By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer VINTON – The news her Vinton home flooded for the second time in 18 months was disheartening for Sarah Going. But just when her will to continue was about to break, God sent Going not just one, but two church teams Sept. 9 to gut out her home which was took in water in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. By the time teams from New Hope Baptist Church in Dequincy and Twin Bridges Baptist Church in Alexandria had finished the job later that day, Going and her husband, Charles, were left encouraged for the difficult path that lies ahead. "When my husband and I pulled up to our home, there were vehicles parked all around the street," a teary-eyed Going, the pianist for New Hope Baptist Church, told the Baptist Message. "A lady from Twin Bridges told me her name, held my hand and encouraged me by reminding me what I still had, even though things could have been so much worse," Going continued. "She said my family is still alive and I still have a lot of what I owned since my church showed up before the floods to help move everything out. She was reminding me of my blessings I still had and that she was available to talk anytime I needed." STRENGTH IN NUMBERS The effort to gut … [Read more...]

By Message Staff Two training sessions are scheduled for Louisiana Baptists wanting to serve on disaster relief teams for responses to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Westside Baptist Church in Natchitoches will host a training session 5:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 18. After a general session that includes watching three videos, individuals will break into small groups for training in one of three areas – feeding, mud-out or shower and laundry. The training begins at 5:30 p.m. and ends at 8 p.m. Leaders for the training include Jack Ingram, a member of Westside Baptist Church, David Cheatwood, director of ministries for Rolling Hills Ministry in Ruston, and Ron Thompson, director of missions for District 8 Baptist Convention. The following week, Summer Grove Baptist Church in Shreveport will hold a training session for individuals wanting to serve on feeding and mud-out teams. Scheduled for 5:30-8:45 p.m. Sept. 28, the sessions will be led by Gibbie McMillan, state director for Louisiana Baptists Disaster Relief, and Marvin Leleux, pastor of Springhill Baptist Church in Ringgold. First-time attendees will pay $28, which includes a background check, training materials, ID badge, hat and shirt. Those already certified but … [Read more...]

By Cole Avery, Office of U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham WASHINGTON – Three airports across Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District will receive about $19.8 million in grant funding awarded by the Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham (R-Alto) announced Tuesday, Sept. 12. The England Economic and Industrial Development District in Alexandria stands to receive the bulk of the funding, banking $17,867,492 from four grants, though airports in Monroe and Vidalia will also receive some money from grants. The money comes as part of the airport’s involvement in the Airport Improvement Program’s Military Airport Program, a designation Abraham helped the airport achieve so that it could help facilitate missions associated with the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk. “Alexandria and its airport provide important services that directly contribute to the mission of the Fort Polk Joint Readiness Training Center,” said Abraham, a member of Alto Baptist Church. “Showing continued investments in public infrastructure that support Alexandria and Fort Polk will show the military our community’s commitment to the success of Fort Polk, which will help make sure we continue to have a thriving base in the region,” said … [Read more...]

By Message Staff Three days after Hurricane Irma made landfall in the U.S., the first Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief teams are headed to Florida. Northshore Baptist Association feeding unit, a Mount Olive Association shower and laundry unit, a First Baptist Church in Mangham water purification unit and a Rolling Hills Ministry generator left First Baptist Church in Slidell Wednesday morning, Sept. 13, Louisiana Baptists State Disaster Relief Director Gibbie McMillan told the Baptist Message.. They will be stationed at Riverside Baptist Church in Fort Myers, Fla. McMillan reiterated the importance of all Louisiana Baptists praying, giving and going to get the job done in areas hit hard by Hurricanes Irma and Harvey. “Many are in Texas and others are in Florida helping, while a host of faithful ones are praying and giving,” he said. “Thanks to all who are doing what they can. This is a picture of the church on the move. As you give, remember our entire budget comes from the Georgia Barnette Offering. Please pray and give.” According to North American Mission Board statistics, the response by Southern Baptist Disaster Relief teams to areas impacted by Harvey through Sept. 12 teams has resulted in 810,292 meals … [Read more...]

