By Message Staff Parts of Louisiana enjoyed a rare December treat Friday, Dec. 8 - a snow day. Several inches fell throughout the state, including a number of Louisiana Baptist churches. If you have any snow photos, please send them to brian@baptistmessage.com or post them to our Facebook page. … [Read more...]
Louisiana’s Kennedy issues statement on passage of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
By Office of U.S. Sen. John Kennedy WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) was among those voting Dec. 2 for H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. According to the non-partisan group the Tax Foundation, under the Senate tax bill, Louisiana will see an increase of 12,611 new jobs and the average family will gain $1,857 in after-tax income. “This bill is about three things: tax cuts, jobs, and more jobs,” said Sen. John Kennedy. “It doesn’t take an expert to see what’s stalling the American economy: middle-class families need to see more of their hard-earned dollars in their bank accounts. This bill gives them that while allowing American job creators the freedom and flexibility they need to increase wages and create jobs.” The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will: Double the standard deduction: For an individual, the standard deduction goes from $6,350 to $12,000. For a married couple, it goes from $12,700 to $24,000. Double the child tax credit: The child tax credit is doubled from the current $1,000 to $2,000, and more parents are allowed to claim the credit. Lower tax rates: Individual tax rates for middle-income Americans are reduced from 22.5 percent to 22 percent, 25 percent to 24 percent, and 32.5 percent … [Read more...]
Johnson praises Supreme Court decision on Trump Executive Order on immigration
By Ainsley Holyfield, Office of U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Benton) released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court’s decision to permit full enforcement of President Trump’s executive order on immigration: “Carefully vetting any person entering our country from areas known to be terrorist strongholds is not a controversy, it is common-sense," said Johnson, a member of First Baptist Church, Bossier City. "Defending the homeland is a critical responsibility of any sovereign nation. This order helps protect Americans from would-be bad actors intent on bringing harm to the United States. I applaud the Supreme Court’s decision to allow full enforcement of the president’s immigration order and improved vetting of prospective entrants from dangerous areas.” … [Read more...]
Cenla Pregnancy Center celebrates opening with ribbon cutting ceremony
By Message Staff ALEXANDRIA – After years of praying and preparation, central Louisiana’s first pregnancy care center is officially open for business. Supporters gathered Monday, Dec. 4, for a ribbon cutting to mark the official opening of the Cenla Prenancy Center, located in the old Baptist Bookstore in Alexandria. The facility will be open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and will offer pregnancy decision coaching by trained advocates, free pregnancy tests, free ultrasounds, information about pregnancy options, maternity and physical resources and post-decision support including parenting education and abortion recovery groups. Director Claire Lemoine has marveled at the level of cooperation among various denominations and other members of the community to make this dream a reality. “Our center is based on different denominations,” Lemoine said. “So this is not just a group of Catholics, or just a group of Baptists. It’s a multi-denominational board of directors and workers and volunteers. It’s really shown the beauty of unity and how God calls us to be one. So we are all working together because of our 100 percent pro-life belief and are in search of that continued unity, despite our theological … [Read more...]
Louisiana’s Johnson works to protect victims, prevent sexual harassment
By Ainsley Holyfield, Office of U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H. Res. 630 to require each member, officer and employee of the House of Representatives to complete a program of training in workplace rights and responsibilities each session of each Congress to help combat sexual harassment and provide a clear path forward for victims. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Benton) voted in favor of this legislation. In addition, Johnson cosponsored two pieces of legislation, the Congressional Accountability and Hush Fund Elimination Act and the Settlement Tax Deductions are Over for Predators Act (STOP Act) to further combat sexual harassment and assaults. The first bill seeks to tackle the problem on the Hill, empower survivors and eliminate the congressional hush fund that is currently being used to settle such claims with taxpayer money. The STOP Act addresses systemic patterns of abuse that cover up sexual harassment by preventing businesses from deducting settlement payments related to sexual assault or sexual harassment, or associated legal fees, as a business expense on their federal taxes. “There is absolutely no place for sexual harassment in the workplace or anywhere," … [Read more...]
