By Karen L. Willoughby, Managing Editor
STATEWIDE – Jan. 2 started the first of 21 days of praying and fasting for members and pastors/leaders of Louisiana’s more than 1,600 Southern Baptist churches.
The act of confessing private and corporate sins, and the personal recommitment to walking in obedience to God’s direction, was to take place before the start of the 2012 Louisiana Evangelism Conference, themed “Return” and set for Jan. 23-24 at First Baptist Church of Pineville.
This focus pointing Louisianans toward being prepared for God to send a spiritual awakening to the state that spreads out to the nation and world is the joint venture of the entire LBC team that serves Louisiana Baptist churches, led by Executive Director David E. Hankins and President Waylon Bailey, pastor of First Baptist Church of Covington.
January into April offer a basketful of opportunities for Louisiana Baptists.
A week into the time of praying and fasting, the second-annual, day-long PreTeen Invasion is set for Saturday, Jan. 7, in Guinn Auditorium and on the campus grounds of Louisiana College. This is a ministry of the LBC evangelism church growth team.
Louisiana Baptists are encouraged to join in the Life March Jan. 21 at the state capitol in Baton Rouge.
The 10 a.m. to noon event is to start at the Old State Capitol up 4th Street to the current State Capitol, where there will be presentations, prayers and a message from Fred Luter Jr., pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, and first vice-president of the Southern Baptist Convention. LBC is one of several sponsors of the event.
The inaugural Louisiana Life March drew more than 3,000 on a cold February morning in Baton Rouge. The march stretched for eight blocks and saw Protestant pastors, Catholic priests and political officials declare their opposition to the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision.
The Louisiana Baptist Agricultural Missions Fellowship’s annual meeting is set to begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, at First Baptist Church of Arcadia.
The annual meeting of the national Agricultural Development Foundation is to follow after a hosted lunch. This is an affinity fellowship under the umbrella of the LBC missions and ministry team.
Kaleidoscope is set for 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, at First Baptist Church of Pineville. This is a ministry of LBC’s women’s ministries team. Paula Hemphill, IMB’s women’s missional strategist, is to be guest speaker. Worship is to be led by the four-women vocal group Story of Mobile, Ala.
The Collegiate Evangelism Conference is to take place Feb. 10-11 at First Baptist Church of Pineville. This is a ministry of LBC’s BCM team. Josh Mauldin, college minister at First Baptist Church of Fayetteville, Ark., is to be guest speaker. Phil Wickham is to lead in worship.
A Wave of Prayer is to take place in March and April on the steps of each parish courthouse, led by Hankins, others from LBC, and pastors in each parish, concluding April 29 with prayer at the state capitol thanking God for the 200 years He has blessed the ministry of Louisiana Baptists, and asking Him to send a spiritual awakening across the state.