By Message Staff LAFAYETTE – The relief efforts by Evangeline Baptist Association churches has truly been a team effort. Not only after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas and then again in Louisiana, churches in the association along with assistance from numerous non-profit organizations and churches from other denominations have coordinated a response to help those impacted by the storm. First Baptist Church in Lafayette served as a collection site, receiving 6.5 tons, or $42,000 worth, of supplies, Pastor Steve Horn told the Baptist Message. The supplies filled 26 pallets in a semi which transported the items to First Baptist Church in Vidor, Texas. Horn said he and his congregation have applied Titus 3:14 to areas of service and their daily lives and the response to Harvey relief efforts was such a time they could place the words of the verse into action. "This was one of those occasions when we saw our church and others do this," Horn said. "This has also given us a primary point of contact to do continued ministry in Vidor, where we have a team now doing mud-out work." Horn added that past connections were used in the collection effort. The driver and truck were donated by a trucking company in … [Read more...]

By Message Staff WOODWORTH –Tony Mathews reminded 45 pastors and their spouses of their responsibility to live out God’s missiological plan for the world during the first ever Louisiana Baptist African-American Missions Conference. “The personnel of the mission agenda is us,” the president of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention African American Fellowship said during one of his messages. “You are employed by Jesus.” Throughout the conference, Mathews drew from his experiences of participating in mission trips with North Garland Baptist Church where he serves as pastor to challenge those in attendance to realize how they can influence the ends of the earth. Near the end of his final message, Mathews challenged pastors to join him in a mission trip to Ecuador in October, with two responding to go. Held Sept. 8-9 at Tall Timbers Conference Center, the retreat also featured intensive training led by Mathews and worship led by Thomas Keys, worship minister at Calvary Baptist Church in Shreveport. The pastors also heard encouraging words in breakout sessions from David Hankins, executive director for Louisiana Baptists, Leroy Fountain, church health strategist for New Orleans Baptist Association, Barry Calhoun, … [Read more...]

Spencer Baptist Church will host a revival Sept. 24-27. Lyndon Longoria will serve as the evangelist and Kerry Longoria will bring the special music. The church is located at 5764 Hwy. 143 in Spencer. David Richmond is pastor. … [Read more...]

Jamestown Baptist Church will have its homecoming festivities Sept. 24 at 10:30 a.m., with Carl Griffith serving as the guest speaker. A pot luck dinner will follow the morning service. Everett Geis serves as pastor. … [Read more...]

By Message Staff STARKS – North Eunice Baptist Church has a lofty goal. Once a week, they plan to send a disaster relief team to gut out homes damaged by flooding. And the church is not wasting any time as they’ve already sent a team to work on the home of an 82-year-old man in Starks, where more than 200 homes in the area flooded because of heavy rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Harvey. North Eunice Baptist Pastor Travis Turner told the Baptist Message the homeowner, like many in Starks, had recently completed renovations on his home following flooding in March 2016. “It helped him knowing we were there to pray with him and assure him we were going to complete the job as we promised,” Turner said. “When we finished, I called him to share the news and he couldn’t believe it. He said thank you over and over.” While the team has responded to previous disasters, Turner said this was the first time they have ventured outside the Eunice area to do relief work. He expects the team will continue working on other homes in Calcasieu Parish. “Going to work on flooded homes like those in Starks makes us more grateful for what we have,” Turner said. “When we go, we go feeling we will bless others but in the end we … [Read more...]

By Message Staff ANACOCO – A group of Northwestern State Baptist Collegiate Ministry students kicked off their weekend by participating in a hands-on mud-out training session at a Vernon Parish home flooded by remnants of Hurricane Harvey. The team of 10 gutted out the inside of the house, as well as clearing debris from the yard. By the end of the afternoon, the students not only received disaster relief training necessary for future responses but also were able to help two disabled Army veterans to returning to their home in Anacoco, NSU BCM Director Bill Collins told the Baptist Message. "My guys saw the gratitude of the homeowner and realized how much it really meant for them to do this type of work," Collins said. "Plus, I now have 10 more who are trained for the next response. From the homeowners to my students, everybody won on this particular trip." Even before reaching the site, the students were given the opportunity to minister. Kobe Ardoin said the trip was a great learning experience. "We got a chance to pray with the homeowners before starting our work process," he said. "Being able to serve others through the grace of God is always a good thing for me and is something I wouldn't hesitate to do … [Read more...]