By Message Staff FAIRVIEW ALPHA, La. (LBM) - Nancy Spears, a member of Fairview Baptist Church in Fairview Alpha who in late March tested positive for Coronavirus Disease 2019, died Sunday, April 19. The cause of death was not immediately announced. According to a post from her husband, Wayne, a retired Louisiana Baptist pastor who now serves as CEO of Abbie Lane Retreat Ministry in Coushatta, a non-denominational 80-acre retreat facility for ministers and their wives, she died peacefully. “She was an awesome wife, loving mother, grandmother and friend to many,” Wayne Spears posted on his Facebook page Sunday. “Our family is grieving but at peace knowing she is home. Please know your many prayers were not in vain. God is still good, kind and gracious.” Wayne Spears said a funeral service will be held June 27, 11 a.m., at Fairmont Park Church in La Porte, Texas, followed by a memorial service at Fairview Baptist the next day at either 4 or 5 p.m. The services are scheduled in June in anticipation that the restrictions against gatherings of more than 10 people will have been lifted in both states by that time. “Thank you for the love, support, and care you have shown me and my family during this most difficult time … [Read more...]
Warden Sandy McCain succumbs to COVID-19
By Message Staff COTTONPORT, La. (LBM) - Sandy McCain, warden at Raymond Laborde Correctional Center in Cottonport, died Monday, April 20, after a battle with the Coronavirus Disease 2019. McCain, chairman of the deacons and a choir member with New Prospect Baptist Church in Dry Prong, first announced March 27 he had tested positive for COVID-19. McCain’s wife, Diane, and sons, Justin and Jeremy, shared on the New Prospect Baptist Facebook page that while they were deeply grieved, they received comfort because his faith was placed in Jesus. “Words cannot express the thankfulness we have for all your kind words and prayer during this difficult time. As we mourn with you, know that our grief is not without hope. Here are two passages of Scripture that will tell you where Sandy places his hope and where we would encourage you to place your hope even now: ‘But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14' ‘No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am … [Read more...]
Weekend storms hit Louisiana yet again
By Message Staff Violent storms rolled through the state for the second weekend in a row, this time packing high winds and damaging homes in the cities of Leesville and Mandeville as well as Natchitoches Parish on Sunday, April 19. Vernon Parish Sheriff Sam Craft told KPLC-TV that property damage was substantial and numerous power lines were knocked down on the northern edge of Leesville along Highway 171. He reported that there were no injuries in his area that were associated with the storm. A team from the National Weather Service was en route to Leesville Monday to survey damage and determine if a tornado had touched down. East Leesville Baptist Church reported a couple of downed trees and some siding blown off the back of its worship center. Pastor Tommy Kiker wrote on the church’s Facebook page that members of the church were serving others impacted by the storm, and they would continue the response throughout the week. “Thankfully it seems only property damage and no major injuries that we have heard of so far,” Kiker wrote. “Continue to pray for one another and as always as we serve may it be obvious we love God, Love people, Seek the Lost, and Make Disciples!” The Mandeville Police Department reported … [Read more...]
‘Reopen our city. Let it prosper’: New Orleans business owners take out Sunday newspaper ad
Lone visit to New Hope campus brings salvation
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer DEQUINCY, La. (LBM) – Kristie Singley came to New Hope Baptist Church in Dequincy searching for a Bible study class to attend on Sunday morning, March 29, and in the process discovered her need for a Savior. Singley arrived on campus only to learn that her age group class met online prior to the Facebook Live worship service. But in the one-on-one conversation that ensued with Associate Pastor Tracy Smith, part of the skeleton crew that helps produce the livestreamed Sunday service, she turned to Christ. The following week, she was baptized in a portable deep basin at the April 5 drive in-service conducted by New Hope. “When I asked Jesus in my life I felt all my sins go away and felt like a new person and a new beginning in my life,” Singley told the Baptist Message. “The day I got baptized was a celebration of the new beginning in my life, a declaration that I give my worries, concerns and everything I have to the Lord so He can guide me and shape me into the person I’m supposed to be.” The baptism came while Singley was still recovering from the pain of losing a child only 30 minutes after his premature birth. She credited her church family for helping her cope with the … [Read more...]
