Baton Rouge
Christian
september 2016 FREE
Magazine
INSIDE:
RECONCILIATION Lt. Gen. Russel HonorĂŠ
Rev. Raymond Jetson
Measurable change through the Gardere Initiative
Brothers share chaplain duties at Gonzalez Fire Dept.
BTR_BRBR_hlfpg_christianlife.pdf
1
5/19/16
1:54 PM
X
Dedicated to providing the highest level of veterinary medicine along with friendly, compassionate service. Resident in Veterinary Dentistry: Basic to advanced dental procedures
Full Service Veterinarian Boarding/Baths Surgical Laser Laser Therapy Digital Radiology
2
SEPTEMBER 2016 l Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine
PERKINS ROAD VETERINARY HOSPITAL 5215 Perkins Road Baton Rouge, Louisiana Phone: (225) 766-0550 www.PRVH.net
Table of CONTENTS Feature
STORY
Baton Rouge
Christian
Feature Columns
20-21 6-12 After the Storm: Comforting Words for Turbulent Times by Lisa Tramontana
Faith LIFE Captain Andrew Stevens and Dr. Murelle Harrison on Working to Achieve Measurable Results in the Gardere Community by Susan Brown
Lt. General Russel Honoré: Identifying Our Current Afflictions and Creating a Vision for Our Path Forward by Beth Townsend
16-18 22-24
Family LIFE Brotherly Love
by Lisa Tramontana
Are You a Living Epistle? by Tonya Woodridge-Jarvis
Inside Each Issue
5 13 19 29 38
by Trapper S. Kinchen
Publisher’s letter PAstor’s perspective by Elmo Winters
Man on the street
by Jehan Seals
Witness at work by Sharon Furrate Bailey
OPPORTUNITIES FOR LIFE
lagniappe
14 15
4
Millennial LIFE Abby Ter Haar Understands the Importance of Engaging In the Broader Global Conversation
Together we run photos by Kelli Knight
Christian Women’s Connection Luncheon photos by Beth Townsend
26-28 32-36
Learning for LIFE Rev. Elijah Zehyoue On Reconciliation, the Church and Loving Our Neighbors by Susan Brown
healthy LIFE A Burden Lifted by Lisa Tramontana
Sisters Serve as Role Models to Help Kids ‘Be the Best They Can Be’ by Ivy Hamilton
New grant allows for quicker screening of potential diabetes treatments by Pennington Biomedical Research Center
On the Nathan D’Gerolamo and Ian Smith Cover See story page 37.
SEPTEMBER 2016 l Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine
Magazine
issue 6, volume 2 SEPTEMBER 2016 PUBLISHER/Editor Beth Townsend Beth@bethtownsend.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR McKenzie Moffett mckenzie@ batonrougechristianlifemagazine.com Director of Distribution Elmo Winters Elmow1@att.net contributing writers Susan Brown Tonya Woodridge-Jarvis Trapper S. Kinchen Ivy Hamilton Lisa Tramontana Elmo Winters Sharon Furrate Bailey Jehan Seals LAYOUT & DESIGN BY Illuminated Designs Studio BATON ROUGE CHRISTIAN LIFE MAGAZINE 9655 Perkins Road, Suite C-133 Baton Rouge, LA 70810 225-910-7426 batonrougechristianlifemagazine.com BATON ROUGE CHRISTIAN LIFE MAGAZINE WEBSITE BY Yowza Design & McKenzie Moffett printed by RR Donnelley / Memphis, TN
We would like to apologize to Sherry Barron, a contributing writer in the August 2016 issue. Sherry’s name was misspelled and her article was not correctly titled. Sherry is an outstanding supporter of BRCLM and we sincerely regret the errors.
Publisher’s LETTER
W
What does reconciliation in our city mean to you? Our class at Columbia (MS) High School was the first to be desegregated. Years later I learned that it was apparently a “big deal” through a random Facebook post. Like most of my fellow students, I had no clue. My siblings and I were raised by a single mom. The five of us had some tough hurdles early in life. We lived off a rural highway with few other houses around; it seemed it took forever to get to our house from our small town. Across the highway were several African-American neighbors who faced similar struggles to our own. This was our village. While we had friends in town, those neighbors helped raise us. We played with the kids whose moms took care of us while our mom worked. If we got out of line, those ladies would put us back in line, and I mean quickly. My mom trusted them with her kids. By high school graduation, you’d have never known ours was the first class to integrate. It just wasn’t talked about. Not because it was taboo, but because it was a non-issue, at least to the students. I do not recall one incident that was a result of racial tension. From the football team to the student body government to the homecoming court, we were diverse, and our friendships were as well. Yet, at the town square, I recall Ku Klux Klan rallies. Those white robes are hard to forget. You couldn’t help but see them because they would stand outside the town square right in the center of everything. It wasn’t until years later that I began to understand what that meant.
Y
There will always be extremists. Those rallying for division will always speak loudly. No matter what culture or city, as Christians, our duty is clear: love and accept others, while at the same time standing firm for what is right. The Body of Christ must lead the way in the dark world, and we must do it together if we are to be effective. It’s easy to look out into the world and assume the worst. Often it’s simpler to assume there is nothing that any one person can do to effect change. That is a lie from Satan himself. We have the power of Christ within us. By way of the Holy Spirit, we have been empowered and anointed to go boldly into the world. None are here by accident. We were placed here by a Holy God for a Holy purpose — to bring Him glory and make his name known. Let’s do this! We can be that city on the hill. Matthew 5:14 (ESV) says, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” Let’s shine so brightly we show the world it can be done. Let’s put aside our differences and let Christ be our bond. There is an opportunity before us, and together we can do great things. We hope you’ll enjoy this special edition. We are thankful for the many who shared with us, and hope our call to action will produce warriors for Christ and evoke saints in the city. God help us as we seek ways to heal and be healed.
In the fullness of Life,
Beth Townsend
Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine l SEPTEMBER 2016
5
X
Faith LIFE
Members of the EBRSO interact with local children in playtime.
Captain Andrew Stevens and Dr. Murelle Harrison on Working to Achieve Measurable Results in the Gardere Community
by Susan Brown 6
photos provided by Gardere Initiative
SEPTEMBER 2016 l Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine
As Captain Andrew Stevens walks to his sheriff’s unit, a truck slows and stops.
Faith LIFE The driver leans out to talk. After a few minutes’ conversation, they both smile and move on. It speaks volumes. At a time when many communities are experiencing explosive relationships between law enforcement and citizens, there is visible growth in trust and peace in the Gardere community just south of LSU. Crime rates have dropped as a result of collaborative efforts by the EBRP Sheriff’s Department, churches and local businesses coordinated by the Gardere Initiative. Stevens acknowledges that many well-meaning people have a desire for community transformation, but real change takes a heart-felt life investment. “I’ve got a great bunch of guys that work in Gardere. They work hard daily,” said Stevens, commander of the Gardere Substation. “I wouldn’t trade them for the world. They give you 100 percent. They try to understand our community – where it is and where it’s trying to go.”
W
Community members and law enforcement work together to achieve measurable progress in Gardere.
Sometimes that means talking to a grandson who has just stolen goods from a store, or a girl who skipped school to secretly meet her boyfriend. It means stepping into the clash of cultures between African-American and Latino youth. After a series of incidents between rival teens, Stevens and the Gardere Initiative organized a meeting at the neighborhood Hispanic church, El Aposento Alto, to assure the segment of the community wary of law enforcement that deputies were working for peace and justice for everyone. Crime went down. “God sent me here,” Stevens said. “And I pray that he continues to send laborers in this community. Churches should not be the four walls of a sanctuary. The people in church are hurting, but they’re not hurting like
Garedere Initiative volunteers engage recreationally with local children. Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine l SEPTEMBER 2016
7
X Faith LIFE
the ones out there. So that’s where your message and focus need to be – reaching out to people from all walks of life.” “We listen. That’s the key thing - to listen to what people want and expect from you,” Stevens said. “And we very rarely say no. It’s important to a community to know that law enforcement has a solid foot right in the center of it, and we’re going to play our part in various roles. We do more than just police work. We educate. We mentor.”
Community members attend a town hall meeting.
If change can happen in Gardere, it can happen elsewhere, according to Dr. Murelle Harrison of the Gardere Initiative. She is hoping the collaborative effort between law enforcement and the faith community will become a model for other local neighborhoods. “Baton Rouge people are some giving people,” said Harrison. “So that’s what my message would be: if communities come together they could really do some things.” Although most law enforcement and volunteers live outside the Gardere area, they call it “my community.” When challenges occur, a broad response network is already in place. “When the incident happened in 70805 [North Foster], we were saying, ‘Where are the community people?’” said Harrison. “Because if something were to happen here, we would be right here.” After a spring homicide in Gardere, they immediately gathered at the site for prayer, then discussed strategies for addressing the situation in a way that contributed to peace and future safety.
Children from the Gardere community enjoying some outdoor fun.
That sense of community is making major inroads into crime and trust issues. “We’re catching a lot of bad guys,” Stevens said. “I just want the community to have that sense of comfort that the police are here for us; they’re here every day.” Many residents now know the sheriff’s deputies by name. They have met them at sports practice, the Back to School Extravaganza or Trick-orTreating with the Deputies. This year, a local school is making a way for children to “adopt” deputies by sending birthday and holiday cards. “I was just overwhelmed. It builds a personal relationship with that child and that officer, and they can connect there,” Stevens said. “That way, when something happens, it involves our feelings. Somebody cares a little bit more because now they can put a name with a face. It’s not just seeing a unit pass up and down the street with no interaction.”
Volunteers wait to participate in the Gardere Initiative’s after school tutoring program. 8
SEPTEMBER 2016 l Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine
The Gardere Initiative, the vision of Faith Chapel Church of God, serves as a hub for community activities and concerns. It provides a central location – four apartments – where residents can conveniently use computers to apply for jobs, attend town meetings, share advice at a mothers’ breakfast or practice the piano. Volunteers provide after-school tutoring, mentoring and positive role models.
Faith LIFE
31
W
“We need more laborers in the harvest, but we are certainly blessed with the people we have,” Harrison said. “I think we have a lot of people that love the Lord in this world, and we have to let our light shine so they can see the goodness,” Stevens said. Kids need role models to understand respect for authority, Stevens said. Mothers often work two jobs. There is a high rate of absentee fathers. “Fathers teach males how to be respectful,” he explained. “So we try to get kids at a young age and let them see positive male role models whether it be a coach, a law enforcement officer or a gardener in the community garden.”
