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Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Operation Christmas Child blesses children with Gospel

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer PINEVILLE, La. (LBM) – Louisiana Baptists will have the opportunity to join thousands across the world to share the ultimate gift to children in other countries through Operation Christmas Child. Formed in 1993 by Samaritan’s Purse, OCC allows churches and individuals to bring gift-filled shoeboxes to relay stations across the country that are then processed and shipped to local partners around the world with a means of reaching out to children in their communities with the good news of Jesus Christ. National Collection Week is Nov. 18-25. Louisiana Christian University, in its fourth year of participating in OCC, is collecting shoeboxes inside Martin Performing Arts Center through Nov. 15. “As a member of the Operation Christmas Child Student Ministry team for this region, I am the Project Leader for Operation Christmas Child Ministry on our campus,” said Tabitha Huffman, LCU professor of theatre. “Last year our campus packed and sent out 178 shoeboxes...which was over double the year before! This means 178 needy children overseas received our gifts that include a message about Jesus through ‘The Greatest Journey’ discipleship program that is delivered wherever the … [Read more...]

DR intern recaps busy summer of storm responses

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Lillian Peterson recently got an inside look at Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief field operations as an intern who responded to multiple hurricanes. Through a partnership between churches and LBDR, Peterson was able to get a taste of relief activities while participating in responses to Hurricanes Beryl, Francine and Helene. “I’ve taken the FEMA courses which have helped me a lot in learning about disaster responses, but this gave me the chance to see up close how a disaster relief organization works,” Peterson told the Baptist Message. “Also, I saw how communities come together in a disaster, and I was able to be the hands and feet of Jesus by serving them, which is what I’ve always said I wanted to do.” Peterson, who is a member with Calvary Baptist Church, Alexandria, and a Louisiana State University of Alexandria general studies major with a concentration in disaster science and emergency management, worked with the incident command center and assisted deployed feeding units at multiple sites. She enjoyed learning how LBDR conducts day-to-day operations and experienced how those who experience a disaster enjoy having someone to listen to … [Read more...]

God has not given us a spirit of fear

You don’t have to look hard to find reasons to fear. We live in a crazy world. I can’t think of a scarier time than the present, quite frankly. The 24/7 news cycle and social media amplify our sense of danger by bombarding us with images of the latest mass shooting, a Chinese hypersonic missile, or yet another strain of COVID. And that doesn’t even take into account our personal triggers. We all know what it’s like to wake up in the middle of the night and be gripped by panic, fear, or anxiety. … [Read more...]

Louisiana Christian crowns Campbell Miss LCU 2024-25

By Elizabeth Clarke, LCU News PINEVILLE, La. (LCU News) – Five contestants competed for a one-year scholarship in the 2024 Miss LCU competition Oct. 24, with sophomore Annemarie Campbell of Patterson taking home the title. “Miss LCU must represent the four points of the Miss America crown: scholarship, service, style and success,” said LCU Vice President for Student Life Meredith Rennier. “It is truly a blessing to see the girls work so hard to showcase their talents and develop new friendships along the way all while glorifying Christ through the four points of the crown. Our Miss LCU Pageant is a fan favorite event on our campus.” Campbell, a biological science major, enjoys athletic activities such as running and tumbling or playing sports such as volleyball and tennis. She enjoys reading fiction or watching movies from either the Harry Potter or Hobbit series or a favorite, Pride and Prejudice. She is a member of LCU Cheerleading and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She plans to attend graduate school to study animal sciences and become a zoologist or farmer. Julia Weaver placed first runner-up and the winner of a $1000 scholarship sponsored by the Union Board. Weaver is a freshman elementary education and … [Read more...]

CENLA Pregnancy Center names ‘Volunteer of the Year’

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Dianne Massey once supported the pro-abortion movement; however, an encounter with Christ 44 years ago changed her mindset, and now she fights for pro-life causes. Massey said holding her own newborn son brought to reality the value of life and how God cherishes the unborn. For the next 44 years, Massey went on a journey that included involvement with women’s Bible studies and prayer groups at her church, volunteering with pro-life centers and most recently witnessing to clients of CENLA Pregnancy Center about her own personal journey. The CPC honored Massey, Sept.17, by naming her “CENLA Pregnancy Center Volunteer of the Year” for 2023. “Even though I had been a Christian, I was in an atmosphere of humanism in my early adult years,” Massey told the Baptist Message. “And I didn’t realize how much I was being affected by all of that as a social work major taught by all non-Christian professors and being in the middle of the feminism movement. But God used the holding of my new baby in my arms 44 years ago to help guide me to the path to being pro-life. And ever since then I have been committed to that.” Massey, who began volunteering at the … [Read more...]

Send Network Louisiana celebrates new plants, baptisms in 2024

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – A year after the launch of Send Network Louisiana, the evangelistic growth initiative has produced 17 new church plants and 300 baptisms. The partnership with the North American Mission Board, which went into effect Aug. 1, 2023, has helped the state further its God-sized vision to see His Kingdom expanded in Louisiana by one percent (about 28,000 new believers) over the next decade. “It’s exciting to see churches answering the call to send people and support new churches that will reach new people for Christ for generations to come,” Send Network Louisiana Director Lane Corley told the Baptist Message. BACKGROUND Researchers estimate that 60 percent of 4,648,794 Louisianans are lost (about 2,789,276). If successful, 28,875 Louisianans will be added to the Kingdom through 231 new churches planted in the state by 2033 (based on each reaching 125 people with the Gospel). These salvations will be in addition to those recorded by already established Louisiana Baptist congregations. HARVEST BEGUN Since the partnership began, the 17 new church plants, and another 28 planted since 2020 that currently receive Cooperative Program funding through … [Read more...]

Messengers to take up resolutions

RESOLUTION 1: ON CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY OF THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM WHEREAS, The Louisiana Baptist Convention was established to “provide the means through which Louisiana Baptist churches and members can cooperate in bringing persons to God” within our state; and WHEREAS, The Louisiana Baptist Convention “recognizes the Southern Baptist Convention as the primary instrument used by Baptists to further the cause of Christ on a worldwide basis”; and WHEREAS, Louisiana Baptists have a special historical relationship with the Cooperative Program in that M.E. Dodd was a Louisiana Baptist pastor when he led the 1925 effort to establish the “Co-Operative Program of Southern Baptists,” making it possible for churches to support the missionary, education, and benevolent work within their respective states while cooperating with churches from other states to reach the world; and WHEREAS, In 2025 our Baptist fellowship of national entities, state conventions and local associations across the United States will celebrate the centennial anniversary of the Cooperative Program for how it has supported our global “partnership in the Gospel” (Philippians 1:5); now therefore be it RESOLVED, That the messengers to the 177th session of … [Read more...]