Louisiana Baptists continue DR effort in Monroe
By Message Staff MONROE, La. (LBM)–Louisiana Baptists have continued to help homeowners whose homes were damaged by a tornado that touched down in Monroe-West Monroe Sunday, April 12. Disaster relief teams from Rolling Hills Ministries in Ruston and Cedar Crest Baptist Church in West Monroe, as well as volunteers from First Baptist Church in West Monroe and Temple Baptist Church and Calvary Baptist Church in Ruston have cleared debris from 12 homes in the area through Wednesday, April 15. Two other groups also are assisting: Minutemen Disaster Response, a non-profit response team in McKinney, Texas; and, Samaritan’s Purse, a non-denominational humanitarian aid organization founded by evangelist Franklin Graham. Volunteers also prayed with the homeowners at each site. According to Brandon Rodgers, media and communications director for First Baptist Church in West Monroe, spent much of Wednesday helped remove debris from the Lazarre Park area of West Monroe and also in areas of south Monroe, two of the hardest hit sections from the tornado. Nearly 300 homes were hit in Monroe and Ouachita Parish, and the Monroe Regional Airport received an estimated $30 million in damage. Michael Wood, lead pastor at First West, … [Read more...]
Istrouma Baptist ministers to body, soul with hospital gifts
By Message Staff BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) - Istrouma Baptist Church in Baton Rouge recently gave gifts to medical personnel at area hospitals, providing fuel for the body and soul for each recipient. Members distributed 400 snack packs throughout the week of April 13-17 to workers at Women’s Hospital, Our Lady of the Lake and two locations of Baton Rouge General Hospital. Included in each kit were healthy snacks and spiritually-encouraging notes and cards created by adults and children at Istrouma. Terry Bracey, director of missions at Istrouma, said the response was uplifting. “We received replies through text and Facebook messages,” Bracey told the Baptist Message. “We may never truly know just how we touched and encouraged those who received the gifts.“ The effort is one of many ways Istrouma, which averaged around 2,000 in early March at its Baton Rouge and Prairieville, has helped minister to the community. Last week, members filled up a truckload of food for delivery this week to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank and to needy families of school children – and they plan to make this an ongoing ministry. “I love how our church thinks outside the box, using creative ideas to minister to and stay connected with … [Read more...]
Louisiana College to launch virtual preview day
By Norm Miller, LCNews PINEVILLE, La. (LCNews)—Louisiana College is ready for its Preview Day on April 17. But the commute has changed from a drive to the Pineville campus to a reach for the phone. Virtual Preview Day begins at noon with technology effortlessly transporting interested students and parents to the information needed for exploring the award-winning campus, hearing from professors and students, and gathering financial aid information. “Our virtual Preview Day is one among many adjustments we have made in response to the pandemic,” said Louisiana College President Dr. Rick Brewer. “I am grateful for the technology that will enable me to engage with new people and talk about what makes us unique among peer institutions.” Visitors may engage in a live Q and A session via web chat, as well as experience a virtual tour of the campus, gain details about classes and degree majors from professors, and view videos of current students sharing why they chose Louisiana College for their undergraduate degree. “Our students consistently say how much they value personal attention from their professors and the sense of a close-knit family,” Brewer said. “Parents also appreciate our commitment to traditional family … [Read more...]
Good Friday ministry gives hope to NOLA homeless
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer NEW ORLEANS, La. (LBM) - A team from the Baptist Association of Southeast Louisiana as well as volunteers from New Orleans spent Good Friday meeting needs of and sharing hope with the homeless of the Crescent City. Volunteers packed 200 meals, 40 snack packs and 40 hygiene kits and delivered them to the Unity of Greater New Orleans, a nonprofit organization that leads a collaborative of 63 organizations providing housing and services to the homeless. “Lots of pieces came together to make this happen,” said Stan Statham, Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief chaplain and BASELA mission strategist. “That it happened on Easter made it more special. The Lord sacrificed for us and He in turn asks us to sacrifice for others.” Statham said he appreciated the cooperative effort by all involved. Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief provided most of the funding, with BASELA adding some money and providing most of the manpower. Statham added that Jack Brown Grocery Store in Franklinton assisted in ordering food, and even donated some items, at a time that has been stressful for those in their field. The association’s Hope Center also provided some of the snack items. Once they received the … [Read more...]
LSU BCM ‘Meals to Go’ helps international students
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – The Louisiana State University Baptist Collegiate Ministry has implemented a “Meals to Go” program that provides international students with rice, noodles, cans of vegetables, cans of canned meat, peanut butter, jelly and snacks, to help them during the COVID-19 ordeal. “There are over a million international students attending colleges and universities in the US, including 1,500 at LSU, and many were unable to go home, are stuck in their apartments and are facing financial hardships,” BCM Director Steve Masters told the Baptist Message. “We feel like we should try to help them and are asking other people to join us. We are providing them with food.” The effort began when an international student texted Masters with a plea for help. While the BCM did not have funding to assist individual students, Masters found money to place in an envelope that was picked up eight minutes later outside the BCM building. Masters, his wife, Pam, Associate Director Haley Spell and Baptist Association of Greater Baton Rouge Director of Missions Tommy Middleton then came up with a plan. Since the effort began on April 7, the feedback has been overwhelmingly … [Read more...]
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