By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer More than 120 students from Baptist Collegiate Ministries throughout the state are forgoing a spring break trip to the beach in order to volunteer for disaster relief work in response to the overwhelming need to help out those impacted by recent flooding in Louisiana. Among the BCMs already committed to participate next week with Louisiana Baptists’ disaster relief operations are University of Louisiana-Monroe, McNeese State University, Northwestern State University and Southeastern Louisiana University. Students at LSU-Alexandria are preparing for spring examinations next week, and members of that BCM will join ongoing recovery efforts later. BCM state missions coordinator Jamey Gilliland said being engaged in missions is a core value of all the BCMs in Louisiana and explained that campus ministers and state BCM leaders focus on getting students a missions experience multiple times throughout the year, including spring break, Christmas time and summer. Gilliland and other campus ministers felt it was important this year to respond to this specific need right in their own backyard, he said. “Often, our missions emphasis is on going to a different context to inspire a … [Read more...]

By David Roach, Baptist Press ST. LOUIS (BP) - Louisiana pastor David Crosby will be nominated for president of the Southern Baptist Convention, fellow Louisiana pastor Fred Luter announced today (March 24). "I have watched David the last 10 years here in New Orleans as he has taken the leadership of all the churches and pastors of our city in helping to rebuild New Orleans, which everybody knows was totally destroyed [in 2005] in Hurricane Katrina," Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, said in an interview, telling Baptist Press of his intention to nominate Crosby during the SBC annual meeting June 14-15 in St. Louis. "I saw how he was able to get a lot of things done to get the city back up and running," Luter said, noting Crosby's "passion for the Body of Christ and for our convention." "I can see that same passion he had for our city leading the Southern Baptist Convention." During the 20 years Crosby has pastored First Baptist Church in New Orleans, the congregation has given between 7 and 15 percent of its undesignated receipts through the Cooperative Program despite a major relocation effort and $3.5 million of damages sustained from Katrina, Luter said. During the fiscal year that … [Read more...]

By LC News PINEVILLE --The Louisiana College Division of Nursing will host a Healthcare Expo in its Nursing Skills Center on April 14, 4:30 to 7 p.m. The event offers detailed information about careers in healthcare.  Attendees will: - tour LC’s Nursing Skills lab; - observe high-tech demonstrations; - get hands-on experience with an EKG; - gain insight to med school preparation; - observe/engage in physical therapy skills; - meet personally with LC professors; - learn more about: Bachelor of Science / Nursing Associate Level / Physical Therapist Assisting. For more information, please call 318.487.7127. … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE – With Easter just days away, students, staff and faculty at Louisiana College took a little journey Wednesday. It was a time of reflection and remembrance. On a picturesque Wednesday, students traveled on the self-guided “Road to Gethsemane Prayer Journey” through seven stations, each one focusing on a specific area of prayer. The self-guided prayer journey began by encouraging students and other participants to take a moment and be still in Christ’s presence, remembering his death and glorious resurrection as the greatest moment in history. Other stations included reflections on praise and thanksgiving, confession, intercession for ministers and missionaries, intercession for authorities and the nation and the LC campus. One of the stations even included a presentation of the gospel and an invitation to accept Christ as personal Lord and Savior. By the first hour-and-a-half, the prayer journey had drawn 25 participants. The event continues through 3 p.m., and is open to the public. Thomas Worsham, who recently became director of the LC Baptist Collegiate Ministry which sponsored the prayer journey, said the day allowed students, staff and faculty and any others … [Read more...]

By Will Hall, Message Editor ALEXANDRIA – In many ways the Gospel message is a simple one. Indeed, John 3:16 captures the hope and promise in a single verse: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Regardless of what Bible translation you use, the meaning is clear. God has a plan for saving you and me for eternity. BASICS OF BELIEF There are a number of passages which explain what it means to “believe in Him.” Romans 10:13 announces that “whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,” and Luke 18:13 demonstrates such a plea must be made in a spirit of repentance, recording how a tax collector, eyes down and beating his chest, cried out, “O God, have mercy on me a poor sinner!” Other texts detail how repentance, a change in life’s direction, begins with a heartfelt profession of Jesus as Lord of your life based on an authentic belief in His physical resurrection (Romans 10:9-10). In 2 Chronicles 7:14, God reveals one must humble himself before seeking repentance. The sequence of His instruction is clear … before praying or seeking God’s face, and in order to be strengthened to turn from … [Read more...]

