana Baptist Building in Alexandria closed March 18 and will reopen April 1. All state mission service personnel has been assigned specific tasks which can be done at home. LBC events … [Read more...]
Children’s Home responds to COVID-19
By Louisiana Baptist Children's Home communications MONROE, La. (LBCH) - Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home and Family Ministries is joining efforts to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. All administrative and support service offices on the Monroe campus will be closed from Saturday March 21st through Sunday April 5th, LBCH President and CEO Perry Hancock said. Administrative staff will continue their work through remote access portals. Granberry Counseling Centers will serve clients through a secured teleconferencing network. The Children’s Home will continue services for all children, young adults, and families in residence. The campus will be closed to visitors. Campus tours and church group activities will be rescheduled. These measures and others will reduce the exposure that our residents and staff have to the virus, Hancock said. "Ultimately, we trust God to accomplish His will and purpose through this crisis," Hancock said. "Know that our LBCHFM family is praying for you as you pray for us. Remember Philippians 4:6, 7 - 'Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, … [Read more...]
Louisiana College updates COVID-19 response
By Norm Miller, LCNews PINEVILLE, La. (LCNews)—Based on advisories from local, state, and federal health officials, Louisiana College administrators have updated responses to the coronavirus COVID-19. All public events previously scheduled for the current semester have been postponed. The May 9 Commencement services are rescheduled for August 8 and will be held in Guinn Auditorium: one at 10 a.m. for undergraduate students and the other at 2 p.m. for graduate students. Both services will be livestreamed. On March 30 and for the remainder of the semester, face-to-face classes will transition to online classes for remote learning. “For students without Wi-fi access, we are asking local churches to give students access to their Wi-fi,” said Louisiana College President Dr. Rick Brewer. For students who opt to remain on campus for the rest of this semester, Louisiana College’s food service will remain uninterrupted. However, all cafeteria meals will be take-out. No meals will be served in the cafeteria. For the foreseeable future, LC is discontinuing all campus food service to the local community. During the March 23-27 Spring Break, the Den and Starbucks will be closed. Subway will remain open. The Student Success … [Read more...]
COVID-19 as an Acts 8 moment for the church
By Lane Corley MADISONVILLE, La. - In Acts 1:8, Jesus told the disciples to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the world. But as you read the next 7 chapters, you don’t see that happening with great fervency. The disciples seem to be taking their time with developing the Acts 1:8 strategy, while enjoying the big crowd and the miracles in the temple courts. In Acts 8:1, it says that persecution broke out against the church and in Acts 8:4, the believers scattered to Judea, Samaria, and the world, taking the message of the Gospel with them – “the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.” God always wanted the message and the people dispersed and scattered. Persecution was the scattering agent that led to exponential growth. Today, church attendance is at an all-time low. I read recently that church attendance declined in every county in the United States in 2018. The fastest growing religious affiliation is the non-affiliated. Among Louisiana Baptist churches, baptisms dipped another 20% in 2019. Worship attendance was down another 6% in 2019. Methods and strategies that worked a few years ago are no longer as effective at reaching people and growing our churches. Could … [Read more...]
State missions staff gathers to pray in wake of coronavirus pandemic
By Message Staff ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – During a special time of prayer March 16, Louisiana Baptists Executive Director Steve Horn told state missions staff to not succumbed to panic but to pray. “We pray because we should always pray,” Horn told the Baptist Message. “Specific to our present crisis, we pray because we need God’s intervention. We also need God’s wisdom. Pastors are literally having to throw out one model of ministry and develop an entire new model for ministry. We are having to do that as a state mission services staff as well.” Horn led state missions staff in prayers for God to stop the pandemic and save lives; for President Donald Trump and other government leaders; for the Lord to grant wisdom in this moment of fear; and for God to protect SBC missionaries and their families, and emergency responders. The same prayers were the focus of Southern Baptist churches during a day of prayer on Sunday, March 15. Horn offered Luke 18:1-8, James 1:5 and 2 Chronicles 6:28-31 as encouraging verses to look toward in the days ahead. State missions staff will continue to pray at 9:30 a.m. daily at the Baptist Building in Alexandria until further notice, Horn said. … [Read more...]
Churches take extraordinary measures during extraordinary times
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) — Amid event cancellations, school closures and bans on meetings of more than 250 people statewide in the wake of Coronavirus 2019, COVID-19, Louisiana Baptist churches moved ahead with worship services Sunday, March 15. Some churches employed social media to broadcast services, many preceded with normal operations and others added services to accommodate enough worshipers that would allow them to comply with Governor John Bel Edwards' proclamation issued March 13. Edwards mandated that all events of more than 250 people in attendance temporarily were halted to protect the health and safety of Louisiana’s citizens. He also ordered all public schools closed from March 16 to April 13, and reduced face-to-face public interaction at state government buildings. Churches also joined other churches across the Southern Baptist for a dedicated day of prayer for the situation. Bonita Road Baptist Church, which averages 400 people on Sundays, held worship services simultaneously at two locations on its main campus in Log Cabin so it would not exceed the limit on meetings of more than 250 people, Pastor Casey Johnson told the Baptist Message. The church’s campus in Mer … [Read more...]
Five ways your church can respond to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
By D0n Pucik COVINGTON, La. - As the coronavirus disease spreads around the globe, thousands of deaths have forced decision-makers to cancel sporting events, restrict international travel, and discourage common social interactions. Individuals are being asked to self‑quarantine themselves. Financial markets are in disarray. Daily lives are being disrupted. For the elderly and others with weakened immune systems, the virus is more than an inconvenience: it is a deadly threat. Churches are also affected. Meeting for worship, Bible study, and fellowship, Christian congregations often represent the largest weekly gatherings in their communities. Church members sit near one another. They shake hands. They hug. They share meals. However, those routine interactions can easily facilitate disease transmission from one person to another. So, what should church leaders do to keep members safe? How can churches protect themselves and spread the gospel at the same time? How can they serve the hurting ones around them without exposing them to further harm (by unintentionally spreading the disease)? Here are five ways your church can respond to the dangers and disruptions associated with the coronavirus pandemic. (1) Rely on the … [Read more...]
Prayers, suggestions for worship offered in light of coronavirus situation
Greetings, Your state missions staff continues to monitor the quickly evolving coronavirus situation and appreciate your prayers as we process all of the information coming from federal and state sources. We posted information and suggestions yesterday regarding Sunday services. While many of these are still valid, the Governor’s proclamation today certainly tweaks and changes some of those. As you know, every church is autonomous therefore the Executive Board does not have the prerogative to pass down directives to Louisiana Baptist churches. However, after conducting conference calls today with several pastors and Directors of Missions, here are some suggestions for you to consider over the next several weeks. If your congregation runs under 250 in attendance, which the vast majority of our churches do, the suggestions offered yesterday are still worthy of consideration. For those of you who run over 250, here are some ideas you may find helpful: Consider foregoing Sunday School and hold multiple worship services thus assuring your congregation remains under the 250 limit. For those who already have two Sunday Schools and two worship services, in addition to foregoing Sunday School, you may need to adjust your schedule … [Read more...]
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