By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer
LAFAYETTE – Charles Billingsley is well known as the once lead vocalist of the Christian music group Newsong, recording such hits as “His Eye Is On The Sparrow” and singing at various Louisiana Baptist events.
Yet, a successful and storied music career nearly ended in 2009 when Billingsley severely injured his voice during a concert in Florida. What followed was a major surgery to remove a vocal cord and uncertain days ahead.
The night before the surgery, friends gathered to pray over Billingsley and issued a challenging question that if he never sang again, would he still love and serve God? The answer was “I think so.”
Charles Billingsley
After five days of not speaking or singing, the vocal cords healed and Billingsley was shown a fresh view of God and His plan.
“Sometimes the Lord makes you get quiet and get alone in order to get what it means to worship him,” Billingsley said. “Through all that, I learned how to worship again through no music or singing but the power of his presence. That rejuvenated me spiritually and physically. As result, the Lord put a new power in my ministry and in my singing too. I came back stronger and better than ever.”
Billingsley, who has been leading worship for 22 years, will bring his musical skillset to First Baptist Church in Lafayette on Jan. 25-26 for the Louisiana Baptist Evangelism Conference. The last time he was scheduled to lead music at the evangelism conference — at Istrouma Baptist Church in Baton Rouge — a winter storm shortened the event to just one day. This time, Billingsley said he’s looking forward to a full two days of encouraging pastors and others attending through music.
“Pastors there will come from small churches and frustrating situations,” he said. “If I can do my part in encouraging them, it’s always a worthwhile trip.
“My heartbeat is to help people understand worship is a lifestyle of living for the Lord,” he said. “I use my abilities and gifts the Lord has given me through song. I am a vocalist and enjoy singing songs to people. But I get greater joy when I sing with people. That’s what I’ll be doing at that conference – encouraging those pastors to worship and praise and listen what I say between songs.”
The two-day Evangelism Conference will feature messages based on 1 Corinthians 9:22.
All of the messages are focused on reaching the Next Generation and Every People Group in Louisiana. These two groups are identified for special emphasis in the 2020 Report, a carefully drafted seven-year strategy for more effectively reaching and engaging the lost for God’s Kingdom.
The two-day Evangelism Conference will feature messages based on 1 Corinthians 9:22. In addition to the messages and outstanding music, there will also be breakout sessions on Tuesday.
Wayne Jenkins, evangelism and church growth director for Louisiana Baptists, hopes all who attend will take home ideas from the preaching, music and breakout sessions to reach these two audiences in their own communities.
“These are two we have not done a good job of reaching,” Jenkins said. “We have to help our churches to be motivated and mobilized and equipped to do that.
“We want to encourage churches to come as groups, to bring lay people to this conference,” he said. “If a pastor will bring some of his lay people with him to the conference and send them to the seminars and hear these speakers, he will go back with a group that is encouraged, informed and excited to reach its community.”
The list of speakers includes David Burton of David Burton Ministries in Jacksonville, Fla.; Reginald Calvert, pastor of New Jerusalem Baptist Church, Bessemer, Ala.; Mark Croston, national director of Black Church Partnerships, LifeWay Christian Resources; Steve Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn.; Josh McDowell of Josh McDowell Ministry in Branson, Mo.; Mark Lowry, a comedian and songwriter; and Alvin Reid, evangelism professor at Southeastern Baptist Seminary, Wake Forest, NC.
The First Lafayette choir will join Billingsley in leading music for the general sessions.
The conference also will feature breakout sessions and, a senior adult lunch, both on Tuesday.
Participants will be treated to sessions which include: developing an evangelistic culture in your church; preaching and discipleship for the black middle class; evangelism through Sunday school and small groups; evangelism in mission partnership; getting college students on your campus; and, compassion ministry 101.
The senior adult lunch will feature Mark Lowry, whose career has included four-decades of making audiences laugh and leave encouraged.
The cost for the senior adult lunch is $20 and tickets can be purchased at https://louisianabaptists.org/seniorsluncheon. Jan. 21 is the registration deadline for the lunch.
ECON app
Keep up to date with the Evangelism Conference by downloading the ECON App from louisianabaptists.org/econ2016.
Available for iphone and android phones, the app will feature the conference schedule, links to bible.com and whativaluemost.com, salvation verses, weather alerts and more.
