By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ST LANDRY – Pastor Jerry Adams’ life almost ended in December when he was forced into a medically-induced coma. But a merciful God – implored by the prayers of thousands in Louisiana and around the world – granted Adams a miraculous return to the pulpit at Centerville Baptist Church in St. Landry, only four months later, he told the Baptist Message. COMMON SICKNESS TO COMA “It’s been a long hard process coming back,” Adams said. “God does have a plan for our life but it isn’t what we always want. It’s always for our best.” Adams’ near-death experience began when a painful and persistent sore throat caused him to visit the emergency room at St. Francis Cabrini Hospital in Alexandria Dec. 1, being admitted shortly afterward. Days later, he was placed into a coma after his vitals plummeted following a tracheotomy, and was kept in this state of unconsciousness for 10 days. Physicians told Adams’ family to prepare to say their final good-byes Dec. 13. Determined not to give up, family and friends joined hands and sought God’s grace. “We began to pray for peace and God’s will alone,” said Josh Adams, the son of Jerry Adams and also pastor of Pisgah Baptist Church in Forest … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer Prayer will take center stage May 4 at not only churches, but businesses, courthouse steps, city parks and other locations in the state and U.S. On that day, Louisiana Baptists will join millions of other Christians as they ask God to forgive and heal the nation as part of the annual National Day of Prayer. Created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Harry S Truman, this annual observance in May invites people of all faiths to pray for the nation. This year’s theme verse is Daniel 9:19, which says “O Lord, Listen! O Lord, Forgive! O Lord, Hear and Act! For Your Sake, O My God.” Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has already signed a proclamation for this year’s Day of Prayer. Jay Johnston, state coordinator for the Louisiana National Day of Prayer Task Force and associate pastor at First Baptist Covington, stressed the importance of a day of corporate prayer across the country. “The National Day of Prayer provides us an intentional time to gather with people in our community to pray for Government Leaders, families, military, churches, education, media and business,” he said. “This day was signed into law during the presidency … [Read more...]

By Message Staff PINEVILLE – Louisiana College has chosen to stay inside the family in its selection for its next athletics director and head football coach. During a press conference April 27, school officials named men’s basketball coach Reni Mason as athletics director and promoted defensive coordinator Justin Charles to the head coaching position. “God takes men of integrity, conscious, character and conviction and He raises them to levels of influence,” said LC President Rick Brewer. “Without a doubt, it’s a new day. There are new opportunities for us to grow and get better.” Mason will continue in his current role as head men’s basketball coach, a position he has held since coming to the school May 30, 2015. Before that, Mason had a 154-53 record at Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport. There, his teams earned three district championships. He was named district coach of the year in 2010, 2011 and 2015. Mason is a graduate of the University of New Orleans with a B.S. in General Studies. Besides his time at UNO, he also played at Louisiana Tech. In addition to experience on the collegiate level, Mason also brings expertise on the professional level. He was general manager and assistant coach of the … [Read more...]

By Brad Welborn, Louisiana College sports information PINEVILLE - One of the great things about baseball is the way it transcends culture. No matter where you learned the game or the way you play it, the bases are still 90 feet apart and the mound is still 60 feet, six inches from the plate. For three guys from The Bronx, New York, they found that truth on the field, but gained so much more during their time at Louisiana College. On May 6, Algenys “Al” Diaz, Ronnie Diaz, and Eric Encarnacion, three Wildcat baseball players, will graduate from Louisiana College. They will walk across the stage, accept their diplomas, shake the hand of President Dr. Rick Brewer, and end the day as college graduates. While the degree is of high importance, the things that each will remember most from their time at LC will be the bond they shard with their brothers on the baseball field. “What I love most about our team is the family atmosphere we share,” head coach Mike Byrnes said. “These three guys are brothers to the guys that they’ve been playing with, and they’re going to remember each other from now until the day they die. “In 10 years, nobody is going to care how many home runs you hit or how many strikeouts you had. They’re … [Read more...]

