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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Information lunch meeting scheduled Oct. 27 in Lake Charles for hurricane-damaged churches

EDITOR'S NOTE: The story has been changed to indicate the meeting on Oct. 27 is not sponsored by FEMA but rather the Louisiana Baptists and a joint venture by GEC/Myer, Rostan Solutions, and Ratcliff Construction. By Sara Drott, Carey Baptist Association director of communications LAKE CHARLES, La. – Churches are invited to an informational meeting on Oct. 27 at East Ridge Baptist Church in Lake Charles. Alan Weishampel, pastor of East Ridge, and Louisiana Baptists staff members will be present. The meeting is sponsored by the Louisiana Baptist Convention and is a joint venture of companies, made up of GEC/Myer, Rostan Solutions and Ratcliff Construction. These companies bring expertise in their areas of focus including navigating the FEMA application process along with professional engineering services and accurate construction cost estimates and services. Churches will benefit by having experienced professionals working with them to secure grants and move forward with recovery and building concerns. The meeting will begin at noon with lunch served and the information will proceed immediately thereafter. East Ridge Baptist is located at 5400 Hwy. 397 in Lake Charles. … [Read more...]

The privilege of prayer

By Waylon Bailey COVINGTON, La. – “What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer!” I learned to sing the hymn, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” as a child and teenager in church. I have never forgotten the words, especially these words, “What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.” It is a privilege to pray–both to take our personal needs to God and to pray for others. As I write this, I have just had the privilege to join with one of the men of our church in praying for his wife. Prayer for others is a great privilege. It is also a Christian obligation. While we certainly pray for ourselves and for those close to us, we also have a responsibility to pray for the church and its mission around the world. Paul told the church to pray for all the saints, “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18). Paul asked the church at Colossae to pray for him and his work. “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that … [Read more...]

LC to host October conference on the role of women in ministry

By Elizabeth Christian, LCNews PINEVILLE, La. (LCNews) – Louisiana College will host its annual C3 Conference Oct. 20 in the Granberry Conference Center on campus. The event, which will examine the role of women in ministry, was postponed from March. “We are pleased to host this seminar as a continuing ministry of Louisiana College addressing relevant matters through the intersection and convergence of Christ, Church and Culture,” said President Rick Brewer. “Our guest presenters will bring a unique, Christ-centered response to the role of women in 21st Century ministry. We are confident seminars such as 3C strengthen and stretch our students as they experience intellectual and spiritual growth at LC.” This year’s speakers are Victoria Dixon, Jess Archer and Amanda Walker. “We are delighted that Louisiana College is hosting a conference that highlights the ministry of women in the local church,” said Dr. Marvin Jones, assistant professor of theology and coordinator of C3 ministries. “This evening will be informational as it will address the pertinent issues of women who are seeking God’s calling, doing God’s will, and working in the biblical perimeters of ministry.” Dixon is pursuing a master’s of divinity at New … [Read more...]

Former LC music professor Ben Yang passes away at 73

By staff reports ALEXANDRIA, La. - Ben H. Yang, a former Louisiana College music professor, died Sunday, Oct. 11. He was 73. A native of Daegu, South Korea, Yang came to the United States in 1970 to pursue an advanced degree in music, receiving his master’s degree and Ph.D. in music composition and theory from the University of North Texas. Afterwards, he joined the Louisiana College music department in 1989 and taught music composition, musical theory and piano for nearly three decades before retiring in 2019. Yang was devoted to his students and would often spend long hours composing recommendation letters. He was a piano accompanist for many years at First Presbyterian Church in Alexandria and enjoyed volunteering to play the piano for residents at local nursing homes and assisted living facilities. He was an avid golfer and gardener and had a deep fondness for cats, particularly the family cats, Frisky and Tiger, who would only sleep by Yang's side at night. Yang is survived by his wife of 39 years, Amy Yang, and their daughter, Stephanie Yang, of Boston, Massachusetts. A memorial service will be held in Guinn Auditorium at Louisiana College at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17. To send flowers to the family or … [Read more...]

Final day to register online for Nov. 3 election is today

By Baptist Message staff BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – Today is the final day for online registration to vote in the Nov. 3 election. According to a news release from Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin, Louisiana residents can register to vote and make changes to their registration at GeauxVote.com. A Louisiana driver’s license or special ID must be used upon submission online. Early voting is scheduled for Oct. 16 to Oct. 27 (excluding Sundays), from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Polls on Nov. 3 will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. In addition to casting their vote for president and congress, Louisianans will have the opportunity to approve a number of amendments, including one that could protect state pro-life laws in the state. Known as the Love Life Amendment (also known as Amendment #1), this change to the state constitution is needed because of developments in 12 other states. In each case, a state court ruled that it had found in that particular state constitution a right to abortion – but the rulings were based on creative interpretations of a general phrase or vague wording and not on anything that specifically stated such rights. … [Read more...]