Hurricane season closes tying several records
Time for the Harvest has arrived
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer BATON ROUGE – The time for Harvest has arrived, Louisiana Baptists were reminded during the 2017 LBC Annual Meeting Nov. 13-14 at Istrouma Baptist Church. The largest statewide evangelism effort by Louisiana Baptists on record, 873 congregations have signed on through Nov. 15 to participate in the Harvest commitment to “pray for every home and share Christ with every person.” After two years of developing a strategy, enlisting churches and piloting methods, a strong push will take place in 2018 for concentrated prayer and intentional soul-winning. The cooperative effort includes a diversity of mass evangelism strategies as well as one-on-one evangelism approaches: multi-church crusades, door-to-door outreach, one-on-one evangelism, single-church revivals and other activities which leverage compassion ministries to share about the love of Christ. “Our current Harvest emphaphasis involves serious praying for every home as well as aggressive going,” Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Director David Hankins told messengers and guests attending the annual meeting. “Engaging evangelism at the local area church and churches is still extremely effective. I’m thankful for the new … [Read more...]
‘Troubled waters’ welcomed by First Moss Bluff
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer MOSS BLUFF (LBM) – While the outer bands of Tropical Storm Harvey caused a tempest in the Gulf of Mexico as it approached southwest Louisiana Aug. 27, three people at First Baptist Church in Moss Bluff were troubling some waters in their own way. Becky Toney was immersed after proclaiming her profession of faith, just moments before the same experience was celebrated by Carli Beth Sharpton and Nadyah Bustillo, two young girls she had counseled four months earlier about salvation, an encounter God used to bring her to obedience with regard to baptism. Toney had surrendered her life to Christ in 2014, but had to be baptized. “God led me to speak to one of the girls and then little by little He started revealing to me my need to get things straight and in the right order,” Toney said. “That’s when I was convicted that now was the time to follow through with obedience.” The three baptisms are among 65 that First Baptist Moss Bluff had recorded for the first 10 months of 2017. The church acknowledges each symbolic act with the symbolism of lighting a bulb in a display of lights that spells out the word ‘life.’ Last year, the lights spelled out ‘believe.’ Pastor Steve Bennett … [Read more...]
Pastors urged to ‘be still, hear God’
By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer BATON ROUGE (LBM) -- Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee President Frank Page said too many times when pastors encounter difficult circumstances they are prone to believe God has forgotten them. But, he said during those encounters it is important they remember the sound of God’s voice from other times in their lives and to be still and listen for Him, again. “You may have come here tonight dry as the bones we just sang about,” Page said during the Pastors’ Conference, held Nov. 12-13 at Istrouma Baptist Church in Baton Rouge. “You may believe, ‘God doesn’t know where I am,’ and, ‘He doesn’t know my name.’ But He does.” Citing 1 Samuel 3:1-10, Page explored the call of Samuel who was attentive for the sound of God’s voice. “Every time we come before the Lord (we need to say) ‘Lord, speak, I’m listening,’” Page said. He said God placed Samuel, who later became a prophet, not in the most appealing city but rather in Shiloh, a community where few people visited. However, that is where God revealed himself to Samuel. “You may think that God doesn’t know your name and doesn’t know where you are,” he said. “But He does know where you are. Maybe, where you are, you … [Read more...]
Gun laws & churches
ALEXANDRIA (LBM)—Louisiana is an open carry state, meaning any gun must be in plain sight unless the bearer has a concealed carry permit. But in both instances, open and concealed carry, there are restrictions: Guns are prohibited on school campuses, federal facilities, and places that serve alcoholic beverages, for instance (not a complete list). Moreover, private property owners, including churches, can restrict people from open carrying on their respective properties, too. Importantly, according to Louisiana Revised Statute 40:1379.3, it is illegal to conceal carry in a church, unless: -- the pastor approves weapons on campus; -- the congregation is informed that weapons are present; -- the person with the weapon has a normal concealed carry permit, and, -- that person completes eight hours of additional “tactical” training, annually. … [Read more...]
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