“You have to understand that you might have a child that goes home to a lot of conflict, a lot of domestic violence with the people in the household. That child is not eating correctly, not being paid enough attention,” Stevens said. “So you try to get them to understand that they are somebody, too, and they can be whatever they want to be in life. Dr. Harrison does a magnificent job with that – letting our children know that God loves them. We love them. And we want to make sure they are in a position to succeed.”
Non-discriminatory admission policy
“This is not the EBRP school system, so we can pray,” said Harrison. At summer camp, they also taught Bible memory verses. The week after three local law enforcement officers were killed, they focused on obeying authority. “The scripture just happened to be, ‘Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you,’ (Exodus 20:12), but we tell them to honor every person who’s in authority,” Harrison explained. “So, honor and respect the school teacher, the bus driver, the van driver, the police officer – every person. It’s really challenging to get them to understand, but we continue to do that.”
Average ACT Score Top 20% Class of 2016
OPEN HOUSE • October 21 • October 28 • November 6
NON-DISCRIMINATORY ADMISSION POLICY
PK3-12 | dunhamschool.org
“Law enforcement has really played a pivotal role in what we do here. We are really proud of the work, but we know that God blesses this place because of the prayers,” said Harrison. “I pray for God to continue doing what he’s doing in this community,” Stevens said. “I pray that families in the community would go to church on a consistent basis and be in a relationship with Christ as a family. We have to get our people back into church where they can hear from the Lord themselves. Then they can take what they’ve learned and pass it on to someone else.”
New Patients Receive *FREE Exam & X-rays Family & Cosmetic Dentistry
Susan Brown began her career in radio news. She was news director for WJBO/ WFMF radio and a journalism instructor at LSU. She holds Master’s Degrees from LSU and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and served as a chaplain at Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women.
Treatment of Snoring/Sleep Apnea
*New Patients only Coupon must be present D0150, D0274, D0330 (Value $252)
“We know how to make you smile”
Call Today! (225) 292-9700 11811 Coursey Blvd. Ste. A www.cffdds.com Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine l SEPTEMBER 2016
9
X
Faith LIFE
Lt. General Russel Honoré: Identifying Our Current Afflictions and Creating a Vision for Our Path Forward by Beth Townsend photo credits to: The late Mary Ellen Mark.
W
hen it comes to managing conflict, Lt. Gen Russell Honoré is an expert. Whether commanding National Guard Reserve forces in matters of national defense or stepping in as Task Commander after Hurricane Katrina, he knows a lot about bringing people together to accomplish a mission. He watched the news after the Alton Sterling shooting — “Like most, I was trying to process what happened. The question of ‘did we shoot too quick?’ came to mind. It’s during these events we
10
SEPTEMBER 2016 l Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine
have to find words that bring peace. More violence doesn’t help in a situation like this.” Later, he said he was moved when he saw the testimony of the Sterling family on the news. “You could not get a Hollywood script to write the emotions of the aunt and son. They loved him; that boy loved his daddy.” Social media was quickly flooded with images, opinions and pictures. “Because of the videos and posts, the images of what
Faith LIFE people were speculating about went wild.” Honoré decided to quit speculating and get involved. He wanted truth and justice, and he wanted his city to come together. That led to his involvement with Together Baton Rouge. Speaking with Jim Davis of the Chamber of Commerce and other leaders, the first order was to keep peace. “We first needed to get this young man buried,” Honoré stated. “It then became evident upon involvement of the FBI in the investigation that it would be months or years before this would be complete.” It was time to look further down the road to reconciliation. Honoré held up both hands. “Do you know what a rookie officer makes? [Nearly] minimum wage – $31,000 a year – less than $15 per hour. Then we ask them to go out on the street and be police officers, plus be a counselor, a role model for kids, play basketball with kids, go in some home where a mom has an adult child that is out of control, get in between spouses’ [issues] or between a boyfriend and girlfriend,” he said. “That police officer is under stress because now he has to do overtime to make a living wage. He or she wants to send his kid to a good school and live in a house, so they often come into work stressed.”
A Tale of Two Cities
“There’s one [story] on this side of Florida Street where houses are being torn down and rebuilt, and a big shopping center is going in just off of Bluebonnet Medical Center. Yet, in the shadows of the Capitol in North Baton Rouge, it’s like
they stopped building in the 1950s. Many left and went to the River Parishes, and others went to Prairieville chasing better schools. Now the majority of residents in North Baton Rouge are unemployed.” This problem is not sudden; it’s happened over a period of years. “Every adult in Baton Rouge watched this happen, but it was not ‘our problem’ per se. I’ve said since Katrina that poor people are not really free, because when you are poor, you don’t get to pick what doctor you go to. You don’t get to pick where your kids go to school or what dentist you see, so you learn to make do. In this case, when the former governor said they were going to tear down the Earl K. Long Medical Center, all the people like me living on the south side of Baton Rouge said, ‘Oh, that must be part of some bigger business plan.’” From the perception of people in North Baton Rouge, they respond saying, ‘They tore our hospital down!’ Two years later, ‘They closed our emergency room!’ When the lights get turned on to our larger issues and we find ourselves talking about the Sterling death, questions arise. Why such anger so quick? It comes from the perspective of people feeling like they have not had a fair shake at social justice.” “Everybody thinks these are somebody else’s issues. A lot of the ‘haves’ in town say ‘they’ need to work harder; that the poor need to apply themselves. How? When you have the second worst schools
W
in America and they are not getting any better — these kids need help!” Honoré is clear about the opportunity at hand. “That emotion that was demonstrated recently was by and large peaceful. That is a reflection for most adults of what they went through in the 1960s. We got to a point where everyone was comfortable with race relations and we moved on. It is like burying the hatchet and leaving the handle sticking out. We did not finish what had been started. We are in the 21st century dealing with last century’s problems.” Thankfully, Together Baton Rouge has a team filled with a list of ‘Who’s Who,’ faith based and charitable groups that have come together. “Now we have to speak about the unspeakable. We are a great nation, but we are not a perfect nation,” Honoré said. “I want to be known as this ambassador of freedom, the place others want to come. I don’t want to be known as the country of the gun! Most of the world is not looking at us as the land of freedom, they are now looking at us as the land of the gun. Why? Because 30,000+ people a year are killed by guns! In Louisiana, we passed a law to open carry — while we are talking about supporting our police, how about [we talk about] leaving your guns at home?” “We all have a right to protect ourselves, I understand that, but we don’t have a moral right to carry a gun any place, any time,” he said. “I have guns at my house. I was in the infantry, spent 37 years in the
Securely purchase your book today at: www.kingdomgroup.co or call (225) 305-3006
Transforming Believers Into Powerful Witnesses
Elmo Winters The Kingdom Group 8733 Siegen Lane, # 141 Baton Rouge, LA 70810
Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine l SEPTEMBER 2016
11
X Faith LIFE military and know and respect what they are for and what they can do. Yet, the idea that you can carry a gun anywhere at any time is a bankrupt idea.”
The violence we have in south Louisiana, particularly Baton Rouge and New Orleans, is horrendous. We have to value life better then that.”
“To put it in context, when someone called 9-1-1 on Sunday to say there was a guy walking on Airline Highway with a gun, there might have been 50 people that passed him and said ‘There is a man carrying his gun. He is demonstrating the open carry law.’ But one good citizen said, ‘He is not only carrying a gun, but he has a mask on – that looks a little weird.’ And we know the rest of that story.”
Realizing we can’t value life for others, teaching that skill can seem impossible. You can’t make others suddenly value life because it would help our city. However, Honoré believes we can reach kids earlier with better options than street life.
He continued, “What people in Baton Rouge need to understand is that if we don’t invest in kids and they’re not reading at a fourth grade level by the time they are 10, particularly boys, they have a 50 percent chance they will have a run in with the law by the time they are 14 — that is right from the Children’s Defense Fund data. We need to make sure schools are fully funded, even if we have to put 2 teachers in every classroom. I would rather over-spend on K-12 and not have a dime for TOPS.” “Over 75 percent of the people in Angola can’t read on a third grade level — there is a direct relationship. Currently we have very few mental health services for children. Fifteen percent of our population has some type of disability, and it is like we have not paid attention enough to recognize that.” A lack of funding has brought many programs to a complete stop, Honoré said, “We are the second largest energy producer, but the second poorest state. We have to fix our state business. This city has a lot going for it with all the industrial development – that is a positive.” “The future we feared is here, we must use this moment, this is a huge opportunity for our city. We don’t have time to kick this to the next generation. 12
“The best sports fields in our city are where? I live off of Bluebonnet and most in that area are world class. Yet you have to stretch to the other side of Southern University to find anything like it. If you go near where this young man was killed, there is a little park down there, but it doesn’t even have a basketball goal.” “We have to get involved. We need to get the federal government involved. We have outstanding 4-H programs, and we could have an urban 4-H program that the federal government would pay for. Our universities can [also] become engaged,” he said. “When I speak across the country, I tell people that leadership requires sacrifice. Choose to be that successful business person who finds someone to mentor —if you’ve done well, give back! Our churches have done well, but [the church hour] is the most segregated hour in Baton Rouge. As we enjoy our congregations, we need to think about how to bring new people in. We have become too comfortable with it being segregated.” “We are all part of this problem. We can’t have the majority of the people living in the parish living in poverty. Those that have good jobs have moved to places with better schools. How did we end up with sub-par schools in the first place? I have lived in Virginia and they have good public schools — we are missing that opportunity.”
Moving Forward as One
Establishing priorities in a huge plan and seeing years of hard work ahead can seem
SEPTEMBER 2016 l Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine
daunting, but we must get to work, and Honoré is ready to help lead. “Number one, recognize that we have a problem – we – this is our house. We don’t just clean the front of the house and not the back of the house. We can’t leave this for the next generation to try to figure it out. Take the 50 percent unemployment rate — we have to collectively offer hiring opportunities to people out of North Baton Rouge.” “If we can send a missionary to Cameroon, then we can send one to North Baton Rouge,” Honoré said. “We have a lot of people that are trying to do good things, but people have to take it further. Not go in for a day, but create relationships that become friendships.” People ask him regularly, “What can we do General?” Honoré tells them, “Go teach a kid in a poor neighborhood how to read or swim.’ It is going to take leadership — it is going to take sacrifice, it is going to cost you time and talent.” Many have asked him about running for public office. He laughed and said, “I am as deep as I can get. But no, I don’t wake up in the morning with aspirations to be the governor or [serve in] any other office. My best place, and where I spend most of my time, is with me and my little team working on environmental justice.”
