Ten people made professions of faith in Jesus because Jeff Mizell attended the annual LBC Evangelism Conference last year.
PINEVILLE – Ten people made professions of faith in Jesus because Jeff Mizell attended the annual LBC Evangelism Conference last year.
Mizell, pastor for three years of Isabel Baptist in Bogalusa, participated at the 2007 Evangelism Conference in several small group seminars, and at one, heard about help being offered from the North American Mission Board for smaller church revivals.
“It actually worked out good!” Mizell said.
“It” is the Baptism Assistance Project – BAP, a partnership between NAMB and COSBE, the Council of Southern Baptist Evangelists to benefit smaller churches. Churches of limited size that commit to a detailed planning and preparation process, and agree to take a sacrificial love offering to go to BAP, receive – at no further cost, not even for travel expense – the revival preaching services of a COSBE-certified evangelist.
Gary Bowlin, a preaching evangelist from Mississippi, and Bob Smith, a music evangelist from Alabama, teamed up to bring a weekend revival at Isabel Bogalusa in September that led to 10 professions of faith and several rededications.
“I wouldn’t have known about this if I hadn’t gone to the evangelism conference,” Mizell said.
More little-known helps, as well as contemporary methods for effective church outreach – plus encouraging, motivating and inspiring preaching and singing – are to take place at this year’s Louisiana Evangelism Conference Jan. 21-22 at Louisiana College. Pastors, vocational staff, lay leaders and members of Southern Baptist churches in Louisiana are invited to participate. Theme for the conference is Charting the Course into the Future.
Program personalities include Mark Croston of Suffolk, Va., Robert Emmitt of San Antonio, Texas, Gary Frost of Brooklyn, N.Y., Eric Geiger of Homestead, Fla., Sammy Gilbreath of Montgomery, Ala., E. Edward Jones of Shreveport, Ed Stetzer of Nashville, Tenn., Mike Walker of Lafayette, La., as speakers, and This Hope of Atlanta, Ga., (and formerly Soldotna, Alaska,) as worship leaders.
The 2008 Evangelism Conference is to start at 11:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 21, with a Martin Luther King Jr. luncheon. E. Edward Jones Sr. is to be guest speaker.
Jones, nationally renowned as a religious, social, and civil rights activist, has worked for more than 40 years to improve the lives of the black community and his parishioners at Galilee Baptist Church in Shreveport, where King spoke twice. Jones also was president for 18 years, until 2003, of the 2.5 million-member National Baptist Convention of America (NBCA).
The luncheon costs $10, or $70 for a table for eight people. Reservations are required. Contact Syd Smith at 800.622.6549.
Three-hour Monday afternoon seminars are to include Comeback churches: how to lead plateaued churches back to growth; Simple church: a simplified strategy to impact your church’s community; Alone strategy: an evangelism strategy for ‘single staff’ churches; EKG: detailed explanations of all phases of EKG-Louisiana; and Brass Tacks of cowboy church planting.
Ed Stetzer, director of the SBC’s LifeWay Research, and Mark Croston Sr., Virginia pastor and past-president of the SBC’s National African American Fellowship, are to speak during the 6:30 p.m. Monday evening worship service, which will follow an on-your-own time for dinner.
On Tuesday, worship times will open with pre-session prayer at 8 a.m., 1:15 p.m. and 6:15 p.m.
Speakers at the Tuesday morning session are to include Stetzer, Eric Geiger, a New Orleans native now of Miami – he is the author of Simple Church; and Gary Frost, who specializes in developing leaders in urban settings.
Afternoon speakers: Mike Walker, pastor of East Bayou Baptist in Lafayette, and Sammy Gilbreath, director of evangelism for the Alabama Baptist Convention’s state board of missions.
Among choices for one 45-minute seminar Tuesday afternoon are: Understanding and reaching Roman Catholics; Evangelism through the Sunday school; Tattoos, toe-rings and technology; Maximizing the evangelistic potential of VBS; Connecting with your community through events; Seven key components in starting a cowboy church; Where is God’s compass pointing overseas; Effective (and authentic) event evangelism; Reaching African Americans; Power to the people; and Evangelism: Another reason to hunt and fish.
Robert Emmitt and Gary Frost are to bring messages during the Tuesday evening session. Emmitt had just moved to New Orleans in 1965 when Hurricane Betsy blasted the region and caused more than $1 billion in damage – the first storm to cause that much damage in America. He’s now in San Antonio, pastor of Community Bible Church.
Frost was a vice president responsible for overseeing the Strategic Focus Cities thrust by the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board. He became executive director of the Metropolitan New York Baptist Association and now is director of emerging leadership at NYC Leadership Center and pastor of Evergreen Baptist in Brooklyn, N.Y.
“The conference is not only designed to be inspiring but extremely practical,” said Wayne Jenkins, LBC director of evangelism and church growth. “All our speakers and seminar leaders are practitioners. It is the evangelism/church growth team’s desire that you will leave with ideas to assist you in developing an effective evangelistic strategy.”
Funds have been made available for bivocational pastors to receive one night’s lodging and a Monday night meal at no cost, Jenkins said. In addition, the materials for the Alone Strategy will be provided at no cost to the participant of that Monday afternoon seminar. For more information and reservations for the lodging, email syd.smith@lbc.org or call 1.800.622.6549 and ask for Syd Smith.
SIDEBAR BOX
Attention Seniors
The LBC Pastoral Leadership Team plans to host a Senior Adult Luncheon at noon Tuesday, Jan. 22, in the Granberry Conference Center at Louisiana College.
The Senior Adult choir from First Baptist Minden is to provide special music. Bill Crider, minister to senior adults at First Minden, is to be guest speaker.
For reservations contact JoLynn Chesser at LBC Pastoral ministries: 800.622.6549 or email her atjolynn.chesser@lbc.org.
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Attention women in vocational ministry
The organizational meeting of women in vocational ministry in Louisiana’s Southern Baptist churches is set for 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 21, at the Lynn Alumni House at LC.
A name will be chosen, details are to be fleshed out of the mentoring program and professional development topics will be identified for discussion at future gatherings.
The session is to close with a dutch-treat lunch at a nearby restaurant. For more information, contact Andrea McKenzie at tantepoche@juno.com.