By Gary D. Myers, NOBTS Communications Director FIRST PERSON ACCOUNT NEW ORLEANS – While the cross remains the undisputed symbol of Christianity; the empty tomb conveys the abundant life found in Christ. The thought of Jesus stepping out of the tomb on the first Easter morning is simply overwhelming, representing His atoning death punctuated by the miracle of His resurrection. As a believer, I have experienced the power of Jesus’ cross and His empty tomb and I don’t need to see the tomb to experience its power. But, as a student of the Bible and archaeology, I am compelled to learn as much as I can about the setting in which the Bible was written. So seeing the empty tomb in this context is an exciting thought. Archaeology offers a wealth of contextual information about biblical places, events and people; however, it rarely offers proofs and such is the case with Jesus’ tomb. Archaeology alone cannot lead to the tomb because it is not as simple as locating an empty tomb. Many empty tombs dot the landscape around Jerusalem – emptied by the ravages of time and human raiders. With these limitations in mind, what can one learn from archaeology regarding the tomb of Jesus? It turns out, quite a bit. With a little … [Read more...]

By Fred Luter, Pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church New Orleans and former president of the Southern Baptist Convention NEW ORLEANS – Ever since I started as pastor at Franklin Avenue, the Easter season has been special to me and our congregation. No matter what I’m preaching on, when the month of Easter arrives I will stop that series and concentrate on the events leading up to Good Friday and resurrection Sunday. A lot of new Christians never hear all the details of the Easter story, but I want all my members to know that one of Jesus’ own disciples, Judas, betrayed him, and another, Peter, denied him. I start with that Thursday prayer in the garden and give all the details leading up to the kangaroo court that tried Christ. I share the grim descriptions of His beating and narrate His walk while carrying that old rugged cross up Golgotha’s hill. I give a vivid mental picture of Him being nailed to the cross – nails in his hand, nails in his feet – and the spear being thrust in his side, crown of thorns on his head. Then I try to get them to imagine hearing those seven cries Jesus uttered from the cross before he died. But, then I emphasize the hope of resurrection Sunday, Christ raised from the grave and an … [Read more...]

By Gevan Spinney, Pastor of First Baptist Church Haughton and President of the Louisiana Baptist Convention HAUGHTON – Has anyone ever taken something “from” you? This is one of two important questions enmeshed in the Easter story. WHAT WAS TAKEN? Have you ever found yourself looking for something you cherished only to realize you are a victim of theft, left with an empty feeling in the pit of your stomach as a vivid reminder of being violated in your personal space? All four Gospel writers introduce us to a man who is guilty of impacting individuals just this way. Matthew described him as a “notorious criminal”; John simply called him a “robber”; Mark and Luke said he was incarcerated for murder. But despite such descriptions and the obvious importance of the role Barabbas played in the passion story, the Gospels share little else about the man. As soon as he steps onto the pages of the Bible he steps off, and we never hear about him again. It’s possible to make some assumptions from his name – in particular that he came from a religious family. Bar – meaning “son of”, and Abba – which translates as “father,” could suggest his parents loved God so much they named him “the son of the Father.” But, … [Read more...]

By Jake Roudkovski, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary NEW ORLEANS -- Someone has said, “Young may die, old must die, but all will die.” You don’t have to be a statistical genius to know that one out of every one person on earth dies. That’s why as we celebrate Easter this year, we should remember that the resurrection of Jesus Christ provides each of us victory over death. In our celebration of the risen Savior, we are celebrating our victory over death. In perhaps the most extensive chapter in the entire Bible on the resurrection of Jesus Christ and its impact upon humanity, the apostle Paul proclaims, “The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:56-57). In my study of the epic chapter on the resurrection of Jesus, I counted the word “death” appearing twenty-five times. In highlighting every mention of death in the chapter, I was reminded of my own mortality and a story that I read about two teenagers who were discussing death. One commented, “Wouldn’t it be neat to know the time and the place that you are going to die?” But the other responded with a bewildered look, “What good would it do?” The … [Read more...]

HAMMOND (BP) -- When flood victim Lynell Davis walked into the Southern Baptist Incident Command Center at Woodlawn Park Baptist Church, long-time Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteer Marlene Thompson could see that he was distraught. "He looked like he hadn't slept in days," said Thompson of Colyell. "He sat down and was shaking, said he hadn't had food." The volunteers at Woodlawn Park in Hammond provided Davis with food, and then began the process of completing forms for disaster relief team members to clean his flooded home. "He gave me his paperwork and I was able to file his insurance in 15 minutes," Thompson said. "He sat there and wept." Davis told Thompson that he had cried out for God's help all night. "He sent me here, and you were able to help me," Davis said. That evening, he would profess faith in Jesus Christ. With widespread flooding across Louisiana, Davis represents just one homeowner SBDR will help. With an estimated 5,000 homes damaged in Louisiana, Davis' story will likely repeat many more times. "This is growing by the hour," said David Abernathy, the Louisiana Baptist Convention's (LBC) Disaster Relief incident commander. "We're finding a lot of damage in rural parishes, which have … [Read more...]