Russel L. Honoré is a retired Lieutenant General who served as the 33rd commanding general of the U.S. First Army at Fort Gillem, Ga. He is best known for serving as commander of Joint Task Force Katrina, responsible for coordinating military relief efforts for Hurricane Katrinaaffected areas across the Gulf Coast, and as the 2nd Infantry Division’s commander while stationed in South Korea. He served until his retirement from the Army on January 11, 2008.
Pastor’s Perspective
A Call to “Life Changing’’ Action
W
by Elmo Winters
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matt. 11:28, KJV
T
o say that our city, state and country have faced some of the most heart-wrenching events over the past seven weeks would be an understatement. Too many have lost their lives in what can be described as an awakening of the proverbial “white elephant” in the room that no one dared to deal with. For decades we have tiptoed around the mammoth issues of race relationships, bigotry, discrimination and the like, deceiving ourselves into believing they were no longer relevant. But now we are confronted with the very things we thought had gone away or at least been minimized. And who would have thought that our city, Baton Rouge, would be at the forefront of raising awareness of just how bad things really are?
Some would say that it all started with the tragic death of Alton Sterling on July 5, 2016, and escalated into the deaths of police officers in Dallas and subsequently in Baton Rouge. However, the truth is, this all started a long time ago with the first murder where one brother killed another because of a bad heart condition. What happened on the streets of Baton Rouge and Dallas, and what continues to happen daily in America and throughout the world, is the result of the same bad heart condition. The prophet Jeremiah said it best in chapter 17, verse 9, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it? ” (NAS). The unthinkable acts that are being played out among us everywhere are simply what happens when the hearts of people become so depraved and callous.
Now you may wonder, how then can we fix the problem? The truth is, we can’t! Only God can fix the problem of a bad heart condition. It is obvious we cannot legislate a fix or create laws that will repair our “sick” state. People can’t be forced to have a change of heart by passing equal rights mandates or promoting activities that will bring the masses together. These things and many others have been attempted and have failed miserably. Protesting, picketing, not even boycotts will ever produce changed hearts or equality among individuals. They simply give us a sense of feeling good until the next crisis. Real change can never happen until there is a genuine, total regeneration of the heart. Anything short of this is foolishness, simply a waste of time and effort. Romans 10:10 explains, “For with the heart a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting in his justification [that is, being made righteous — being freed of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God],” (AMP). It is not until we truly have a heart that believes in Christ that we experience change in our behavior, mannerism and in our lives. This is an undeniable fact. In the wake of the killings over the past few weeks, we have seen countless prayer vigils, community meetings, memorial services and other calls to action. And although these have some merit, I question rather if any of these have led to a change of heart in those who have participated? Sure, we are all nicer to one another and we are talking more to each other, however I believe this will pass
in time, and we will return to our lives as usual. Negative race relationships, bigotry and general inequalities will soon return, even in the religious community. I believe the time has come for life changing action to occur. I believe we are well overdue for genuine heart changes in Baton Rouge and throughout the world. If nothing changes, we will continue to decline as a people and nation. I publicly appeal to the people of this city, state and nation to take a stand for real change that must start right here in Baton Rouge. Will you join me as we start a grassroots revival for national and worldwide change for the betterment of all mankind? I speak not of church sponsored revivals, but instead of revivals that will take place in communities, in workplaces and homes. If you are seriously interested in seeing real change, call or text me today at (225) 305-3006, or email me: elmow1@att.net. An exploratory meeting is tentatively planned for late September. Will you join us?
Elmo Winters has been in ministry for over 38 years. He leads the KINGDOM School of Witnessing. As a pastor, church planter, hospice chaplain, Bible Institute instructor, and short-term missionary he has witnessed to thousands of lost people leading many to Christ. Reverend Winters is the CEO of the Kingdom Group International, LLC and author of “Going by Going”, the teaching manual for the KINGDOM School of Witnessing. He holds a Masters in Business Administration. Possessing a powerful passion for the unsaved, Rev. Winters believes the call of God to win souls is the responsibility of every Christian.
Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine l SEPTEMBER 2016
13
Athletes stood hand in hand, led in prayer by Revered White, known affectionately as “the running reverend.�
Runners and walkers participated in a 5K starting at the steps of the Capitol. The event was organized to show support for the EBR Police Department as well as demonstrate the solace that exists for one another in the Baton Rouge community.
Participants signed a flag that was presented to BRPD. Runners cross the finish line proudly waving flags.
photos by Kelli Knight
Together We Run July 19, 2016
X A Little lagniappe
Athletes of all ages, levels, and backgrounds joined to show solidarity. 14
SEPTEMBER 2016 l Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine
W “What is your dream for reconciliation for our city?”
photos by Beth Townsend
Outstanding Youth: Abby Ter Haar, Victoria Lira, Kimani Alexander, Avery Kyle, Baylee Sullivan, and Alana Buckly (pictured with Lisa Russell and Suzanna Cambre).
The Christian Women’s Connection came together on July 12, 2016 to recognize some of Baton Rouge’s most outgoing Christian youth.
Celebrating Baton Rouge’s Outstanding Youth
Christian Women’s Connection Luncheon
A Little lagniappe
Suzanne Cambre, Vice Chair; Marlaine Peachy, Featured Speaker; Lisa Russell, Chair; and Genelle Kora, Regional Director of the CWC.
Members of the Christian Women’s Connection attended the event to support some of Baton Rouge’s rising young Christian leaders.
Jimmy Gill “There is and will be no justice among men except from the grace and/or mercy of the righteous God. There is and will be no peace except from the grace of God already gifted in the person of Christ Jesus. Throughout God’s Scripture, He demands that justice and vengeance is his alone. Yet, He alone is offering now His perfecting love, that gives the reconciliation promised by God - not by man. Reconciliation - there is only one kind that is good, perfect, from above, life changing and lasting ... and it is free! So, let us all seek this gift of reconciliation offered by the almight y God, because it is promised by God, and it is the only reconciliation that works.
Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine l SEPTEMBER 2016
15
X
Family LIFE
Brotherly Love
Twins Eric and Daniel Guiffreda are examples of character, commitment and compassion by Lisa Tramontana
photos by Beth Townsend
Y
ou won’t find many brothers who are closer than Eric and Daniel Guiffreda. Originally from Ponchatoula, they grew up doing everything together, and today at age 32, are fellow firefighters who have answered many calls to serve and protect others.
“We’re all extremely close,” said Daniel of his colleagues. “We spend just as much time with each other as we do with our own families. We see a lot of bad things together, and sometimes, you just want to be able to talk to someone who can relate. Eric and I know from our own experience that personal struggles at work can spill over into family life. We know exactly how difficult things can be.”
“You rarely come across men who are so genuine and have such character,” says colleague Stephen Gibbs. “They have helped a lot of people. Their influence and service goes way beyond the walls of this fire station.” That’s because the Guiffreda twins have followed a career path that has included military service, first responder status and pastoral care. As they are both fond of saying, the best way to show your love for God is to love other people. When they were still in junior high, Eric and Daniel joined Young Marines, a program that promotes character, leadership skills, community service and good citizenship. Their involvement with the group, along with being raised in a Christian home, shaped their personalities and hopes for the future. After high school, they joined the U.S. Marines. Eric had never wavered in his decision to enlist, but Daniel wasn’t sure until the last minute. “I had decided not to go,” he said. “And then right before the deadline, I called them up and said, 16
Daniel and Eric Guiffreda
‘I’ll do it if we can ship out on the buddy system’” (together). Active duty ended in 2005 and included deployments to Iraq. When the young veterans returned home, they were drawn to careers as firefighters. Daniel received his training in St. Angelo, Texas, and Eric trained at LSU Fire & Emergency Training Institute. Today, (both married with young children), they are paramedics with the Gonzales Fire Department – trained healthcare professionals who provide emergency first aid to fire and disaster victims. As if their spirit of service weren’t enough, they are both chaplains as well, offering comfort not just to the injured, but to their fellow firefighters whose dayto-day responsibilities can be physically and emotionally overwhelming.
SEPTEMBER 2016 l Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine
Eric and Daniel are also members of the Critical Incident Stress Team, affiliated with LSU, and provide mentoring to first responders who need counseling. “They might help someone who is having trouble processing a tragedy or someone who thinks they are at fault in a particular situation,” said Gibbs. “Eric and Daniel have a way of talking to people that calms them and makes them see the value of what they do.” Dealing with disaster victims is another opportunity for the Guiffredas to practice their faith. Especially as paramedics, they are sometimes faced with death. “Some people just know they are not going to make it,” Eric said. “We pray with them and make sure they know they are not alone. The hardest part of the job is having to tell the family that a loved one has died. In that case, we have to just be there and listen to them, whatever they need to get through it.”
Family LIFE
W
Radio Bible Courses, Ltd. Founded by Dr. Nick Kalivoda “But the word of the Lord endures forever. Now this is the word by which the Gospel was preached to you.” - 1 Peter 1:25
Join us during the month of September as Jack Lynch teaches from Romans 5:6 - 5:12a Jack Lynch
The Guiffredas are chaplains as well as firefighters.
Through their work and their ministries, some basic philosophies have emerged. One of the most important is that every individual is valuable in God’s eyes. “Some people might have trouble feeling sympathy for a drug addict,” Eric said. “But that person is worthy of love and compassion like anyone else. The way I see it, that person is in bondage. In his heart, this is not what he wants for his life. Think about that and you’ll see the humanity that is there … in everyone.” And there is only one race … the human race, says Daniel. “The colors of our skin might be different, but we are all created in God’s image. No one is above anyone else.” Jesus set this example, Daniel added, when he cut through the cultural rules and racism of his time by engaging a Samaritan woman in conversation and meeting her at the point of her deepest need. “We believe our calling as Christians is to do the same by meeting those who are hurting and directing them to ‘the God of all comfort’ who truly cares about them and who alone can bring them lasting hope.” It’s really simple, though not easy, the brothers say. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul, your strength and your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself. “When you see a need, try to meet it,” Eric said. “Every single one of us deserves dignity and respect. And that’s why we should treat each other well. If everyone focused on that, all of our prejudices would fall away.”
■ What the Bible means by what it says ■ Open to the Public ■ Q&A Session
■ Sunday mornings 9:15 AM - 10:00 AM
“The Blood of Jesus”
Visit our website to view our Schedule of Speakers and download free materials from Dr. Kalivoda’s teachings:
www.rbcword.org The Campus Bible Class meets at: Burden Conference Center - LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens 4560 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA
■ Come early and join us before the class for coffee & cookies ■
LISTEN TO ALL CHRISTIAN RADIO WPAE KPAE 89.7 FM 91.5 FM Broadcasting the “...Things that Become SOUND Doctrine.” Titus 2:1 soundradio.org/estation • 800-324-1108 Hear the joyful sound of southern gospel hymns and blugrass gospel as well as light contemporary music. Psalm 89:15
Our ministries aren’t in it for their own glory; They’re in it for HIS.
Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine l SEPTEMBER 2016
17
X
Family Life
Are You a Living Epistle? W
by Tonya Woodridge-Jarvis
e are not in a race war, we are in spiritual warfare with the enemy, and some of you are playing right into his hands. Let’s pray for more God-sent, holy-ghost filled, on-fire for the Lord, not conforming to the way of the world, determined, non-wavering, non-power regulated, levelheaded, kind, patient, intelligent leaders to rise up and do what God intended. The Bible tells us that history shall repeat itself. We can learn from the past – violence didn’t work then and it isn’t working now. In the midst of this I began to pray, “With calamity all around us, what must we do Heavenly Father?” He answered saying, “Keep your eyes and hearts focused on me, the author and finisher of all. The enemy has come to distract believers. I am God almighty, and I will take care of my people. Please keep your eyes focused on me. Don’t allow the enemy to detour your faith and strength. It may look like I’m silent through the test, but I am omnipresent as I have always been. Please don’t focus on the events, focus on me. I promise I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Do you know what it means to be a living epistle? 2 Corinthians 3:2-3 says, “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” A living epistle is your heart-felt, living letter of Christ and how His light shines within your life. Your heart, feet and hands are symbolic of a journey; the more wear and tear on them, the more detailed the journey. As we walk down the street looking to the left and right of us, we see turmoil and hellish acts. But I’ve come to remind all of you to look forward. When you look forward you can see God’s footsteps in front of you leading the way. As one body of Christ, I challenge all of us to have compassion for all of God’s people; to carry forth His messages of prayer, healing,
helping and the Holy Spirit. Stand with me and make this declaration today: I declare to be a living epistle for my family and in my community. I declare that I will carry God’s message to others. I declare war on the enemy to take back our city through spiritual warfare. I declare to help guide God’s lost into the kingdom. I declare to live a blessed and highly favored life. I declare to have compassion for all people. I declare that my faith will not waver because of current events. I declare a prominent attitude toward the kingdom and others. I declare that I won’t lean unto my own understanding, but I will lean onto the Lord. I declare that no weapon formed against me and my household shall prosper. I declare that we are the head and not the tail, we are above and not beneath. I declare that the report of the Lord is true, and His word will not return void. I declare that I will stand in the gap and pray for those who are not strong enough to pray for themselves. I declare peace within my heart and to follow the Lord until the day I die, and no devil in hell is going to stop me. If you’ve made this declaration, you‘ve decided to be a living epistle. As we pick up the pieces and explain the current events to our children, teach them how to be a living epistle; to love and let love. But most importantly, teach them how to pray, heal, help others, and about the anointing that the Holy Spirit brings.
Tonya Woodridge-Jarvis, affectionately known as “The Refresher,” is an American author, empowerment speaker and a life catalyst. She launched The Refresher Course to educate and empower others to dramatically shift the quality and direction of their lives by using spiritual principles as well as the Life Catalyst curriculum. By using lessons from her life, Tonya writes and teaches through one’s obstacles to transform people into achieving their goals. She currently writes for the Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine and just released her fourth book entitled “A Refreshing Moment” and her debut single, “I Choose Life” is available at www. therefreshercourse.com. She truly believes in the principle of refreshing lives one by one.
Interior/Exterior Painting Fully Insured | 30 yrs. Experience
Serving Louisiana since 1978 12659 South Choctaw • 225-272-5680 www.pbcind.com
industrial * welding * safety * marine * janitorial 18
SEPTEMBER 2016 l Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine
www.225Painting.com
225-205-1027
Man on the Street
W
What is your goal for reconciliation in our community? by Jehan Seals
(photos provided by and used with permission of the participants)
Our goal should be reconciliation between law enforcement and the community. The question is, how do we get there? A quote from Martin Luther King answers this question for us: “We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some bad in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.” So as a people we must come together. This includes churches and all community organizations. If we don’t regain love for one another, we will all fail. Michael Armstrong The definition of reconciliation is the restoration of friendly relations. In the past month, our community has experienced real tragedy. Reconciliation can bring many things like peace and joy, but it can also bring revival. Revival starts with us as individuals. As members of the body of Christ, we have to make sure that we are the most genuine that we can be. We cannot let our flesh rule us when the enemy makes a move on our community. We must stand tall and represent the one true living God! I feel that reconciliation can and will be achieved in our community, but reconciliation needs to happen in our day to day life with the Lord. When we start to tell God things that we want to change in our community, we will start to see more and more change. Brennon Coker I’m writing a book that I believe is centered around the core of the disconnect we face in life. My book focuses on our psychology, and how we’re hardwired to judge things based on our perception. For example, if a person of color’s skin strikes the same fear that most of us feel when we see a poisonous spider, then the problem is psychological and based on perception. We are afraid of spiders because we think they will hurt us. Similarly, cops see black people and think their lives are in danger, so we can’t just act like cops are completely wrong –it’s what they are taught. So, my goal is to teach children the importance of passing judgment based on facts that are true to each individual. Rafael Gutierrez Harriet Tubman once said, “I freed a thousand slaves. I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.” My hope for reconciliation in our community is to meet people on the level they’re on. My favorite saying is, “Each one reach one –THEN teach one.” After reaching someone, we must educate them on how to sustain. Most deep-seated issues come from childrearing, lack of education/employment and financial hardship. Give a man a fish, he’ll have food for a day. Teach him to fish, and he’ll have food for a lifetime. Generational prosperity and financial freedom are the goals! Earldreka White
jehan_seals@yahoo.com Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine l SEPTEMBER 2016
19
X Feature STORY
After the Storm
Comforting Words for Turbulent Times
by Susan Brown
A
by Lisa Tramontana
s a pastor, the Rev. Raymond A.
Jetson’s focus is on his congregation, but his compassion and concern extend far beyond the walls of his church and deeply into the community. Whether he is leading a youth group activity, repairing a home or counseling a family, Rev. Jetson is always aware that he is part of something larger than himself.
20
SEPTEMBER 2016 l Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine
Star Hill Church members are active in community improvement programs. Rev. Jetson, center, calls such programs ‘Kingdom expansion’ projects.
This became painfully clear when violence in Baton Rouge made national headlines this summer. When Alton Sterling was killed in a scuffle with two police officers, local citizens and outside groups held protests throughout the city. Rev. Jetson was leading a Bible study at Star Hill Church two days later and decided his group should participate at the protest being held at the site of the shooting. It was only a few blocks away, so he and his students walked, Bibles in hand, to the Triple S Food Mart where Sterling had died. “We prayed for healing,” he said. “And we spoke with many of the people there. That evening, as Christians, there was no other place we should have been.” Just a week later, six police officers were shot (and three of them killed). Tensions were high in the following days, and many looked to their spiritual leaders for guidance. Star Hill’s congregants were no exception. “It has been a time of great uncertainty,” Rev. Jetson said. “The rhetoric and tenor of the conversations in our community divide us more than unify us. We have become a people of extremes. Everyone’s in one corner or the other. But truth and reality are somewhere in between, and that’s the direction we need to move toward. I have hope that we will come together.”
Feature Story Cover STORY
W
Everyone’s in one corner or the other. But truth and reality are somewhere in between, and that’s the direction we need to move toward. Congregational support means taking care of basic needs, including financial help, family counseling, or support for single mothers. Youth development includes mentoring services, youth activities, and Bible studies for teens. Community engagement means connecting with local residents by hosting events such as fitness classes, health screenings and a blight reduction program. Rev. Jetson
This willingness to engage with the world is at the core of Rev. Jetson’s being. Some might call it “divine providence.” In November 1983, his father was elected to the Louisiana Legislature but died just a few months later in 1984. So Rev. Jetson himself ran for office and was elected State Representative of District 61 that same year, serving until 1999. In spite of a busy legislative career, he felt called to the ministry. He became pastor at Star Hill in 1994 and under his leadership, the church grew to more than 1,500 members. In spite of his fulltime responsibilities at Star Hill, he was willing to do more. For three years after Hurricane Katrina, Rev. Jetson made a huge difference in the lives of many Katrina survivors. As CEO for the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps, he helped families connect with loved ones and matched individuals with resources needed to move on with their lives. He also served as deputy secretary for the state’s Department of Health and Hospitals. His philosophy as a leader and a community member is simple. “We have to be people of love and forgiveness, care and compassion,” he said. “It must begin with us. Instead of looking at the differences among us, we should focus on who we are in Christ. We have to learn how to work together and meet the needs of the least, the last and the left behind.” Rev. Jetson leads his church according to three basic missions or goals: congregational support, youth development, and community engagement. And in living out this mission, he challenges his congregants to become “spiritual entrepreneurs” and engage in important community issues.
“This way of living and serving is what we call ‘Kingdom expansion,’” Rev. Jetson said. “It’s the way we identify the God-given resources of the people in the pews every Sunday and mobilize them to become active and make a difference all the other days of the week.” The “Kingdom expansion” idea can be applied to the entire Baton Rouge community, whose identity was completely altered by the events of this summer. The consequences will play out over the coming months, and possibly years, and hopefully, will lead to true reconciliation. “Our current circumstances are an opportunity for believers to demonstrate before others what we say we believe,” said Rev. Jetson. “Those who profess to be Christians must demonstrate it through their actions.” Rev. Jetson is married and has two adult children, J’Erica Nicole and Jeremy Louis. His wife Tammy is very active in the church. Star Hill is located at 1400 N. Foster Drive. For more information, call (225) 925-3133 or visit the website at starhillchurch.org. You can also join a live video stream broadcast of Sunday services and Wednesday Bible studies.
WALK IN TUBS
0%
BATH REMODELS
WERS
TILE SHOWERS
$1000 OFF
18 MONTHS
Owners Danny & Brenda LeBlanc
CALL TODAY
VISIT OUR SHOWROOM
12504 S CHOCTAW DR BATON ROUGE, LA 70815
(225) 400-5444 WERS
Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine l SEPTEMBER 2016
21
X Millennial life
“What is your dream for reconciliation for our city?”
