By Jamie Stephens, Regional Reporter BASTROP – Pastor Andy Myrick said his church was excited to be disrupted by a determined cancer patient’s third attempt to be baptized after two previous failed efforts due to his illness last month. “This was the best disruption in our church we have ever had,” Myrick tearfully said, “I was on cloud nine!  When Lee Barnett walked out of our church after his baptism, there was not one dry eye. Satan tried to stop him from accomplishing what he wanted to do the previous two times, which was getting baptized at Oak Hill Baptist Church.” Oak Hill’s pastor shared his beliefs about how prayer, determination, and faith in Christ can defeat Satan’s attempts to destroy the accomplishments of God’s children. Lee accomplished his goal for baptism Jan. 24, then joined the Lord through the gates of Heaven Jan. 27 following a coma from his lengthy battle with cancer. Lee’s funeral was on Feb.1, but he left an important message and testimony for those he loved.  “I want my wife and grandkids to know the Lord,” he told Myrick before he went home. Myrick described Lee to be distant from everyone and that he never attended church since he was a kid.  He said Lee’s wife, Mary, did not attend … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer COVINGTON – The Covington Police Department has joined a growing movement among law enforcement by placing the decal “In God We Trust” on its police cars. Police Chief Tim Lentz, a member at First Baptist Church in Covington, announced Feb. 17 via the department’s Facebook page he would begin placing them on the vehicles at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 18. Business owners, elected officials and others in the community joined in the effort to help place the stickers on the cars. The idea came to Lentz while praying in a worship service at First Covington last week. He recalled how other law enforcement departments around the country, including some in Louisiana, were placing on their vehicles the decal proclaiming the national motto. After talking with numerous Christian leaders and officers, Lentz received confirmation about going through with his idea. “If other cities were doing this, I thought why not here,” Lentz said. “We are a faithful community and a faithful law enforcement agency. We’re not shy about our Christianity. “It’s time we get back to our values and traditions,” he continued. “This hopefully will be the start of a movement here in Covington to do just that.” No public … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA – Larry Cordaro has achieved at LSU-Alexandria in two seasons what takes some basketball coaches an entire career to accomplish. Since he came on board, he has led the program to its first-ever national tournament appearance, garnered the national coach of the year award and led the Generals to a No. 1 ranking in the polls of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. But even with the success he has experienced on the court, Cordaro knows his mission in life is much more than just winning a national championship. The ultimate prize, Cordaro emphasizes, is influencing the players Christ has entrusted to him – well beyond their basketball careers at LSUA. “It’s more than about winning games,” said Cordaro, a member at Calvary Baptist Church in Alexandria. “It’s about winning lives and making better men.” From successful coach to Christ follower A native of Ruston, Cordaro’s coaching career has included stops at LSU in Baton Rouge as director of basketball operations, University of Texas at Arlington as assistant coach and recruiting and player development as assistant coach and later associate head coach at Southeastern Louisiana University in … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA – The leadership of Baptist Temple Church had tried multiple attempts at growth. They resurfaced the parking lot, placed a new roof on its building and made many changes to their facility, along with making staff, and ministry changes to try to propel growth. But despite nearly a decade of efforts to revitalize their church, growth did not happen. “We didn’t have the staff with a vision and we couldn’t replace or hire a staff with the ability to discern how to reach our community that was now a different type of demographic than when we first began as a church,” said Deacon Bob Mellon. “It was obvious to keep this site as one that was reaching others for Christ, we needed the right staff with the right vision in here. “We had been praying for years about this,” he continued. “You could see the slide. Like a lot of churches we had become internally focused. We knew we had to change the way we reach our community but didn’t know how.” At that point in February 2015, the congregation reached out to Bradd Webb, pastor of Family of Grace, another other LBC congregation in the community, at the prompting by Director of Missions Robert Daniel – with the idea of a … [Read more...]

By Holly Linzay, Regional Reporter PINEVILLE – It is often through pain and persecution that the Lord can work in a person or even birth a ministry. “Your pain is for your progress. Your pain is for a purpose.  But take courage and believe God,” Debbie Stuart, the keynote speaker, urged the women gathered at the Kaleidoscope Conference as she told about how her life related to Paul’s shipwreck experience in Acts 27. Stuart, director of ministry initiatives at Hope for the Heart ministries in Dallas, shared how the “shipwrecks” in her own life led her to minister to women in prison. She opened up about how her son, Jarrad, was arrested and has been incarcerated for the last seven years. “When the two police officers took my son and arrested him, I asked God for divine intervention. I asked God why would He not deliver my son, and He said, ‘I just did,’” Stuart said explaining that God’s ways are not “our” ways and the Lord “appoints shipwrecks” for “His own good reasons.” About 260 women at the conference Feb. 7 at First Baptist Church in Pineville were challenged by Stuart to see God work in the midst of the storms in their lives and to anchor themselves in the Word so they do not abandon hope. Kaleidoscope is a … [Read more...]

