Submitted by philip on
By Staff, LBC Communications
STATEWIDE – Another year, another conference?
Not this year, at least not when it comes to the 2013 Evangelism Conference.
“We wanted to do something that would reinforce our theme and give those attending an opportunity to participate,” said Wayne Jenkins, director of Evangelism and Church Growth for the Louisiana Baptist Convention.
The result was an unusual delivery for every Louisiana pastor: a can.
“We worked with John Kyle, our Communications Team Director, and came up with the idea of mailing a can with a customized label that promoted the conference,” Jenkins continued. “The goal was to send something that would capture a pastor’s attention and encourage them to bring a canned good for distribution to the hungry in and around the Layette area.”
The theme for this year’s Evangelism Conference is “Serve.” It coincides with the North American Missions Board God’s Plan for Sharing (GPS) emphasis for 2014. The conference is Jan. 28-29 at First Baptist Church in Lafayette and features John Bisagno, Tyrone Barnette, Charles Roesel, Dennis Swanberg and recording artists Larnelle Harris and Anthony Evans.
“You can go to LBC.org/EvangelismConference to hear Dennis Swanberg and a few of his ‘friends’ extend a personal invitation to the conference.” Jenkins added.
In addition to capturing the attention of the pastor, churches are encouraged to use the can as a promotional tool.
“Pastors may opt to place the can in the pulpit to help promote the Evangelism Conference or set up a display with the can in front of an empty box for members to contribute to this effort,” said Kyle, who has served as the LBC’s Communications director since February 2012. “Many food banks are low on inventory following the holidays and this emphasis provides an opportunity for pastors, staff and lay persons attending the conference to tangibly show Christ’s love to the hungry and underserved in Lafayette.”
Kyle also noted that the can concept was a pilot project between the Evangelism and Church Growth Team and the Communications Team, and the costs were approximately the same as a nice full-color brochure mailer.
In addition to the general sessions, there will be breakout sessions where people can dialogue with conference speakers and other leaders regarding how they can take ministry strategies back to their churches and use them to serve their communities in order to reach them for Christ.
A few of the breakout sessions include:
Ministry/Servant Evangelism; Taking the Church to the Street; Serving Neglected Neighbors, Communities and Children; Getting involved in Serving Across Louisiana.
“Serve is a reminder that opportunities exist in every community to meet physical needs, which will open doors to meet spiritual needs,” said Keith Manuel, Evangelism Associate for the LBC.
“Servant evangelism provides another avenue to affect our communities with the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Manuel added.
For additional information on the Evangelism Conference, including area hotels, log on to LBC.org/EvangelismConference.