By Staff, Baptist Message After a week of rain, the sunshine was a welcome sight for many in Louisiana Sunday. The same could not be said for the rapidly rising floodwaters that has overtaken nearly 5,000 homes, businesses and churches throughout the state. According to initial figures released Sunday (March 13) by the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, 4,958 homes have been damaged due to historic river flooding caused by more than two feet of rain. But during the reprieve many people affected by the flooding went to church to pray for the victims, seek God’s Divine intervention or to just give thanks. Such was the case as the community of Sterlington, unified by the historic flooding, attended services at First Baptist Church Sterlington. The congregations of First West-Fairbanks Campus, First Sterlington, St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church and Foundry attended services at First Sterlington praying for unity in the middle of the present disaster. Pastor Ben Hackler of FBC Sterlington shared from Matthew 8 about how Jesus would carry us through the storms we face Other Southern Baptist churches raised money to assist Louisiana Disaster Relief teams in recovery efforts … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message As if the rain wasn’t enough, now comes the flooding and it could be historic. More than 24 inches of rain has fallen in Louisiana over the last five days and residents are now bracing for major flooding. According to the National Weather Service, record flooding is already occurring along a stretch of the Sabine River, the Bogue Falaya River in Covington and Bayou Dorcheat at Lake Bistineau and Little River in Winn and LaSalle Parishes. The flooding of the Sabine River is being accelerated by the release of 207,644 cubic feet per second or about 1.5 million gallons per second at the Toledo Bend Spillway, which was constructed in 1966. In the next several days along the Louisiana/Texas border the river will rise to historic levels. Residents down river are under mandatory evacuation orders as the river is expected to crest by almost two feet over the unofficial record set in 1884 in the town of Deweyville, Texas. The crest will flood numerous homes and leave roads impassable and towns isolated. Thousands of homeowners in north and central Louisiana have already encountered severe flooding from the heavy rain – 24 inches in some areas. In response, Samaritan’s Purse has deployed two … [Read more...]

By Norman Miller, Louisiana College Communications PINEVILLE -- One of Louisiana College’s beloved donors and friends, Mary Anna Granberry, passed away peacefully at the age of 94 on the morning of March 11 in Lafayette. Members of First Baptist Church in Lafayette, the Granberrys have a history of generosity for Baptist causes. The Granberrys contributed substantially to build the Granberry Conference Center that adjoins Louisiana College’s Hixson Student Center, and endowed two scholarship funds that still support LC students. They also established the counseling centers statewide for the Louisiana Baptist Children's Home. Today, Granberry Counseling Center has 11 sites that see more than 1,500 clients annually. The Granberrys became acquainted with Louisiana College through Bonnie Lynn and an event she founded called “Adults with Seniority.” Bonnie was LC’s director of planned giving during the presidential tenure of her husband, Bob Lynn. “The Granberrys were very generous people, who loved Louisiana College and Christian higher education,” said Byron McGee, LC’s vice president for Institutional Advancement. “We are very grateful for their generosity.” LC president Rick Brewer said, “While our hearts are … [Read more...]

By Message Staff Even as floodwaters continue to rise in Sterlington, the churches of various denominations there are coming together to spread Christ’s love through meal and clothing distributions. “There is a lot of water everywhere and it is steadily rising” said Ben Hackler, pastor of First Baptist Church Sterlington. “Right now, there really isn’t much we can do but to watch it rain, help where we can and wait. We’ve mobilized people to help where we can.” According to Hackler, First Sterlington and First West Monroe Fairbanks have joined together to provide hot meals, sandwiches and bottled water to those in need. The First West thrift store already has received a number of donations which they are distributing. The Methodist Church, which is across the street from First Sterlington, is one of four shelters operating in the area and both Baptist Churches are supplying meals and personal items to the occupants and relief workers. “If need be, we can also house people as well,” Hackler said. “So far, we have not been needed to house anyone. Hackler, who was in Frenchmen’s Bend subdivision Friday morning helping to move furniture out of a house threatened by rising water, said the work in the area has only … [Read more...]

The record flooding throughout Louisiana, especially in north Louisiana, has led to postponements of  several events scheduled for Saturday. The Missions Jamboree (M-JAM) which was to take place at Cedar Crest Baptist Church in West Monroe, has been rescheduled for a later date to be announced. For more information, call 800.622.6549, extension 266. Also two multi-denominational, pro-life prayer vigils – one in Bossier City and the other in Shreveport -- have been moved to March 19. Due to flooding in north Louisiana, The Generate Conference 2016 slated for Monday and Tuesday at North Monroe Baptist is being postponed.  The new date for the conference will be determined at a later date. … [Read more...]

