By Holly Jo Linzay, Regional Reporter ALEXANDRIA – Students of the Louisiana Baptist All-State Youth Choir spent the early part of this summer worshipping through song, sharing testimonies and reaching out to others. Seventy-eight youth, representing 38 churches throughout the state, participated in a June trip to Tennessee accompanied by 10 adult sponsors. The choir sang praises to God and presented personal testimonies at youth detention centers, public parks, shelters, rescue missions, nursing homes, shopping malls and a few unexpected places. Chris Turner, minister of music at First Baptist Church in Pineville, headed up the tour this year. “The youth choir got to sing and help minister with a church in downtown Nashville that reaches out to the homeless under a bridge. It was a moving experience,” Turner said. He has participated in the choir tour for three years as a sponsor, but this year he oversaw the 10-day trip for Herb Armentrout, the LBC youth music consultant out of Broadmoor Baptist Church in Shreveport, who was unable to travel because of scheduled surgery. The group made quite an impact in Tennessee, Turner said. “This was not just a choir tour. The youth were given the opportunity to do … [Read more...]

By Jerry Love, LBF Communications ALEXANDRIA -- The Louisiana Baptist Foundation Board of Trustees met at the Louisiana Baptist Building July 26 for their third quarterly meeting of the year with the morning dedicated to meetings by the investment committee and operating committee and the afternoon spent in general session by the entire body to consider committee reports and other business. INVESTMENT UPDATES Lafayette’s Jim Prince, who chaired the morning meeting of the Investment Committee, called on Lee Morris of Graystone Consulting, the LBF’s investment consultant, to give the quarter’s update on the investment managers and market conditions. Morris noted the following market conditions as considerations for the context of his report: -- US domestic equity market was the only positive performer for the past 12 months.  All others around the world were negative. -- Entering 2016 analyst expectations were interest rates would rise and fixed income portfolios would struggle as a result.  The opposite has happened.  Rates have dropped and the fixed portfolios have delivered excellent returns. -- After six years of underperformance versus developed markets, emerging markets are starting to deliver the best … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer WOODWORTH – More than anything, God wants a personal relationship with every person through His Son. However, many times satan brings about distractions that can hinder that connection from happening. By focusing on Jesus Christ and resisting evil, man can grow in a relationship with God, a heavenly Father. It begins, Andrew Orr said, when a person accepts the free gift of salvation by grace through faith. “We run so hard that we sometimes lose focus,” Orr said during his message at Kids Camp on Aug. 2. “Some of you have been saved or baptized. When you get up every morning, you forget other people are watching you and you forget to focus on God. “Some of you are resisting or holding back or don’t know if God can save you,” he continued. “The Bible says He’s the only one who can save you.” Orr shared such messages of hope found in Christ during the third and final Kids Camp of 2016 at Tall Timbers Baptist Conference Center, which began Aug. 1 and ends today, Aug. 3. Nearly 400 children and adult leaders from 22 churches took part in worship sessions, Bible studies, recreational activities including a ropes course, bazooka ball, archery and basketball, and tracks such as … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer WOODWORTH – Curt Iles had a clear message for a room of 20 boys attending Royal Ambassador Camp this week – become a missionary, even if it means going to places that may be difficult and where they don’t know about Jesus. “As missionaries, we go to where people haven’t heard about Jesus and are hurting. We go to the difficult places,” said Iles, who served alongside his wife DeDe as missionaries with the International Mission Board in Uganda from 2013-2015. “We must as followers of Jesus go help them. Our job is to bring them the Gospel.” Iles, who previously was director of Dry Creek Baptist Camp, led individual breakout sessions on missions during RA Camp, which started July 27 and continues through Saturday. The camp drew 147 participants from a total of 14 churches. As of July 28, four young men had made professions of faith. The boys and their leaders took part in worship led by Kellie and Kristen Fuselier of Pineville and heard challenging messages from Brandon Digalormo of Haughton. The theme of the camp was ‘Running the Race,’ based on Hebrews 12:1. When they were not in worship sessions, the campers took part in recreational activities, including crafts, BB gun … [Read more...]

By Philip Timothy, Managing Editor ALEXANDRIA (LBM) -- Four Louisiana Baptist churches were among eight churches and six businesses in four parishes victimized by burglars and vandals in mid-July. Richey Baptist in Deville, Rosefield Baptist in Grayson and New Ouachita Baptist in Enterprise were burglarized while Lakeside Baptist in Pineville had its sign vandalized. According to investigators at the Sheriff offices in the four parishes (Avoyelles, LaSalle, Catahoula and Rapides), it does not appear the string of break-ins were linked in any way. In the break-in at Richey, Pastor Grady Dodge says he has “them on camera.” However, it was hard to make the thieves out as “the security cameras are not the best and the thieves wore long sleeves and hoodies. They definitely didn’t want to be seen.” On July 17, between 12:30 a.m. until 2 a.m., the thieves came to the church three times. At approximately 12:30 that morning, according to surveillance footage they broke into the church for the first time. “They broke in through the Life Center by busting down the door. They rummaged around the different buildings and made their way to a back room behind the sanctuary where they found our fireproof safe.” The thieves … [Read more...]

