BENTON, La. (LBM) – When Pastor John Fream made a 2020 dare to members of the Cypress Baptist Church in Benton in January, urging them to embrace the “Who’s Your One” evangelistic challenge to share the Gospel with someone close to them, little did he know that two months later a pandemic would test the church’s commitment to the task. But instead of backing down, members embraced the circumstances as an open door to present the Gospel to their neighbors, he said. In the ensuing months, the congregation shared the Good News that can sustain during the uncertainty of a COVID-19 health emergency; and, by the end of November, 238 new converts had been baptized, up from 214 baptisms in 2019. “Our folks have been intentional to reach people and offer the hope in Christ,” Fream said. “We’ve been very aggressive about challenging them to do it. People need hope and we want to give them the Hope.” Even when the church was unable to meet, baptisms continued. Fream said during a six-week period, when the congregation was unable to meet in their facilities because of COVID-19 attendance restrictions, 20 people were baptized in pre-recorded videos that were broadcast during the livestream of services on Facebook Live, YouTube … [Read more...]

By LCNews staff PINEVILLE, La. (LCNews) – Louisiana College President Rick Brewer has released a Christmas album that not only can fill a loved one’s stocking but also will support student scholarships. The CD includes Brewer’s own arrangement of many beloved holiday favorites including “O Holy Night,” “Jingle Bells,” “White Christmas” and “Go Tell It On the Mountain.” “Christmas is a wonderful time to celebrate and rejoice,” Brewer said. “What would the holidays be without music?” Brewer recorded the album in his living room with assistance from LC Director of Technical Production Jeff Young. Brewer’s son, Jason, a Nashville, Tennessee-based musical artist, handled the post-production of the CD. “We recorded it in my living room on my piano with the acoustics in my house,” Brewer said. “Jeff recorded it with an Apple computer and microphones, and we emailed it to Jason.” This is the second album Brewer has released. In 2015, he recorded “Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs” alongside his son whose album, “The Explorers Club,” was released this summer and reached No. 5 on the United Kingdom Top 100 albums. Brewer said he is grateful to the Lord for his musical talents and for the support of both his family and … [Read more...]

By Baptist Message staff MANY, La. (LBM) – Billy Burkett, a pastor of northwest Louisiana Baptist churches for seven decades, died Sunday, Nov. 1. He was 90. A native of Converse, Burkett preached his first message when he was 16 and one year later surrendered to the ministry at Fellowship Baptist Church in Converse, according to his obituary. Burkett served 70 years as a pastor in Louisiana and two years as missions pastor of College Heights Baptist Church in Alamosa, Colorado. Most recently, he was pastor of Bethany Baptist Church in Marthaville, one of 10 Louisiana Baptist churches he served. Burkett also was active in the District 8 Baptist Convention, helping to form Clara Springs Baptist Camp in Pelican. Burkett was preceded in death by his parents, John and Gladys Burkett; his first wife for 62 years, Mary Louise Pentecost; and his sister, Johnnie Mae. He is survived by his wife, Martha Jane; sister, Elaine Burkett; three children, Mike Burkett (Sue), Don Burkett (Virginia), and Lisa Graham (Randy); Martha's children, Robert Burleson and Jo Lynn Graham; and numerous grandchildren. Family and friends gathered for celebration of life services Tuesday, Nov. 3, at Fellowship Baptist. In lieu of flowers, the family is … [Read more...]