Gov. Edwards extends Louisiana’s Phase 3 restrictions until Nov. 6

By Baptist Message staff BATON ROUGE, La. (LBM) – Louisiana will remain in Phase 3 of reopening the state’s economy until at least Nov. 6. Gov. John Bel Edwards, during a news conference Oct. 8, said a mask mandate and other restrictions remain in place when the state initially entered Phase 3 on Sept. 11. Businesses and churches will be allowed to continue to operate at 75 percent capacity, indoor social gatherings like weddings and birthday parties can accommodate guests at 50 percent capacity, up to 250 people, and sporting event venues can have up 25 percent capacity. Edwards asked Louisianans to continue wearing masks and observing proper social distancing measures. “All of the data shows improvement in Louisiana’s COVID situation because of the strong mitigation measures we have in place and because of the hard work of the people of Louisiana,” Edwards said. “These measures, which are supported by science, are allowing us to keep our case count and hospitalizations down, even as most of Louisiana’s businesses have expanded their operations and more people are moving about.”   … [Read more...]

Delta adds ‘gut punch’ six weeks after Hurricane Laura

By Baptist Message staff ALEXANDRIA, La, (LBM) —  Louisiana received a "gut punch," Friday, as the second hurricane in six weeks made landfall in the state. The eye of Hurricane Delta crashed ashore at 5 p.m., Oct. 9. as a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph in Creole, nearly 13 miles east of Cameron, where Laura made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane (150 mph winds) on Aug. 27. According to the National Weather Service, Delta had weakened to barely a tropical storm (35 mph sustained winds) as it exited into Mississippi at 7 a.m., Saturday, having followed a nearly identical path as Laura. More than 565,000 businesses and homes in the state were without power as of 10:15 a.m., Oct. 10. Delta also dumped heavy rain on parts of the state, which resulted in numerous road closures. AccuWeather reported late Friday that approximately 17.02 inches of rain fell in Iowa, just east of Lake Charles. Meanwhile, Bell City, about 7 miles south of Iowa, received 16.31 inches of rain and Lake Charles, 15.68 inches. While reported damage was still unknown, Baptist Message learned Tall Timbers Baptist Conference Center in Woodworth received water damage in the Indian Creek Lodge, as well as the activities … [Read more...]

Lord, we are weary!

By Steve Horn Lord, we are weary! Especially your people in Louisiana. First, it was COVID-19. We spent weeks leading the nation in cases per capita. We went home. The economic impact of that is still being felt. When people went home, gas prices plummeted. So many of our people who make their living in the oil and gas industry suffered. Some were retired before they planned to retire. Others were not so fortunate. They are just unemployed. We are weary. Then hurricane season arrived. Six times we have been in the “cone of uncertainty.” The “cone of uncertainty” became the “certainty of catastrophe” with Hurricane Laura. We. Are. Weary. We are weary of blue tarps, if there is even something left to tarp. We are weary of FEMA. We are weary of the hum of the generator. And yes, we are tired of our new guest Jim Cantore. We are weary from all that has been lost. We are weary of the debris that is piled up at the road waiting to be removed. Like Elijah of old, some days we want to find a tree to sit under to pray, “Lord, I’ve had enough.” But Lord, and I’m laughing to keep from crying, the tree was blown down by Hurricane Laura. And now, comes Delta. Dear Lord, we’ve run out of names this year and have turned to the … [Read more...]

Carlos Meza, soul winner and LBC leader, goes on to Heaven

By Baptist Message staff BOSSIER CITY, La. (LBM) – Carlos Meza, a venerable Louisiana Baptist leader, died Tuesday, Sept. 29. He was 84. A native of San Antonio, Texas, Meza accepted Christ when he was 43, after he met his wife Lupe, who introduced him to Jesus and shortly afterward married him. He was ordained as a pastor in 2007 at Calvary Baptist Church in Shreveport and served the next 13 years as pastor of that congregation’s Hispanic mission church, Iglesia Bautista del Calvario. He also planted two Hispanic churches (with First Baptist Church, Haughton, and New Zion Baptist Church, Bossier City). Meza participated in 17 mission trips to Brazil, as well as to Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico and Nicaragua. He was well-known for being innovative in reaching the lost with the Gospel – leading a South American college student to the Lord using a mannequin and successfully sharing the Good News with a Brazilian businessman (whom no local pastor had been able to reach) by using an onion patch in the man’s backyard. He was active in the LBC: making history in 2017 as the first Hispanic elected to office in the Louisiana Baptist Convention, serving as 2nd vice president; and, at the time of his death he was serving on the … [Read more...]