Baton Rouge — Louisiana Family Forum released its 2016 Legislative Scorecard July 26, providing a tool for Louisiana residents to evaluate members of the Louisiana legislature on key policy votes. The 2016 regular legislative session was augmented by weeks-long special sessions called by the governor before and after the regularly scheduled lawmaking assembly which convened March 14 – June 6. LFF President Gene Mills said his group maintained a constant presence throughout, assessing legislation to provide feedback to stakeholders on key bills. He said they also tracked how House and Senate members voted on these key issues and that the scorecard reflects a measure of a legislator’s actual stand, not just rhetoric, on a range of family values. "We encourage Louisiana residents to take time and evaluate this report,” Mills said. He also asked voters to “analyze how well your lawmakers represented Louisiana family values” and to call each with feedback. Mills announced his organization would be presenting Life and Liberty Awards to the men and women who successfully passed measures promoting life, liberty, and limited government this year. The 2016 recipients are: Rep. Rick Edmonds – HB1019 – prohibits abortion … [Read more...]

By Philip Timothy, Managing Editor JACKSON, Miss. – ‘What an awesome God we serve’ is such a simple yet profound statement. Shane and Kelly Kiper Longoria can attest to it. Eleven days ago, 22-year-old Kelly was abducted at a convenience store on her way to work, shot in the head by her assailant and left for dead in a Winnsboro graveyard. When she was airlifted to the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit at Jackson Memorial in Jackson, Miss., the doctors told the family the chances were very high Kelly would not make it as they could not remove the bullet. They were concerned what the adverse effects would be by leaving the bullet. Word quickly spread about the tragedy and people immediately began to pray. The prayer chain began slowly, just in the community, but it quickly expanded through family and friends to small groups, Sunday school classes and entire congregations. In less than two days, hundreds and then thousands were lifting the couple up in prayer. “So many people know Shane and Kelly. They are both great kids … well liked and well loved. And, so many people know Miss Lisa (Lisa Kiper is Kelly’s mother) and the Kiper family,” said Craig Beeman, pastor of First Baptist Church in Winnsboro. “They, … [Read more...]

By Norm Miller, Louisiana College communications PINEVILLE (LC News) - If you ask Mark Rodie why he and four other men from First Baptist Church Bossier City would give up a Saturday to labor in landscaping at Louisiana College under the sultry July sun, within about a minute he will tell you about Men of Courage. Inspired by the movie “Courageous,” Rodie helped form Men of Courage as part of the men’s ministry at FBC Bossier, where he heads up the church’s ministries to men. “Where are you men of courage?” is a line from the movie that shot through Rodie’s heart a few years ago, but not without leaving the conviction to not only be a man of courage but to lead others to join him. What started as Rodie and his mentor meeting every Friday morning has grown into hundreds of men gathering for breakfast and “a time of rejoicing in the joy of our salvation -- you know, men sharing testimonies of what the Lord is doing in their lives,” Rodie told LCNews. “We will sometimes reference 20 to 30 passages of Scripture. The Bible is our workbook. It really encourages us when we leave to be the Church.” Inspiration from the Bible study moves men like Rodie and those who tore out overgrown shrubbery at LC and who will come back … [Read more...]

By Message Staff WOODWORTH – The site of the new Georgia Barnette Conference Center is anything but quiet this week. Volunteers from throughout the state are busy laying concrete on the front sidewalk of the building, digging drain and fire water lines for the sprinkler system and building cabinets for the coffee bar. Some workers are as young as elementary school age while others are in their 70s. But all have the same goal and mission – contribute to the construction of a center that will house information about influential early-day Louisiana Baptists and become a state-of-the art training facility for the future of missions in Louisiana. Among the volunteers onsite this week is Mackenzie Aymond, who came with fellow youth group members from Calvary Baptist Church in Woodworth. She counted it joy to brave the humidity and follow the example of others who have worked for months on the project. “I have seen all these people sweating and working out here before, so when I heard I would have an opportunity to help out here, I immediately agreed,” Aymond said. “After spending a few hours working on the building, I appreciate what all they have done.” Glorida Beasley came with others from First Baptist Church in … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer JOHNSON BAYOU – The past of Johnson Bayou Baptist Church is filled with far too many memories of damage and destruction caused by two hurricanes in the past 11 years. Yet with each setback its members vowed not to give up, and promised not to dismiss the dream of finally one day rebuilding at its original location off Highway 82. Now that persistence paid off with an official groundbreaking ceremony and the laying of the first boards of a new church building on June 22. “After nearly eight years of not having a building, this is a dream come true,” said Pastor Jack Gandy. Scheduled for completion sometime in September, the new building will be a metal structure with wood interior. Built by Brystar Construction of Beaumont, Texas, the cost is approximately $575,000. To protect itself from possible rising water in the future, the 3,200-sq.-ft. structure will sit on beams 10 feet high. Inside the building will be an auditorium with seating for 100, classrooms, a kitchen with a small fellowship area, restrooms and an elevator. The original structure was damaged when Hurricane Rita made landfall Sept. 24, 2005, as 4-5 feet of floodwaters came inside the building and the high winds ripped … [Read more...]