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By Baptist Message staff MCLEAN, Va. (LBM) – J. Bennett Johnston, a U.S. senator who represented Louisiana for 24 years and a longtime member of First Baptist Church, Shreveport, died at a hospital in McLean, Virginia, March 25, from complications related to COVID-19. He was 92. Johnston served as a state representative and senator for eight years combined and U.S. senator for another 24 years. According to his obituary, Johnston was a “conservative Democrat known for working across the aisle, sometimes voting with Republicans when he thought it would serve his state. Johnston helped drive the creation of Interstate 49, brought money into the state to help protect wetlands (including helping establish two national parks and seven wildlife refuges), and in 1990, made national headlines when he defeated Ku Klux Klansman David Duke in that year's Senate race.” According to Lauren Ostendorff, a church secretary and long-time member of FBCS, Johnston joined the church in 1943 and was still a non-resident member when he died. He remained active in the church while practicing law in Shreveport and preparing to enter his first term as a U.S. senator. He served the congregation as a member of the board of directors, as did his … [Read more...]

During its recent meeting, the Louisiana Conference Of Southern Baptist Evangelists elected 2025 officers: Sam Moore, president; Bill Blackmon, vice president; and Nancy Blackmon, secretary/treasurer. … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer LAPLACE, La. (LBM) – Guoybing Tang first came to faith as a member of a Chinese underground church in 2023 but only recently did he publicly celebrate his new life in Christ, having been bap­tized by the First Baptist Church, LaPlace. Tang, who stirred the baptistry waters Feb. 9, was greeted with thunder­ous applause from friends gathered for the service. “It was my happiest day ever,” Tang told the Baptist Message. “Baptism is very important to me, and it represents I’m a true Chris­tian with faith in God. “Everything in my life has now put me in the right direction with God,” he continued. “I have no pressure or no anxiety. Now I have joy.” Tang arrived in the United States seven months after he accepted Christ on April 16, 2023, during a Bible study with an underground church (the location is undisclosed for security purposes). After passing by FBC La­Place in December 2023, he decided to return the next Sunday for a worship ser­vice and has been faithfully attending ever since. During the first “En­glish as a Second Lan­guage” class he attended, Tang met church member Nick James and expressed his desire to be baptized. James and Pastor Shane Newton helped … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Churches around the state heeded a chal­lenge to share John 3:16 on March 16 and saw the Holy Spirit move through mes­sages, mission activities and crusades. Designated as a day for all Louisiana Baptist pastors to preach John 3:16, the initiative aimed to catalyze soul winning across the state. Leading up to March 16, congre­gations were encouraged to follow a special 16-day prayer guide, beginning on March 1, and included a Bible verse to reflect on for each of three recommend­ed times to pray (morning, noon and evening). Lou­isiana joined other state Baptist conventions for the effort, which were coordi­nated through the North American Mission Board. Beauregard, Big Creek, Eastern Louisiana and Ouachita Baptist Associ­ations were among those groups who scheduled evangelistic outreaches throughout the month to coincide with the special day. “I am thankful for every pastor and church par­ticipating in John 3:16 day,” Louisiana Baptist Executive Director Steve Horn told the Baptist Message. “The innova­tive and specific ways that individual churches decided to promote the day was inspiring to see. “A few things that I genuinely believe were … [Read more...]

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Baptist Message provides churches an opportunity to share with other Louisiana Baptists an upcoming revival, homecoming, new pastor, new staff member, a community outreach, or a concert in Louisiana Notables. To place your event in the paper, send your information (who, what, where, when, time) to philip@baptistmessage.com or call 318.449.4345. Please submit your information four weeks prior to the event to insure placement in the Message. ON THE MOVE Heath and Jenny Peloquin has been called to pastor Rock Hill Baptist in Brownsboro, Texas and is leaving Summer Grove Baptist Church, Shreveport. His last day at Summer Grove is March 30. Andrew, wife Lydia, Ardoin, is the new pastor at First Baptist Church, White Castle Ardoin is the new pastor at White Castle after spending 15 years in theforeign mission field. HOMECOMING New Hope Baptist Church, DeQuincy: Homecoming Celebration, April 6 - Coffee Fellowship at 8 a.m. and Worship at 10 a.m. lunch will follow the worship services. Guest Speaker: Charles Gibbs (former pastor). Worship Leader: Broken Vessels. Pastor: Roland Hebert. CRUSADES West Ouachita Crusade, March 30-April 2, 2025, 6 p.m. nightly. The Crusade led by Evangelist: Bill Britt and … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer PINEVILLE, La. — Newly-elected Louisiana Christian University Presi­dent Mark Louis Johnson, Sr. has a bold vision to grow the school through fostering community for the Kingdom. “It’s not about me, it’s about us, all of us who make up the LCU com­munity,” Johnson told the Baptist Message. “We’re all doing this together, be­cause that’s the only way Louisiana Christian Uni­versity will grow. “It is a presidency, not a president,” he said. “I’m wanting to bring people to­gether to lead this institu­tion together. One person goes fast, but a community goes far.” Trustees of LCU elect­ed Johnson as the school’s 10th president during a meeting, Feb. 25. Johnson is a native of Anderson, Indiana, and has served as pastor of several churches, including Edgewater Baptist Church, New Orleans (2019-2021); chaplain for the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians), New Orleans Baby Cakes minor league baseball team and Tulane University men’s basketball team; and missionary. He also is the author of multiple books, a former professional bas­ketball player in Europe and South America and a podcaster. He currently is an assistant professor of evangelism and pastoral ministry and the … [Read more...]