By Baptist Message staff WASHINGTON (LBM) – Two Louisianans were among the special guests invited to attend the annual State of the Union address, March 7. House Speaker Mike Johnson invited his pastor, John Fream, while Sen. Bill Cassidy invited Louisiana Right to Life Director Ben Clapper. The State of the Union address is delivered each year by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress. Fream, pastor of Cypress Baptist Church, Benton, said he interacted with Johnson multiple times this week, including at a lunch and prayer time inside the House chapel on March 6 and during a reception prior to the State of the Union address. “Mike and (his wife) Kelly love the Lord deeply and praying with them meant the world to them,” Fream told the Baptist Message. “It was such an honor to be there to support my friends Speaker Johnson and his wife. Cypress Baptist Church is so proud of the Speaker and stand with them in prayer. To be there for such a big part of history was a chance of a lifetime. God bless this nation and our leaders.” Clapper said he was excited to attend the event on behalf of all those who support the pro-life movement. “It was an honor to attend the State of … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Student ministry leaders and Baptist Collegiate Ministry campus directors were motivated to develop a strategy to help them continue discipleship of high school seniors as they embark for college or the workforce during the Forum. Held Feb. 23 at the Baptist Building in Alexandria, the Forum featured encouraging messages from keynote speakers Brian Mills, pastor of Together We Church, Yukon, Okla., and Anthony Vargas, student pastor at Together We Church, and a time of fellowship for the 36 student ministry leaders and eight BCM campus directors. Louisiana Baptist Youth Strategist Lee Myers said many churches report that seniors “check out” of their youth group and church before graduation and he hoped the Forum provided some tools to help them bridge that gap. “This year’s event was targeted towards the great senior drop-off that happens each spring,” Myers said. We wanted to address the issue of 12th graders in our ministries checking out before they head off to college or the work force. It was important that we have that conversation as Louisiana Baptists. We want to lead seniors to finish strong and stay involved in church and collegiate … [Read more...]

By Baptist Message staff WOODWORTH, La. (LBM) – First through sixth grade boys will hit the fast lane with Christ during the 2024 Royal Ambassador Congress, March 22-23, at the Tall Timbers Baptist Conference Center, according to organizers. Keeping in step with the race car theme, the event will feature go kart racing, pit row (how to change a tire), classic car show and an encouraging message by “Champion Chaplain” Allen Huffman, the 2023 Southeast Super Truck Series champion. RA Congress also will include a Pinewood Derby, soap box races, breakout sessions with missionaries and a Gospel presentation. “RAs is a mission education ministry which seeks to teach and engage boys in first through sixth grade in missions,” said Louisiana Baptist Ministry and Disaster Relief Strategist Stan Statham told the Baptist Message. “One of the sessions will offer the RAs a chance to paint small wooden cars and pack them in gift bags with Christian-themed coloring books and crayons for the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home.” For more information or to download a registration form, please visit the RA Congress website. … [Read more...]

By LCU News PINEVILLE, La. (LCU News) – Louisiana Christian University convergence media and public relations students recently swept the Southeast Journalism Conference on-site awards, Feb. 25. The students placed second in the overall number of awards given and brought home seven first place awards and a total of 14 top-three finishes. “Ecstatic doesn’t even come close to how proud I am of our entire team,” said Elizabeth Clarke, chair of the Department of Media and Communication. “These students earned so much validation for their hard work. LCU is the smallest member school in SEJC, and this shows the quality of education and time our faculty have to invest in our students, and it pays off when they are committed to their craft like these students are.” Nine students attended SEJC at Troy University in Troy, Alabama, Feb. 23-25, and participated in on-site competitions against students from other universities across the Southeast. The following LCU students placed: Victoria Watson – Arts and Entertainment Photography, third place; Nathan Roper – Arts and Entertainment Radio Reporting, third place; Cayden Walls – Arts and Entertainment TV Reporting, first place; Cayden Walls – Feature TV … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer WOODWORTH, La. (LBM) – When Brandon Penton was pastor of First Baptist Church, Archibald, and accompanied his students to Tall Timbers Baptist Conference Center in 2021, he did not imagine that one day he would become director of the camp. “We just built a relationship with the camp and, when the job came up, I applied,” Penton told the Baptist Message. “I love the opportunity just to serve individuals and in the hopes of serving them, to strike up spiritual conversations that allow them to respond to the Gospel. It’s important to meet people where they are and create an avenue for spiritual conversations.” Penton, who was named the camp director in early February, has served as recreation and activities director of the camp since 2022. In that role, Penton supervised recreation programs, recruitment of summer staff and marketing. A native of Pearl River, Penton accepted Christ as His Lord and Savior at age 16 during a “See You At The Pole” rally in his hometown. A year later, he surrendered to a call to vocational ministry. Penton, who holds degrees from Louisiana College (now Louisiana Christian University) and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, said he and … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – For the past 19 years, Jeff Cook has been the point man for compassion ministry in Louisiana Baptist life. Cook, who retired Feb. 9 as the Louisiana Baptist compassion ministry strategist, said he was honored to help further the Gospel through ministries that met a physical need and opened up the door for conversations about a much greater need. “It’s been a privilege to serve Louisiana Baptist churches and ministries and help them to do work of the ministry across the state,” Cook told the Baptist Message. “The relationships formed through the years are really meaningful and I’m sure many of those relationships will continue. “Compassion ministry is defined as meeting every man’s needs so you can build trust and share the Gospel and connect people to the local church,” he continued. “Compassion ministry is a key part of evangelism in how it offers opportunities for the Gospel to be shared.” CALLED Cook’s journey began as a nine-year-old when he accepted Christ while attending a church in Houston, Texas. But his call to ministry did not occur until he was working as a sales representative at Xerox as a young adult. During the next 30 … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer PINEVILLE, La. (LBM) – Five Louisiana Baptist pastors joined seven other ministers from various denominations and ethnicities for a one-day pulpit swap that created a sense of unity among churches in the Alexandria-Pineville area, Jan. 14, organizers told the Baptist Message. Nathan Martin, pastor of Christian Challenge Worship Center, a non-denominational church in Pineville, and a coordinator for the pulpit swap, said this was the first time that he recalls when so many central Louisiana churches of various denominations and ethnicities traded pastors for one Sunday. In addition to Louisiana Baptists, participating churches included Assemblies of God and non-denominational congregations. Each pastor agreed to preach a message from Matthew 9:35-38, respect the tradition of the church to whom they preached and decline any financial compensation from the host congregation, according to Martin. Since March 2023, the 12 churches have joined together for worship services and a monthly outreach to the community in conjunction with Time to Revive, a Richardson, Texas-based organization that travels throughout the nation and partners with local churches to further the Kingdom. … [Read more...]