By Marilyn Stewart, NOBTS Communications NEW ORLEANS -- The past is proof God's mercies never fail, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary President Chuck Kelley said in his "state of the seminary" address in Leavell Chapel following the spring meeting of the board of trustees. Kelley pointed to the seminary's 100-year history to make his point. "We serve an amazing God who delights in doing awesome work to nurture His children and extend the work of His Kingdom," Kelley said. "I would submit that 'exhibit A' of that statement is New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary." Prior to relating highlights of the academic year, Kelley looked back to the seminary's founding in 1917 in New Orleans, a city with few Baptists at the time, and said the Southern Baptist Convention intended the training center for ministers to be "a mission station as much as it was to be an institution." The trials and challenges faced by the institution in its 100-year history are evidence that God is always faithful, Kelley said. "I thank the Lord for putting us, and me, in a hard place," Kelley said, adding, "It is only in the difficult places that you get the clearest view of the glory of God and the deepest experience of the richness and … [Read more...]

By Message Staff So, you think you know your Bible? Well, you may not know it as well as you think and certainly not as well as this year’s participants in the Louisiana Baptists’ State Bible Drill and Speakers’ Tournament An estimated 360 children, youth and teens are expected to compete in this annual event. Participants in the Bible Drills and Speaker’s Tournaments go through a three-step process which begins in the church before moving on to the district level and finally advancing to the state level. It is at state where qualifiers will face the judges as they test their knowledge of the Bible and how well they are able to speak to a certain assigned topic. Since the district competition has already been completed, beginning tonight (April 25) at Temple Baptist Church in Ruston is the start of state competition, which is at one of three conveniently located sites. It will continue Thursday evening (April 27) at First Baptist Church in Covington and culminates Saturday morning (April 29) at First Baptist Church in Pineville. Bible Drill is a discipleship program for children and youth to help increase their knowledge of the Bible. It is also fun as children learn to memorize scripture and gain confidence in … [Read more...]

By Brad Welborn, Louisiana College sports information PINEVILLE, LA – Louisiana College announced today athletics director and football coach Dennis Dunn has accepted the head coaching position at Pineville High School effective immediately. "I am grateful for my years at LC," Dunn said. "The coaches and the hundreds of players that have come through our program have impacted me eternally. One of our sayings through the years has been, 'leave it better than you found it.' I believe we have done that." Dunn was introduced as the new athletics director and head football coach at Pineville High School in a 10 a.m. press conference. Louisiana College President Rick Brewer said, "We all owe Coach Dunn a debt of gratitude for putting our football program on the map. He has demanded excellence from his student-athletes athletically and academically. But most important, he has expressed his deepest interest students' spiritual development. We commend Dennis for his years of service to LC, and know that he will continue with the same personal standards in his new role at Pineville High School." In 11 seasons as the Wildcats head man, Dunn compiled a 65-45 record, four American Southwest Conference runner-up finishes, and a … [Read more...]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Bossier and Haynesville Formations of the U.S. Gulf Coast contain an estimated mean of 4 billion barrels of oil, 304.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 1.9 billion barrels of natural gas liquids, according to updated assessments by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). These estimates are the largest continuous natural gas assessments USGS has ever conducted. While both formations extend from the Mexican border in Texas to the Florida panhandle, the “sweet spot” is located directly within Louisiana’s Fourth Congressional District. “The shale gas renaissance has had a remarkable impact on Louisiana industry, and this new development has exciting implications for potential job growth and economic proliferation in Northwest Louisiana,” said U.S. Congressman Mike Johnson and a member of First Baptist Bossier. “Through my role on the Natural Resources Committee, I will work to ensure that unnecessary and duplicative regulations do not hamper the industry’s ability to invest or utilize these two shale formations. “It is amazing what technology and new data can produce,” said Johnson. “This discovery is welcome news not only for the people of the Fourth Congressional District, but for Louisiana and the … [Read more...]

by Gary D. Myers, NOBTS Communications NEW ORLEANS -- New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary trustees approved three administrators for new roles and elected two faculty members during their spring meeting April 12. The trustees approved a $24.3 million budget. Several significant curriculum adjustments were approved including the renaming of the Division of Christian Education to Division of the Disciple and Ministry Leadership and name changes for the seminary's counseling degrees. The board approved the creation of a new vice president position to oversee institutional assessment and named current provost, Steve Lemke, to the newly created post. Lemke, who has served 20 years as NOBTS provost, will transition to the vice president of institutional assessment role in August. The board also honored Lemke with the title of provost emeritus. NOBTS President Chuck Kelley said increased assessment requirements from the seminary's two main accrediting bodies -- the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges -- precipitated the development of the new leadership position. Kelley called Lemke a natural choice due to his … [Read more...]