Submitted by philip on Tue, 02/12/2013 – 08:57
Canned goods and other staples were piled window-high in the designated area of the foyer at First Baptist Church of Lafayette, host of the 2013 Evangelism Conference that emphasized servant evangelism.
By Staff, Baptist Message
LAFAYETTE – When Hattie Miner, 75, of Evangelistic Baptist Church in New Orleans, heard from her pastor, Anthony Pierce, of the plan for those attending the 2013 Louisiana Evangelism Conference to bring a can of food to the Jan. 28-29 event, she knew just what to do.
Even though she was not going to be able to attend, she could still contribute, she decided. So despite her limited income, every time she went to the grocery store, she bought a couple extra cans of food, and every time she went to church – which involved a bus ride including at least two transfers – she took the canned goods she had purchased with her.
LAFAYETTE – When Hattie Miner, 75, of Evangelistic Baptist Church in New Orleans, heard from her pastor, Anthony Pierce, of the plan for those attending the 2013 Louisiana Evangelism Conference to bring a can of food to the Jan. 28-29 event, she knew just what to do.
Even though she was not going to be able to attend, she could still contribute, she decided. So despite her limited income, every time she went to the grocery store, she bought a couple extra cans of food, and every time she went to church – which involved a bus ride including at least two transfers – she took the canned goods she had purchased with her.
By the Sunday before the Evangelism Conference started, the food she purchased with her meager funds filled a 50-gallon blue plastic bin, which Pierce took to the Evangelism Conference.
“She loves Jesus and she loves people,” Pierce said of Miner. “She is an evangelistic-minded person and that’s why she wanted to do this. She knew she wasn’t able to make it to the Evangelism Conference, but she wanted to do her part.”
Louisiana Baptists doing their part – servant evangelism – was the theme behind this year’s Evangelism Conference.
“People want to know how they can minister to others,” said Wayne Jenkins, LBC evangelism/church growth director. “There actually is a real growing interest on the part of Louisiana Baptists as to how do we move outside our walls and minister to the needs of people.
“Unlike the social gospel, the ministry is not the end in itself; the ministry is the means of reaching them with the gospel,” Jenkins continued. “If all we do is feed a man, and in the process never give him the gospel, then we’ve got a well-fed man going to hell.”
By the end of the Evangelism Conference – some people brought in additional items every session – canned goods and other staples were piled window-high in the designated area of the foyer at First Baptist Church of Lafayette, host of the 2013 Evangelism Conference.
“One church I know took the one empty can mailed to them, put it on display for the people, and encouraged people in the church – even those not going to the conference – to bring a canned good to church,” Jenkins continued. “That one can resulted in more than 300 cans from that church alone.”
Right at 3,000 pounds of canned goods and staples were taken to Food Net, the Greater Acadiana Food Bank.
“That was an excellent donation amount,” said Lemel Jones, Food Net’s executive director. “At 25 pounds a bag per client, that makes a big difference. The food is already going out in bags we give to the community.”