Abby Ter Haar Understands the Importance of Engaging In the Broader Global Conversation by Trapper S. Kinchen photos provided by Abby Ter Haar
Tonja Myles “True reconciliation is not only in words but in doing. We must make it a high priority to do more in our community outside of the four walls of our churches. We must also address the real issues our community faces and allow the Lord to give us His wisdom in addressing them with love through an open heart and open mind.”
22
Ter Haar visiting Amer Fort in Jaipur, India.
M
illennials have the power to change the world. But like pebbles on a beach, we sometimes lie motionless while the tide of life knocks us back and forth. When that happens, our trepidation and self-consciousness render us helpless, and we begin to feel incapable. It is only when we reconcile our faith with our shortcomings that we can reach beyond ourselves and make a difference in other people’s lives. However, that is not always easy. Life is a steady stream of potential letdowns and obstacles, and it takes faith and tenacity to tackle the hurdles head on. Abby Ter Haar is a typical millennial. She jogs for fun, has ambitions of attending graduate school and is busy trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life. But, beneath that veneer of normalcy bubbles the spirit of a woman set on making a difference. Ter Haar is one of 7 million Americans and 147 million people worldwide who suffers
SEPTEMBER 2016 l Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine
from alopecia areata — an autoimmune skin disease that results in varying degrees of permanent baldness. For 17 years, she has lived without a single strand of hair on her body. According to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF), the disease’s trigger is unknown, and there is no effective treatment to combat its symptoms. Ter Haar has lobbied congress alongside the NAAF to help increase awareness and funding for alopecia research since she was 8 years old. Despite the challenges of her disease, she has taken up the mantle of activism and steered clear of bitterness. “I can see how God used [alopecia]. I wouldn’t be the person I am if it hadn’t happened to me,” she said. Hair loss can be emotionally crippling for alopecia suffers. They sometimes become reclusive and detached from their careers, friends and families. For those people, having a wig to wear often means the
Millennial life difference between psychological healing and emotional collapse. However, wigs are not always easily accessible. “Wigs are super expensive. They can be thousands of dollars and only last for two to three years. One of the things we’re lobbying for is Medicaid funding for wigs,” Ter Haar said. Meanwhile, some people with alopecia quickly come to terms with their hairlessness and do not feel the need to hide it. Ter Haar only started wearing a wig when she was 19, and even then it was a spur of the moment decision. Ter Haar admitted she partly started wearing a wig because of the social pressures she faced in college. “It hasn’t always been easy. I struggled a lot. It’s important that people realize that. There were days when I couldn’t go to class because I was crying,” she said.
She studied at Texas Christian University — a campus with less than 10,000 students — and occasionally her schoolmates made cursory judgments based on her appearance. It was entirely different from her experience in high school, where everyone understood and accepted her disease. “College was the first time I really noticed people treating me differently because I looked different,” she said. Now a college graduate, Ter Haar takes life as it comes. Some days she is fully confident. Others, she needs a little selfmotivation to get going. “Everyday can be different. Sometimes you feel totally fine, but sometimes you can feel awkward,” Ter Haar explained. Ter Haar is a poised woman whose outward beauty is enhanced by her bubbly personality and energetic charm. Nevertheless, it has not always been easy to reconcile her alopecia with self-assurance.
W
“It’s taken me a long time to get here. I’ve had to make my own way,” she said. Her advice for someone facing an obstacle, physical or otherwise, is to keep your eyes on the bigger picture. “If you have to go through things like that, face adversity of any kind, you’re a stronger person when you grow up,” she said. “You don’t see it when you’re 12, but as you grow you’ll realize you’re more resilient and can handle bigger problems.” Ter Haar’s alopecia helped foster her unique strength and confidence, and it helped her realize the importance of giving back. During her last year of college, she wound up going to India to teach English at an all-girls school. There she was faced with a patchwork of complex cultural hurdles, which she navigated bravely. With only a basic understanding of the local language and Indian social norms,
A House “SOLD” Name! 337-4663 First
225-291-1234
EACH OFFICE IS INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED
Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine l SEPTEMBER 2016
23
X Millennial life she tried to have a positive impact on her students’ lives. Ter Haar has a passion for women’s rights, and India became a place where she could actively engage in discussions about international public health. “There are a lot of issues for women in India. For example, there’s a huge sexselection abortion problem,” she explained. While abroad, Ter Haar spent her time working hard to effect positive social change. Part of her effort was based on empowering local girls and women to take advantage of the new opportunities slowly becoming available to them. “We made this really cool video for International Women’s Day. It was a great conversation to start. That was probably my favorite thing we did,” she said. She was always sensitive to the social nuances that separated Indian culture from her American point of view. Ter Haar focused on encouraging kids to think about the world differently, and helped them consider fresh perspectives. She never told people what to believe, only encouraged them to engage in the broader global conversation. It has been a few years since Ter Haar last lived abroad. Since then, she has worked on bringing awareness to disenfranchised groups, volunteered for nonprofits and focused on building her skill set. After Labor Day, she will be heading back to India for 10 months. Ter Haar said she looks forward to taking part in the dynamic progress sweeping Southern Asia. Indian millennials are actively working to better their communities, despite facing powerful financial and social barriers. Many of them come from extraordinarily poor socioeconomic backgrounds but manage to start some of the world’s most innovative nonprofit organizations. “It’s really inspiring. Things are changing so quickly,” Ter Haar said. It is increasingly important to make an effort to explore the world around us, even 24
if that means simply interacting with people from a different part of our city, parish or state. “Getting outside our own comfort zone is really important, because it helps us understand ourselves better,” she said. Now more than ever, we need to engage with one another. Most of the social antagonism battering the globe is the direct result of individual complacency. “Especially in the current political environment, a lot of the conflict comes from us just not getting out of our personal bubbles,” Ter Haar explained. Ter Haar with her students at Lady Irwin Senior Secondary School in New Delhi, India. Volunteering is a brilliant place to start if you are interested in reaching out to your community. For those looking to have a positive impact, Ter Haar suggests doing some research on local charitable organizations. “There are a lot of great nonprofits that work in Baton Rouge,” she added. For Ter Haar, charity work is not about receiving recognition or praise. Her philanthropy is based on meeting people exactly where they are and loving them. “If we remember how Jesus treated people, it makes it easier to want to work with everyone and see their point of view,” she said. Ter Haar lobbying for alopecia funding on Capitol Hill. As the surge of life’s difficulties rolls over us, we must strengthen ourselves with resolve, stand firm in the midst of the fray and press forward. God has supplied us with the power to overcome every challenge, but we have to be willing to use it. He has called us to reach beyond ourselves and engage with the world around us – all we have to do is embrace our potential and put it to use.
Trapper was born on the lip of Lake Pontchartrain. He was raised there, reading in the saltflecked breeze on a splintered wharf that jutted into South Pass. Never bored, he divides his time between trying to raise organic chickens in the Livingston Parish piney woods, traveling to different time zones, and exercising his mind by steadily learning as much as he can. He graduated from LSU in 2013 and Wayne State University in 2015. He is a busy fiction writer and contemplative naturalist. He has a great time living life.
SEPTEMBER 2016 l Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine
W
Baton Rouge
Magazine
TRUE STORY !!
:D
YOU’RE MISSING OUT IF YOU’RE NOT FOLLOWING US!
Christian
#ONEinrouge #brchristianlifemagazine Instagram (@brclifemagazine)
Invisalign Laser Dentistry Laser Whitening Cerec 3D Cosmetic & Restorative Botox Juvederm
Facebook.com/batonrougechristianlifemagazine
Twitter (@brclife)
4450 Bluebonnet Blvd. Suite A (near Jefferson Hwy.)
225.291.2212 www.tomfoster.com
Dr. Tom Foster & Dr. Marc Corkern
Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine l SEPTEMBER 2016
25
X Learning for life
Rev. Elijah Zehyoue
On Reconciliation, the Church and Loving Our Neighbors by Susan Brown photos provided by Rev. Elijah Zehyoue
Rev. Elijah Zehyoue
Editor’s note: This interview took place before the tragic killing of three law enforcement officers and wounding of three other officers in Baton Rouge. In light of these events, Rev. Zehyoue would like to add the following thoughts: “I would like to note that my condolences and prayers are with the families of the slain officers. I pray that our commitment to reconciliation and to peace continues to inspire us to move forward. I pray that the same compassion we have for the families of the slain officers can be shared for Alton Sterling’s family. I also pray that our commitment to each other motivates us to still justice in the case of Alton Sterling, and we don’t allow this tragedy to push us to ignore our neighbors and their continued cries for justice.” Having experienced God’s miraculous intervention in his own family, Elijah Zehyoue is confident that the Spirit of God can bring together communities – and the 26
nation – under the divine mandate to love justice, show mercy and walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). It will take prayer. It will take faith. But he’s seen God work. Born in Liberia in 1989, the Rev. Zehyoue views his path to the United States as a series of divine interventions. His father, Anthony Sr., moved ahead of his young family to Baton Rouge to pursue a doctorate in chemistry at LSU. In the meantime, civil war broke out in Liberia, dislodging families and making travel virtually impossible. He lost contact with his wife and children for a year. His mother, a devout Catholic, caught the eye of a priest who was impressed by her devotion to prayer. The priest happened to be sent out of the country to New Orleans on furlough. Soon, he was sitting in her husband’s living room assuring him the family was safe and well.
SEPTEMBER 2016 l Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine
From one side of the world to the other, the family was reunited. With the help of the church, they moved to Baton Rouge when Elijah was 2 years old. He graduated from Catholic High School and also found spiritual nourishment at University Baptist Church where his experience blossomed into a call to the ministry. Now, after serving churches in Chicago and Washington D.C., Rev. Zehyoue works for reconciliation through the New Baptist Covenant, an organization founded by President Jimmy Carter in 2008 to work on historic racial and theological divides among Baptists. Rev. Zehyoue returned home to Baton Rouge after the shooting of Alton Sterling in the hope of helping the family of faith see into the souls of its neighbors. He believes the church is uniquely positioned to lead communities to true reconciliation.
Learning for life
W
“What is your dream for reconciliation for our city?”
“We have the resources for hard conversations that say we can hang up our privilege and consider ourselves in the shoes of somebody else,” Rev. Zehyoue said. He believes it’s all about relationships. After all, there is one Body of Christ. We are family. And families love and support each other. So, what would Jesus do? Rev. Zehyoue said Jesus calls his people to work for reconciliation in several practical ways. They include:
Ask: How are you feeling? Reflect on their reply, not our own agenda. “I think that folks need the space, the face space, where they can talk about why they’re angry; they can talk about what really affects them,” he said. “When my wife and I were dating, she would say, ‘I don’t feel like you’re listening to me,’” he explained. “And I wasn’t really hearing because I would either glance over at my phone or think about how I would respond to her. And the times when I’m listening is when I [realize], wow, I really did hurt you.” “We can offer responses later,” he said. But to really understand, there is importance in “first letting it linger, letting it sink in a little bit – wow, our neighbors feel this way.”
