Submitted by philip on Wed, 04/24/2013 - 10:17 A member of First Lafayette muscles a bag of top soil over to a flower bed as part of Campus Clean-Up Day on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus. By Rachel Ortego, Regional Reporter LAFAYETTE – “First Baptist Church Has Left the Building.” That paraphrase of a catchy slogan typifies the outreach and community involvement of First Baptist Lafayette. The effect of the church’s annual day of community service – called “First Baptist Loves Lafayette” – ripples throughout the community, local schools and the university. “Our ultimate goal is to get people out serving and engaging the community,” says Andrea McKenzie, minister of missions and college students at First Lafayette. “Churches have a tendency to do safe and comfortable mission projects, in areas where ministry is already being done. Our challenge is to serve our community while simultaneously engaging people who are far from God. “ Recent excitement has come on two fronts: when the church decided to “adopt” as this year’s exclusive focus, the “unreached people group” of about 17,000 students, faculty and staff at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, located just three blocks from the church. In … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message SHREVEPORT – The building Louisiana College purchased to house its proposed law school has been placed on the market. The former Joe D. Waggonner Federal Building, located in Shreveport, which was expected to be the home of LC’s Judge Paul Pressler School of Law, was recently listed with Sealy Real Estate Services LLC a real estate company specializing in commercial properties with corporate offices in Shreveport and Dallas, Texas. The listing for the building on the Sealy web site, which was bought by LC in February 2011, does not indicate a purchase price. Beth F. King, the agent handling the listing, recently told The Town Talk, Alexandria’s daily newspaper, “the 154,000-square foot building and 2.35-acre lot” located in downtown Shreveport “could be listed for about $4 million.” The listing also indicates the building is for lease. A description of the property, obtained online, indicates the former Federal Building, constructed in 1972, consists of eight floors and 152,000 square feet. Among its amenities are: five high speed elevators, three courtrooms with all support facilities, and an attached garage with 300 parking spaces. Originally listed for sale at $1.5 million, LC purchased the … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Wed, 04/24/2013 - 10:21 Kevin Billiot By Holly Jo Linzay, Special to the Message MONTGOMERY – Kevin Billiot daily puts on the armor of God as he faces spiritual warfare in his role as a pastor and as the police chief for the town of Montgomery. “As a police chief, I’m exposed to humanity at its worst,” Billiot said. The rural Grant Parish town of Montgomery, with a population of about 750 citizens, is a relatively quiet community, Billiot adds, but the police action comes in spurts. “It gets hectic,” Billiot said. “There are drugs, alcoholism, shootings and deaths. It can be psychologically, emotionally and physically challenging. The spiritual warfare can be pretty intense. But God is faithful and has blessed us.” Serving as the pastor of Northside Baptist Church in Montgomery and as the police chief was an unexpected calling in Billiot’s life. For most of his adult life, Billiot was a self-employed businessman in New Orleans. “In 2009, I surrendered to the Lord’s call to enter into ministry,” recalled Billiot, adding that for the next year he preached in various churches. He accepted his first pastorate at Northside Baptist in November 2010. Five months later, the mayor and town council … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Wed, 04/24/2013 - 10:24 The Christian action sports ministry called “Real Encounter” and their performance before 200 children at the Mamou skating rink in late March resulted in 63 children coming forward for Christ: 30 of them for salvation and 33 re-dedications. By Rachel Ortego, Regional Reporter MAMOU – They came. They rode. They reached. They are the Christian action sports ministry called “Real Encounter” and their performance before 200 children at the Mamou skating rink in late March resulted in 63 children coming forward for Christ: 30 of them for salvation and 33 re-dedications. The group of young men in this Missouri-based outreach combines high energy music, motorcycles, mountain bikes and BMX bikes in daring feats to connect young people with the word of God. For Pastor Travis Turner of North Eunice Baptist Church, the clarity of their message is what accounted for such a good response. “We hear lots of different presentations like this with groups using skits and performances but, in most, the gospel is not clear. These guys, they knocked it out of the park,” Turner said. “We don’t know how many of these conversions or re-dedications were sincere, but we do know we gave those … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Wed, 04/24/2013 - 10:27 Mike Thibodeaux, Grand Champion By Jerry Love, LBF Communications ALEXANDRIA – Picture a vast spread of open fields dotted with a few trees and bushes; the new grass working hard to push the winter cover of brown away. Scattered about are club-wielding men swinging mightily, at times quietly waiting to approach their target and other times yelling