ON THE MOVE Israel Montejo is the new pastor of Bethel Hispanic Church, Bernice. Alvin Ogea resigns as pastor at Trinity Baptist Church, Eunice. Don , wife Bea, Thornton retired from the pastoral ministry Dec. 31, 2015 at Waverly Baptist Church in Delhi after 50 plus years in the ministry. HOMECOMING/ANNIVERSARY Beulah Baptist Church, Cheneyville: 200th anniversary, March 6, 9:30 a.m. Pastor: Kenneth Hudson. Calvary Baptist Church, Slidell: 55th anniversary, March 13, 11 a.m. There will be a luncheon after the services. Pastor: Aaron McGuffee. Trinity Baptist Church, Oak Grove: 54th anniversary, March 13. This will also begin our Spring Revival, March 13-16, Sunday, 10:15 a.m.; Sunday evening, 6 p.m., and Monday-Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. Evangelist: Bill Robertson. Music: Ben Waites will provide music Sunday morning while Richard Ainsworth will direct music Sunday evening through Wednesday. Pastor: Rayburn McLarrin. REVIVAL Crockett Point Baptist Church, Crowville: Revival, Feb. 28-March 2, Sunday 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.; Monday-Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. Speaker: Jerry Spence. Music: Mackey Willis Family. Pastor: Joe Senn. Westside Baptist Church, New Iberia: Tent Revival, Feb. 28-March 1, 6 p.m. nightly. Guest … [Read more...]

By Norm Miller, Louisiana College Communications PINEVILLE -- Former SBC president Fred Luter preached at Louisiana College's Feb. 18 chapel services as part of the college's observance of Black History month. Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, spoke from Matthew 26 on "What to do when you don't know what to do." “While in the Garden of Gethsemane on the eve of his crucifixion, Jesus felt sorrow and solitude, but expressed submission and showed strength before his unjust arrest,” Luter said. “What one should do when one does not know what to do "is to learn a lesson from Jesus; go to God in prayer. Several local African American pastors and church members greeted him after the chapel sermon, many taking selfies with the noted pastor. LC students, faculty and staff also met Luter. "Dr. Luter is one among the many who have preached in our chapel services, and yet whose walk with God comes through not so much as a sermon, but as an encouraging testimony to what God has done and will do for all who will follow the Lord," said LC president Rick Brewer. "Louisiana College is serious about the chapel service as it draws the entire LC family together around the word of God fitly preached." … [Read more...]

By Jim Burton NEW ORLEANS — Ryan Rice once despised the church. Then he found love. Growing up in greater New Orleans, an aunt read the Bible to him. Rice found the stories about Jesus fascinating. “I was the kid who raised his hand to answer every Bible question,” Rice said of his early exposure to Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. When he turned 8 years old, his mother married a man who was an abuser and drug user. As a child just discovering the Bible, he learned about the dark side of life, and he asked a big question for a child, “Where is God?” In middle school, his mother dragged him to church. “I remember sitting there and thinking, ‘This is the worst thing ever. I hate church. I hate the people here.’ That was coming from a lot of hurt,” Rice said. That hurt remained as he grew to become a popular and handsome athlete who was the high school student council president. On the outside, Rice appeared to have his life together. “From every aspect of my life, I was empty on the inside,” Rice said. “I was just broken.” Then he met Seane’ Smooth and her father, Andrew Honore. On the first day of his freshman year at Dillard University in New Orleans, he saw Smooth and knew she was special. … [Read more...]

By Staff, Baptist Message METAIRIE -- Louisiana appears to have one less abortion facility in operation, as a clinic in Metairie that performs the procedures seems to have closed, at least for now. According to Louisiana Right to Life, Causeway Medical Clinic has been closed for several weeks and some workers were seen on Wednesday cleaning out the building. It is not known if the clinic will reopen at another location. “Over the years, the Causeway Medical Clinic facility has performed thousands and thousands of abortions, killing unborn children and damaging the lives of women and families,” said Louisiana Right to Life Executive Director Ben Clapper. “With alternatives to abortion readily available, we don't need abortion facilities profiting off the destruction of human life. Join me today in remembering the lives lost within that facility, and praying that abortions never resume at that site.” Even with the closure, abortions are still being performed in the adjacent parish at Women’s Health Care Center in New Orleans. Planned Parenthood is building a new $4.2 million, 7,000 square-foot health clinic on South Claiborne Avenue in New Orleans to perform even more abortions not far from Women’s Health Care … [Read more...]