Provide a ministry of presence.
Darry Beckwith “I want the city of Baton Rouge to understand who they are in Christ. Christ is love, he’s not religion or color. He is love.”
“It would be really powerful if evangelical pastors were to go out on the corner of Fairfield and North Foster,” Rev. Zehyoue said. “Offering to say, ‘we’re willing to pray for you.’” He also recommends deliberately setting aside time to talk about your own work in the community with others. Through the New Baptist Covenant, the pastors of two racially different churches in Macon, Ga., discovered that they held Easter egg hunts a week apart on the same plot of land. The resulting joint Easter egg hunt led to combined youth trips, Need an interpreter to and an eye-opening conversation about the fears black parents communicate with your teen? have for their children.
Create an environment for crisis conversations. As a youth minister in Chicago, Rev. Zehyoue opened the church to teenagers stunned by the random shooting death of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton, a high school majorette from King College Prep School, and one of the performers at President Obama’s inauguration. Many of the youth at University Church (Disciples of Christ/United Church of Christ) were friends of the victim. Rev. Elijah Zehyoue speaking at the Festival of Young Preachers.
Tired of being disrespected in your own home? Looking for help improving family relationships and communication?
There is hope!
www.hopeforyourfamily.com
ROGER D. BUTNER, PHD, LMFT
225-333-1582
Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine l SEPTEMBER 2016
27
X
Learning for life
Rev. Zehyoue provided microphones, joined in their impromptu rap contest and, most importantly, made himself available to listen. He told them, “‘I’m going to be a big brother for you because I know you don’t have a lot of other spaces where you can just be kids.’ I think that was a start for us.” The effort began an enduring conversation about issues such as bullying.
Explore our motivations. Why do people want to tell the stories of those whose lives have ended violently? “Even as a pastor, it’s really hard for me,” Rev. Zehyoue said. “But I tell the stories because I believe that it doesn’t have to happen again if only we tell enough people and we, together, are moved to compassion.”
Examine where you stand in relation to your neighbors. “As neighbors we advocate for justice for our brothers and sisters, particularly those on the margins and those who are the most vulnerable right now,” he said. “The work of peace has to be the priority of the church but to get there via justice. ‘Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God,’” (Matthew 5:9). Again, relationships are key. Rev. Zehyoue advocates deep reconciliation through a national conversation between poor Black communities and law enforcement, including efforts to “evaluate the probably very legitimate fear that they feel going into certain communities.”
Recognize that reconciliation takes time: commit to the long haul. “It’s too often viewed as something that happens immediately, as opposed to taking work and effort,” he said. “I get so much inspiration and encouragement from Scripture that shows us relationships are powerful. Scripture tells us that you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. I think truth is a first step to reconciliation. I think doing something 28
Rev. Elijah Zehyoue and his wife, Lauren.
sacred with the truth is a second step. Justice can be to say that we will repent for our sins, we will apologize for our sins, we will work so that you feel I’m not sinning against you anymore,” he said. “Reconciliation is being reconnected back to God and being connected back to each other.” “I think we’re living in a big moment,” Rev. Zehyoue said. He believes the selfexamination and actions that result from these crises will have a lasting impact on the Christian church. “The church asks itself so many questions about its future, about its budgets, about its ability to speak to society, about why not as many young people want to participate, about its relationship to culture. I think all of those questions will either be answered
SEPTEMBER 2016 l Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine
or will become less significant to us if we respond in a big way as neighbors.”
Rev. Elijah Zehyoue served as associate pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. before becoming Director of Programs and Communications for the New Baptist Covenant. Rev. Zehyoue makes it clear that these are his thoughts, not necessarily those of his church or the organization for which he works. Susan Brown began her career in radio news. She was news director for WJBO/WFMF radio and a journalism instructor at LSU. She holds Master’s Degrees from LSU and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and served as a chaplain at Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women.
Witness at work
Dr. Roger D. Butner Offers Help and Hope for Families in Crisis
W
Roger, Chemaine and Shep Butner
R
by Sharon Furrate Bailey
oger Butner is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who has been working with adults, teens and couples for many years. He says that he enjoys helping those who battle addiction – whether it be alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, or any other type of addiction – because he understands what it’s like to struggle with addiction on a personal level. In August 2007, Butner was in a dark place as he dealt with the stronghold that alcohol had placed on his life. While his wife Chemaine was out with a friend, he consumed more than he should have, and later found himself lying in bed when the Lord spoke to his spirit saying, “Son, if this is really how you want your life to be, then so be it, but I will lead you out of this pit if you take my hand.” Butner says this was not the Lord’s first attempt at reaching him, but something caused him to listen that night, and it was like the fog lifted and he was ready to change. Butner says he was overwhelmed by God’s love and the realization that the Lord still showed up and wanted to change him and use him despite his addiction. Butner shares how he “faced the truth,” and how we must all face our own truths as we work toward reconciliation within our personal lives, homes and our community.
photos provided by Roger Butner
Q: What type of upbringing did you have and how has it shaped your life and career? A: I was born in Little Rock, Ark., and lived there until second grade when my family decided to move out to the country to begin raising parakeets – my parents later became the largest producers of parakeets in North America. I was raised in the Church of Christ, and my family was the type that went to church any time the church doors were open. When we moved to Searcy, Ark., we joined a church with a much smaller congregation, where we were one of about a half a dozen other families that were considered the backbone of this small church. I remember how my dad always had a Bible and Bible commentary on our table at home, and we had devotionals and Bible studies regularly. I was raised to “know the Bible,” and I am sure that is what led me to attend Harding University where I majored in psychology and minored in youth ministry. While at Harding, I began seriously dating Chemaine (whom he met in Baton Rouge one spring break – she was there visiting her sister, and Butner just so happened to be in town). When I returned to Harding in the fall, I ran into Chemaine on campus. I sought her out, began a serious relationship with her, and after graduation we were married. We moved to Abilene, Texas where I pursued my doctorate in marriage and family therapy. I took a job working in Birmingham, Ala., for two years and later accepted a position in Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine l SEPTEMBER 2016
29
X
Witness at work
L I F E IISNAG ! BL E S S
Tuscaloosa, Ala., where I worked for an additional two years. However, my wife desired to be back home in Baton Rouge, and when a job opened up at South Baton Rouge Church of Christ, I took the position as their counselor on staff and family minister. I worked a lot at the student center near the LSU campus, and I realized that I loved working with teenagers and their families, but also felt something needed to change so I would not burn out. I ventured into private practice at the Baton Rouge Counseling Center at First Presbyterian Church, which later led me to open my own practice thanks to guidance from Murphy Toerner, who had Murphy Toerner and Associates for many years.
Amazing things happen every day. Follow
@kkthetreasurehunter Tag your life experiences, too! #lovelife #lifeisatreasure
Is your chur ch or ministry on the
Project 100 list?
Kelli M. Knight, writer
Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine wants to be a blessing to every church and ministry in our city and surrounding areas. This powerful, informative and heart-warming monthly publication is seeking places of worship and ministry organizations to serve as distribution points, through its Project 100 campaign. The magazine is conveniently delivered to the Project 100 sites to be shared with church or organization members at no cost. To join Project 100, call the Distribution Coordinator, Elmo Winters at (225) 305-3006.
45 Years!
Q: When did your own alcohol addiction begin, and how do you help others with addiction? A: Believe it or not, my first enjoyable taste of alcohol was at a Texas State Marriage and Family convention. About five of us went out to a sports bar for dinner, and I ordered a margarita and loved it. I thought beer and wine were unappealing, but that frozen margarita tasted great. My wife and I would drink wine occasionally, which I am sure was a factor, but when I tasted Black Jack bourbon, I loved its smoky flavored goodness and was hooked. I did not think I had an addiction, but over time, things rose to the surface. I would get convicted, especially after a hangover, because here I was counseling others, but my life was full of shame. I was essentially a fraud, but it took me a while to get to the point of admitting it. I was talking to God and sincerely rededicating my life to Him and heard God’s voice again saying, “Roger, that is all great, but what about the drinking?” I told God we could talk about it later. Alcohol had become an idol in my life. God’s word clearly states in the commandments to have no other God before him, but alcohol had become a stronghold in my life. During the incident in August of 2007, I wondered if I could go to hell over my addiction. I remember telling God, “Well send me to hell with a bottle in my hand, I am not ready to give it up.” Yet, it was that evening that I had that powerful encounter with God who lifted me out of that yucky mire, and I got up and told my wife the truth about my addiction. That evening, we bagged up all booze, crystal and wine racks in the house, and chunked it. A week later, I began meeting with friends on a regular basis to see how they stayed sober, and they have helped me stay on the path of sobriety. I believe I am a better counselor now after my experiences, because I am free without the shame of sharing my story. I can share with those battling addiction that there is hope, help, and he or she can overcome. Q: What part of recovery did God help you with, and what part was your own hard work? A: The story of Saul’s conversion on the road to Damascus – when the scales fell from his eyes – well that is me. The scales fell away, and I saw things in new ways like I had never seen before. I read books, prayed and stayed in a supportive group with those who had walked a path much like mine. I tell people, you have to jump in when becoming part of a support group and get over your pride.
30
SEPTEMBER 2016 l Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine
Witness at work I often share the story of Naaman in the 2 Kings, chapter 5. He had leprosy, and the prophet, Elisha, sent a messenger to say to him, “Go wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River and your flesh will be restored, and you will be cleansed.” The King of Israel asked Naaman, “Why go to that disgusting river?” Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you have not done it? How much more then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed!’” So, Naaman went to the River Jordan and was healed.
W
“What is your dream for reconciliation for our city?”
Dr. Butner in his office Sometimes, when we are in a place of disgust, we may not feel like God hears us or that anything will work, but remember this encouraging story of Naaman. One has to be willing. Naaman was restored, and today, you can be restored.