loudly as they move quickly across the undulating expanse. A volley of cheers erupts over here, a quiet groan can be discerned over there …. Is this some primitive battlefield? Nahhh, it’s the 2013 Spring Baptist Golf Fellowship, which took place April 8-9 at Links on the Bayou. Golfers came from across Louisiana, along with a couple of interlopers from Texas, to converge on the Alexandria area for a time of hitting the links, good healthy back-slapping camaraderie and the pursuit of a few trophies and prizes. Of course it would not be a Baptist meeting without good food thrown in the mix. The Baptist Golf Fellowship, sponsored by the Louisiana Baptist Foundation and the Baptist Message, is a time for pastors and laypersons to come together for a time of recreation, relaxation and light-hearted competition around the game … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Wed, 04/24/2013 - 10:29 First Baptist Church DeRidder took first place again this year. Members of the the team include Diz Smith, Dennis Millsaps, Jerry Istre and Tony Branham. They had a combined score of 320, 9 strokes better than the competition. Select rating Give it 1/5 Give it 2/5 Give it 3/5 Give it 4/5 Give it 5/5 … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Wed, 04/24/2013 - 10:30 The winning team for the scramble was Jerry Price, Fred Morgan, Tony Branham and Don Fox. They combined for a score of 60 for the round. Select rating Give it 1/5 Give it 2/5 Give it 3/5 Give it 4/5 Give it 5/5 Give it 1/5 Give it 2/5 Give it 3/5 Give it 4/5 Give it 5/5 … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Wed, 04/24/2013 - 10:32 Former Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden, who was the featured speaker at the 49th annual Governor’s Prayer Breakfast, joins the large audience in welcoming Gov. Bobby Jindal April 11 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel ballroom. By Mark H. Hunter, Regional Reporter BATON ROUGE – The 1985 murder of a Florida State University football player brought an assistant coach to salvation in then-head Coach Bobby Bowden’s office. Pablo Lopez, a 6-foot-5, 265-pound tackle, was shot in the chest with a shotgun at a party, Bowden told more than 1,000 people gathered in the Crowne Plaza Hotel April 11 for the 49th annual Governor’s Prayer Breakfast. A few days after the shooting, Bowden, now 83 and retired from a 50-year, Hall of Fame career, said he gathered the distraught players in the “team room,” where the chairs were arranged in rows of 11 seats according to first, second or third team offense and defense. “I pointed down to that empty chair and said, ‘Hey men, where’s Pablo?’” Bowden said. “It gave me an opportunity to talk to my boys about eternal life.” After the meeting, an FSU assistant coach asked Bowden what he was talking about. “With my Momma’s old Bible, I showed him how to … [Read more...]

Arrivals/Departures   Rick (wife Jonann) Byargeon, pastor of Temple Baptist Ruston, died April 4. Colin Trisler was ordained to the gospel ministry April 14 at First Baptist Winnfield. Pastor: Stephen Laughlin. Jerry (wife Dianne) Penfield, new as pastor of First Baptist Zwolle. Alex Davis, new as youth pastor at Summer Grove Baptist Shreveport. Pastor: Aaron Burgner. Jeff (wife Barbara) Feibel, new as pastor of Woodland Hills Baptist Shreveport. Yvonne Keller, new as children’s ministry leader at Cross Point Baptist Benton. Pastor: Shane Nugent. Peter (wife Misty) Tidovsky, new as music minister at Waller Baptist Bossier City. Pastor: Casey Hough. New as interim pastors: Wayne DuBose at Northwoods Baptist; Billy Crosby at Beulah Land Baptist; and Bill Treadway at Mt. Gilead, all in Northwest Louisiana Baptist Association. University Baptist Shreveport voted to disband. Ben W. Blackwell , new as Associate Pastor and Minister of Music at Faith Baptist Church in New Orleans. Bruce Baker, new as director of missions for Carey Baptist Association. From Lubbock, Texas. Vance (wife Cathy) Thomas, new as pastor of Gambrell Baptist, north of Starks.   Needed/Giving   Donation needed: large van or small bus, … [Read more...]

Submitted by philip on Wed, 04/24/2013 - 10:37 Kermit Gosnell By Staff, World News Briefs Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., recently led a Special Order hour before Congress to raise awareness about abortionist Kermit Gosnell’s murder trial and the mainstream media’s refusal to cover it. Smith was joined by nine other representatives: Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo.; John Fleming, R-La.; Joe Pitts, R-Pa.; Scott Garrett, R-N.J.; Andy Harris, R-Md.; Keith Rothfus, R-Pa.; Roger Williams, R-Texas; Scott Perry, R-Pa.; and Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind. “Mr. Speaker, Kermit Gosnell is a predator who must be publicly exposed and openly denounced,” Stutzman said. “And that’s why I come to the floor—to bring attention to this case [so] that the American people are informed of it, aware of it, and realize the acts that are happening within our own country.” Andy Moore, director of AbortionWiki, condemned the media blackout and urged pro-lifers everywhere to raise awareness through social media. “If this was puppies that Gosnell was killing, the media would be all over it,” he told LifeSiteNews.com. Moore helped organize “TweetFest,” an effort to elevate the hashtag “#GosnellMurders” to Twitter’s top trend list and pressure mainstream media outlets … [Read more...]