By Louisiana College communications Christian Universities Online (CUO) has ranked Louisiana College the third most affordable Christian college in the United States and included LC in the category of “50 Best Value Christian Colleges and Universities” for 2015 - 16. “Though the two are related, there is a distinct difference between affordability and value,” said Dr. Rick Brewer, president of LC. “We have worked hard to close the affordability gap by making our rates competitive with public institutions,” he said. “Our differentiating value proposition, however, is that we offer academic rigor with curricula that are founded on a Christian worldview.” “We are intentional about offering the best education possible at a reasonable cost,” Brewer continued.  “We do this primarily because we believe what Colossians 2:3 says about ‘all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’ being in Jesus Christ.” “That so few schools are on both lists speaks to how God has blessed LC, and to our commitment to prepare graduates and transform lives for kingdom growth,” Brewer said. For information about financial aid at LC, go to www.lacollege.edu/finances/financial-aid.   … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer Two feet of water is now inside a church north of Monroe due to the heavy rainfall in the area but its members are looking for ways to show Christ’s love even in a bleak situation. “The building is flooded but the church is fine,” said Chad Merrell, pastor of First West Fairbanks. “The church is serving our community and loving people like Jesus. Pray that we have opportunities to serve and share the hope of Jesus with people whom we never would’ve met had water not risen.” Some of his members along with those from its parent church, First West Monroe, are helping evacuate homes, feed volunteers and fill and deliver sandbags, Merrell said. He expects many more opportunities to be available in the coming days and weeks ahead to minister to others affected by the storm. “Pray for first responders and volunteers,” he said. “Pray for families who have been evacuated. Pray the rain will stop.” Since Tuesday, torrential rainfall has caused massive flooding throughout Louisiana. Nearly two feet of rain has fallen in some areas and the rain may not move out of the state until sometime Sunday, according to long-range forecasts. Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency … [Read more...]

By Message Staff First Baptist Church in Haughton opened its doors Tuesday evening to neighbors whose homes were flooded after a strong system produced high winds and up to a foot of rain in some areas. Regardless of the amount of time evacuees need to stay at the designated American Red Cross shelter, Pastor Gevan Spinney says his congregation will shine the love of Christ in a dismal situation. “The evacuees have been very grateful but are devastated,” said Spinney, who also is Louisiana Baptist Convention president. “Most of the people here have lost a lot and are kind of shell shocked. We plan on loving them as long as we need to.” Nine people stayed inside the church’s Family Life Center Tuesday evening, and the church as well as some area businesses are providing food for the evacuees, Spinney said. “We are getting a lot of texts and calls from people in the community asking how they can help,” Spinney said. “We’ve gone through some tragedies in Haughton as a community in the past and this proves again that folks love on each other and take care of their neighbors.” Louisiana associational directors of missions in the affected areas told the Baptist Message no churches were damaged in the first wave of bad … [Read more...]

By Norm Miller, LC communications PINEVILLE - Louisiana College senior social work major Caroline Weatherford was chosen by the Louisiana Council on Social Work Education to present a paper at a statewide National Association of Social Worker’s Conference in Baton Rouge, La., March 17. Among all the papers submitted from Louisiana’s higher education social work programs, Weatherford’s committee-reviewed paper was top choice for presentation from the undergraduate level. Originally written as part of Weatherford’s Social Work with Communities and Organizations’ coursework, the paper conjoins her class’s semester-long community service learning project focused on reducing the stigma of mental illness in Central Louisiana. “I am honored to present this paper and am excited I was chosen,” Weatherford told LCNews. “But I am even more excited that I'll be able to share the work that my classmates and I did. Hopefully, this will raise the awareness of stigma even more.” Weatherford and her classmates completed two public awareness projects. The first was a "Chalk Out," where students wrote statistics about mental illness on public sidewalks. “The purpose was for people to read these statistics and, if they have a mental … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court has blocked enforcement of a Louisiana law March 3 which called for doctors who provide abortions to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. The justices reversed an order by the federal appeals court in New Orleans that allowed Louisiana to begin enforcing its 2014 clinic regulation law even as it is being challenged in the courts. Louisiana Right to Life Executive Director Benjamin Clapper expressed his disappointment in the reversal of the federal appeals court in New Orleans. “We are disappointed the Supreme Court has blocked our common-sense admitting privileges law until further appeals in the 5th Circuit, and ultimately, the Supreme Court’s upcoming decision coming in June on a similar law in Texas,” Clapper said. “Abortion physicians shouldn’t have exceptions to safety standards, and we hope the Supreme Court will ultimately decide to protect Louisiana’s right to enact appropriate regulations to protect the health of its citizens.” By blocking Louisiana’s law, this could be a sign that a similar law in Texas also could be in peril. The legal group representing the clinics says facilities in Baton Rouge and Bossier City already have … [Read more...]