Q: What are your thoughts on racial reconciliation? A: Honesty is essential. We must be honest with our thoughts; with ourselves. We cannot pretend with each other when sharing our thoughts with those of a different ethnicity. Compassion is another quality we need more of in our society. It is important to take time to listen to others. Take time to think – “Where is this person coming from?” – without judging the individual before he or she finishes sharing. I love what the “Prayer of St. Francis,” says when dealing with reconciliation — seek first to understand, then to be understood. Q: How should the Body of Christ deal with this racial divide? A: Jesus has called us to go to those places that are uncomfortable for us. We need to go out of our way to welcome others wherever we may be, in church, at a barbecue, at a community gathering, at school, etc. We live in a diverse world. We need to become comfortable building relationships with others that are not exactly like us. There is a stranger danger fear in our society, but we must not let fear consume us. We can take practical approaches to get to know others from different cultures. One practical way to do this could be by inviting someone new over for dinner. Connections happen when one is invited into another’s home. So, during the next gumbo gathering you have, invite some new neighbors over. We are about to enter football season, and the holidays are right around the corner, so make an effort to get to know others. Change starts in the home. Dr. Roger D. Butner, Ph.D., LMFT is a Christian counselor for teens, parents and families. He is married to Chemaine and they have one son, Shepherd “Shep” who is entering seventh grade. They attend the Chapel on the Campus. His counseling practice is located at 17170 Perkins Road. For more information, call: (225) 753-4766 or visit his website, www.hopeforyourfamily.com.
Sharon Furrate Bailey grew up in Alexandria, La., and moved to Baton Rouge to attend LSU. She earned a B.A. in English Literature in 1990. She attends Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church. Sharon has been in the field of marketing, sales and public relations since 1996. She is a gifted artist and also a columnist for Town Favorites Magazine and has been contributing to that monthly publication since 2005. She can be reached at sharonfur@yahoo.com.
Murelle Harrison “The Gardere Initiative is an example of reconciliation for our city. In 2008, there were eight murders in this 3.39 square mile area with a population of 10,500. The area was largely marginalized by others in the city-parish. Beginning in 2013 with the establishment of a site in the community and the love of Jesus Christ, people from all walks of life and religious beliefs joined together to make Gardere a community. Law enforcement, government entities, churches, universities and like-minded people joined together to provide services, show love and give hope. We are not where we want to be, but our crime rate has been down 30 percent consistently since 2014, and we continue to work toward greater reconciliation for all of our residents.” (See story on page 6.)
Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine l SEPTEMBER 2016
31
X Healthy life
Sisters Serve as Role Models to Help Kids ‘Be the Best They Can Be’ by Ivy Hamilton, YMCA Marketing Intern
T
win sisters Kourtney and Kayley Williams are self-proclaimed “kids at heart.” That’s why landing summer jobs as YMCA camp counselors was the perfect fit. The Y prefers to call its counselors role models, a title that fits Kourtney and Kayley well. Both sisters said it is important for role models to be respectful and understanding of the campers. “I try to be myself and encourage the kids to the same,” said Kourtney. At such a young age, kids are very impressionable. “The kids look up to us and almost always want to copy what we do. That’s why it’s important to be good examples, good role models,” Kayley said.
the adults have had more difficulty telling them apart than the campers. “They’re very attentive; they usually can tell us apart by our nail color or book sacks,” said Kourtney. Even though they are in charge of different groups, (Kourtney has boys ages 4 and 5, while Kayley has girls ages 6 and 7) the sisters enjoy working together and love to exchange stories at the end of the day.
“I want to do my best to give the kids a memorable summer,” said Kayley. “It’s important to me that they have as much fun as possible.” The twins said they both enjoy regular camp activities like swimming and field trips, but their absolute favorite is a game called “Drip Drip Drop,” a spin Although they were interviewed separately, on Duck Duck Goose, reserved for Fun Fridays. Instead of patting each other on when each sister was asked who her role the head, the campers take turns dripping model was, she immediately named her water on one another, but the “goose” gets mother. Kourtney and Kayley’s mother is their symbol of strength and perseverance. a real cool down when the whole cup of water is dumped on him or her. “The kids She became pregnant at the young age of look forward to it all week, and so do we,” 20, but never let it slow her down. After exclaimed Kourtney. giving birth to two beautiful baby girls, their mother returned to school to finish Even when they’re not at work, Kourtney her nursing degree. As college students and Kayley like to hang out with their themselves, Kourtney and Kayley said co-workers, or as they affectionately call they admire their mother’s hard work, it, “the Y fam,” and every Wednesday, the determination and unconditional love. twins spend time with their real family, too. “We all go to our great-grandmother’s Both twins attend Southeastern Louisiana house, and she cooks for all of her University and are on track to graduate grandchildren and great grandchildren. It’s soon. Kourtney is a mass communication major and hopes to one day be a television great quality time together.” Like many other college girls, they also enjoy watching reporter. Kayley is an early childhood education major with dreams of becoming TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Gossip Girl on Netflix during their down time. a teacher following graduation. She says working with the children at the Y has been great practice. “She’ll be a great mom, too!” chimed in Brieya, a camper in Kayley’s group. This is the sisters’ second year serving as role models at the Y. The girls are identical twins and joked saying that both years, 32
The YMCA’s Christian Principles are defined as love, respect, honesty, responsibility and service, something the twins were drawn to when initially looking for summer jobs. “We want to be the best role models we can be, so that the kids will be the best they can be.”
SEPTEMBER 2016 l Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine
Kourtney and Kayley Williams
Kourtney Williams
Kayley Williams
Healthy LIFE
W
A Burden Lifted
With 100-Pound Weight Loss, He Gains New Perspective by Lisa Tramontana photos provided by Pedro White
P
edro White is a changed man. Just a year ago, he was 100 pounds h e a v i e r, c o m p l e t e l y out of shape and depressed about h i s h e a l t h . T o d a y, he feels great and has a positive outlook on life.
Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine l SEPTEMBER 2016
33
X Healthy life As a young man, White’s weight was normal, but over the years, his lifestyle and eating habits had caused a slow but steady weight gain. When he was brave enough to finally step on the scale, he saw the number 290 staring back at him, and was shocked. He decided it was time to take control of his life before he ended up with a heart attack or stroke. A delivery driver for SAIA, White’s job kept him on the road all day long, every day. During his breaks, he often sat in his truck and ate fast food and more sweets than he could count. “Fried chicken, fried fish, cookies, cakes, pies … it was doing me in,” he said. “It got harder to get in and out of the truck. I was having trouble climbing stairs. I was out of breath all the time. I hated feeling that way.” He was also on medication for his cholesterol and blood pressure, and at only 38, hated the idea of it. “I was too young to be on medicine,” he said. “I just decided I was tired of it,” he said. His solution was simple. He cut all fried foods and all sugar from his diet. It was a sacrifice, he said, but he started seeing results immediately. He first noticed it when his clothes fit more loosely. Then he felt motivated to start working out. Four months into his diet, he started going to the YMCA to exercise on a regular basis. He preferred the elliptical and did 35-minute cardio workouts every day. “It really kept me motivated,” he said. His diet was a work in progress. As he lost more weight, he became more interested in eating healthy. He educated himself on simple and complex carbohydrates, learned how to decipher food labels, and started substituting healthy alternatives for the foods he enjoyed. These days, a typical dinner is a grilled chicken breast with steamed vegetables and brown rice or roasted potatoes. He has grown to like his new diet and has even started experimenting in the kitchen with new recipes.
Pedro before his weight loss and after
And people tell me that I look like a different person. I know I feel 10 years younger.” The medication is also a thing of the past, he added. White is most proud of the fact that he was able to lose the weight naturally. “I did it on my own without any pills or cleanses or special products,” he said. “I didn’t sign up for some trendy Hollywood diet. I just made up my mind that I was going to do it, and then I started being smart about what I was eating. It really has changed my life.” He admits there was a significant fear factor in the back of his mind. “Several of my relatives have diabetes,” he said. “One of my cousins actually lost her eyesight at 35 because of diabetes. I saw what it does to people and I didn’t want to go through that.” White says his new lifestyle is no longer a sacrifice, and he encourages others to get healthy whether that means losing weight, quitting smoking or starting a fitness routine. “The way I look at it now, if it doesn’t benefit me, I’m not going to do it,” he said. “If it can help me be a better person, I’ll give it a try.”
When he was brave enough to finally step on the scale, he saw the number 290 staring back
“I feel so much better now,” he said. “I feel stronger and healthier. I have more energy. 34
SEPTEMBER 2016 l Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine
at him, and was shocked.
Healthy LIFE
W
White shares the following healthy tips, which helped him lose more than 100 pounds!
C Cut out the soft drinks, which are loaded with sugar
C Drink water: White drinks a gallon a day
C Choose brown rice instead of white rice
C Eat whole grain bread rather than white bread
C Steam vegetables rather than cooking them in butter or sauces
C Grill meat instead of frying it C Start a fitness routine, even if
it’s just a daily walk around the block
C Find ways to deal with stress so you won’t overeat
C Don’t give up if you give in to temptation and “cheat”
C Make a new commitment
every day to stick to your new healthy lifestyle As always, consult your physician before beginning any diet or drastic lifestyle change. Here’s to your health!
HEALTHY PANCAKES Ingredients: ½ cup dry oatmeal mix 1 scoop of your favorite protein powder 2 tsp. baking powder 4-6 egg whites ½ banana (mashed) dash of vanilla and/or cinnamon
Directions: Blend oatmeal, protein powder and baking powder together, and place in blender. Add egg whites, banana, vanilla and/or cinnamon. Blend. Pour into hot skillet. Makes 2 pancakes.
Note: Try something sweet. Drop in some blueberries as you pour batter into the skillet.
Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine l SEPTEMBER 2016
35
X Healthy life claytongonzales.com 13653 Airline Highway, Gonzales, LA 70737 (225) 644-4663
New grant allows for quicker screening of potential diabetes treatments
I
t often takes decades to develop new medications, test their safety and effectiveness, clear regulatory hurdles, and get them in the hands of doctors and patients who can benefit from them.
The time that it takes to bring a new drug from the research bench all the way to the consumer is often a decade or more. As the rates of chronic disease in the United States are skyrocketing, federal processes are constantly being refined in an effort to speed the path of getting new, promising drugs into the marketplace. Likewise, there is also room for refinement along other portions of the drug development pipeline. With the health and wellness of patients in mind who yearn for treatment options and alternatives, researchers at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center are working to speed up the very first steps in the lengthy process of drug development. Drs. Richard Rogers, Gerlinda Hermann and Jason Collier were recently awarded a LIFT2 grant from LSU to develop a means of screening potential new medications much quicker than was previously possible. Currently, a screening (or assay) for new drugs takes about two days to perform, but the new test they are working on may allow researchers to shrink that two-day period to a mere two hours.
Town CounTry Furniture
FINE FURNINSHINGS SINCE 1956
Currently, one in 10 people has diabetes and one in three is at risk for the disease (and many do not know they are at risk). In Louisiana, one in two children is considered overweight or obese — a risk factor for developing diabetes, heart disease or metabolic syndrome, all conditions that in the past have characteristically affected people who are middle age and older.
Drs. Jason Collier, Gerlinda Hermann, and Richard Rogers
ability of pancreatic beta cells to respond to blood sugar and secrete insulin. The test will also assess the ability of certain tissues in our body to respond to insulin. “I’m excited for this opportunity,” said Collier. “Anytime we are able to speed up research and development it can benefit people who are working to manage diseases like diabetes, and ultimately that’s why I go to work every day.” Rogers, Hermann and Collier also hope that this new LIFT2 grant will allow them to transfer the technology from an experimental platform to that of an easier-to-use system that will make the test ready for commercialization and wider use.
“Our researchers are developing new and unique ways of combatting the chronic diseases that affect so many in our population,” noted Dr. Not only will this new test that Pennington YOUR SPECIAL ORDER STORE David Winwood, associate executive director Over 3500 fabrics and a million design options Biomedical researchers are working on speed up the development of much-needed new treatments of the Office of Business Development and Commercialization at Pennington Biomedical. for diabetes, but it could also lower costs and 6545 Airline Hwy. LA 70805 “Funding like this from LSU can provide the key (225) 355-6666 increase the speed of evaluating therapeutic Mon-Fri 10-6pm l Sat 9:30-6pm models or disease models right at the time when ‘proof-of-concept’ resources needed to move those ideas from the lab bench to the patient’s bedside.” the need is most dire for people suffering from this all too common chronic disease. tcfurniture.com *Dr. Rogers holds the John S. McIlhenny Endowed That new, faster test will help determine the Professorship in Nutritional Neuroscience. 36
SEPTEMBER 2016 l Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine
On the Cover
W
About the Cover by Shannon D’Gerolamo This picture represents a new-found friendship between two young boys (Nathan D’Gerolamo and Ian Smith) that was sparked through their intentional efforts to learn to understand one another, accept their differences, search for similarities and hold tight to common bonds. As one of the young boys arrived at a Christian day camp this summer worried about fitting in and wondering if he would make new friends, so did the other. And thus the week at camp began for these two boys and their small group with some fear, mistrust and misunderstanding of one another. But with the support and prayers of camp counselors, church staff and family members, and a creative idea that a rainbow loom bracelet and a hug can be given as a peace offering, the tensions were lessened and friendships and bonding began to take hold. At the end of a week of challenging yet wonderful experiences, these two boys, with arms comfortably resting on one another, represent a coming together of this small group of kids from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, who finally learned to understand and love one another through their common faith. The seeds of friendship have been planted that can be further nurtured and developed over time. If a small group of young boys can forgive one another and find common ground peacefully, then let them be an inspiration to the rest of us …
About the Camp From Lisette West – “The Chapel has partnered with Pine Cove to host Camp in the City - a week of summer day camp loaded with crazy fun and Christian fellowship. Registration is open to K-5th graders all over Baton Rouge and we make special effort to include students from our Kids Hope USA mentoring program with the Chapel’s school partner, Wildwood Elementary.”
“Camp is a time of water games, rock climbing, laser tag, etc. - led by a counselor staff that is passionate about Jesus. They share Jesus’ love with each camper in these activities and Bible study, club time and more. It is with joy and expectancy that the hope of Jesus is extended to transform lives in the community.” “Pine Cove exists to be used by God to transform the lives of people for His purposes and His glory.” — Pine Cove Mission Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine l SEPTEMBER 2016
37
X
Opportunities for LIFE
Calendar of Events
Beginning August 23/24 – 13 Weeks
ESL Classes Join the Chapel on the Campus for weekly ESL classes along with 30+ nations. For more information, contact: elizabeth.hartzog@thechapelbr.com. We hope to see you there!
Beginning in September
Post-Abortion Healing Bible Study – “Surrendering the Secret” Helping one another heal the heartbreak of abortion. Hosted at the Chapel in the Oaks (9611 Siegen Lane). All contact is confidential. Email with questions or to sign up: duet4thirtyone@yahoo.com.
September 1
Touch Point Prayer Join us as churches cross racial and denomination lines to pray for unity in our city and nation. All are invited – The Chapel in the Oaks (9611 Siegen Lane). Light meal at 6 p.m., followed by prayer beginning at 7 p.m. Restore Ministries: A Feast for Your Soul – “Bow” Registration is now open for this great event! Saturday, Nov. 12 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., at Solomon Episcopal Retreat Center in Robert, La. This day away offers a full day to nourish your heart, soul and mind in prayer, worship and the Word. $45 – Lunch is included, RSVP now as space is limited! Visit www.restore-ministries.net for more information and to register. Baton Rouge Homeschool Choir Registration for the fall semester of the Baton Rouge Homeschool Choir has been extended until Sept. 4 (semester began Aug. 30) for: Rhythm Band (ages 4-6), Elementary Choir (grades 2-5) and Upper School Choir (grades 6-12). Classes are held on Tuesday afternoons for 12 weeks at First Christian Church on Old Hammond Hwy. No audition necessary! Contact Sherry Barron at brhomeschool@ yahoo.com or visit www.cultivatingcreativearts.com for more information.
September 2
Single Moms Rising Above We meet every first Friday of the month at 7 p.m., at The Church in St. Amant in the Titus Building, Pathfinders Sanctuary. This group is open to all single moms and grandmothers raising children alone. Dinner is served at 6:30 p.m., and childcare for ages 0-11 is provided. For more information, contact Julie Boudreaux at (225) 202-3199.
September 10
WWMDOP – “Make Them Ready” The World Wide Mom’s Day of Prayer “Make Them Ready” event will take place at The Church in St. Amant and The Church in Donaldsonville from 8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. We’ll start the day with fellowship and coffee at 8:30 a.m., and prayer and worship will start at 9:00 a.m.
17th Annual Legislative Awards Gala Louisiana Family Forum is looking for volunteers for the 17th Annual Legislative Awards Gala on Thursday Sept. 15. The purpose of this evening is to award pro-life, pro-family lawmakers for their efforts during the 2016 legislative session. We will be accepting volunteers from Aug. 1 until all serving areas are filled. Opportunities: Day Set-Up Team (9 a.m. - 1p.m.), Servers (4 p.m. – 10 p.m.). For more information, call our office at (800) 606-6470 or email: info@ lafamilyforum.org.
September 16
Single Moms Rising Above We meet every third Friday of the month at 7 p.m., at The Church in Donaldsonville in the Main Sanctuary. This group is open to all single moms and grandmothers raising children alone. Dinner is served at 6:30 p.m., and childcare for ages 0-11 is provided. For more information, contact Julie Boudreaux at (225) 202-3199.
Beginning September 21
Life After Loss A support group for parents who’ve lost a child under the age of 21 — sponsored by the Bella Bowman Foundation. The group will meet on Sundays from 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m., at Jefferson United Methodist Church (10328 Jefferson Highway). Counselors will be present and child care is available. Email Kim Bowman to register, kim2bellabowman.org or call (225) 291-9499. Reign Women Service Reign is where we gather the women and their daughters to worship the Lord together. Dinner is served at 6 p.m., and the service begins at 6:30 p.m. Come experience the presence of God with us as we worship the Lord together.
September 26
Golf Fundraiser for LA Teen Challenge Calling all golfers! Join us Sept. 26 at Squire Creek in support of Louisiana Teen Challenge — 4 man scramble with 4 flights. $700.00 per team, great prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers in each flight. Register at www. louisianateenchallenge.com or call 504-481-5499.
September 28
Real Men Service Real Men is where we gather the men and their boys to worship the Lord together. Dinner is served at 6 p.m., and the service begins at 6:30 p.m. Come rally with us to worship and hear the Word of God and continue to grow together to become Real Men of God!
September 29
September 13
Step-Up Your Physical Stewardship Bible Study Free 7-week study based upon “Put Your Faith Where You Fork Is” by Nettye Johnson. Sign up at nettyejohnson.com, or call 225-235-9489.
September 15
Women in Spirit Our speaker/luncheon series continues this month featuring Cheri McDaniel, businesswoman and author of “He Lays the Stones for Our Steps.” Lunch begins at noon at the St. Joseph Cathedral Parish Hall. RSVP via email at sjwomeninspirit@aol.com or call (225) 387-5928.
Christian Youth Theater (CYT) Fall Classes Classes offered for ages 4-18 in acting, voice, dance and theater tech. Students enrolled in class (ages 8-18) are eligible to audition for “Beauty and the Beast,” (fall musical). Auditions are Sept. 15-17. For more information and to register, visit our website: www.cytbatonrouge.org.
Book Review/Forum/Panel on “Familiar Evil” Christ in the City hosts a discussion on how to detect child sexual predators at 7 p.m. at the Lamar Tennis Center located at the Paula G. Manship YMCA. The discussion will feature the book, “Familiar Evil,” by Baton Rouge author Rannah Gray. Admission is free.
38
SEPTEMBER 2016 l Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine
Mondays, Wednesdays & Thursdays in September
Iron on Iron Mobile Fitness Join us every M/W/Th at 6 p.m., at 1515 Dalrymple Dr. for boot camp classes for the whole family. Come all – brides, service members, first responders, workplace fitness buddies, etc.! Call (225) 442-2959 for more details and come join the movement where we’re “Getting Fit for Kingdom Business.”
Interested in advertising? We are eager to feature your business in Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine! Call Todd or Sharon.
Todd Shupe 225-773-3015 tfshupe@gmail.com
Renaissance Baton Rouge Hotel
$85 single ticket | $150 couple | $1,200 table of 10 | Limited Seating
Sharon Furrate Bailey 225-954-7991 sharonfur@yahoo.com
We Salute You!
Baton Rouge
Christian Magazine
wealth advisors llc
Heritage Ranch thanks Peters Wealth Advisors www.peterswealth.com for their continued 225.766.4885 support.
Investment advisory services are offered through Peters Wealth Advisors, LLC (“PWA”) an investment advisor registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Such services are only provided after clients have entered into a Wealth Management Agreement confirming the terms of the advisor client engagement and have been provided a copy of PWA’s ADV Part 2A brochure document. Securities offered through Dominion Investor Services, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC.
www.peterswealth.com 225-766-4885
Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine l SEPTEMBER 2016
39
X
h c t a w & y a r p g i B m a e Dare to dr
40
SEPTEMBER 2016 l Baton Rouge Christian Life Magazine