By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer
COVINGTON – Passing the Christian faith down to the next generation of leaders will be the central focus of next week’s Louisiana Baptist Evangelism Conference, Jan. 28-29, at the First Baptist Church in Covington.
“We need to evangelize and disciple the next generation so that we may imprint the need for living for Christ as an important part of their life,” said Keith Manuel, evangelism and church growth director for Louisiana Baptists. “I encourage you to bring a van load of church members who are concerned about passing their faith down to the next generation. Those who attend will be encouraged and equipped when they return home to reach their Jerusalem for Jesus.”
The first two sessions on Jan. 28 will feature Fred and Chip Luter, who will share the stage in a rare father-son preaching engagement, and Ed Newton. Fred Luter is pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, New Orleans, and Chip Luter is pastor of the Sulphur Springs campus of Idlewild Baptist Church in Tampa, Florida. Newton is pastor of the Community Bible Church in San Antonio, Texas.
Prior to Newton’s message, students will gather at the church’s youth building for a pizza party and entertainment.
Organizers are encouraging churches unable to travel to Covington to host a live stream of Newton’s message as a way to broaden the geographic reach of this evangelistic event. The broadcast will begin at 7 p.m. Churches can log onto louisiananbaptists.org/livestream and follow instructions from there for access. Last year, numerous churches hosted rallies via livestream.
The remaining sessions of ECON will be streamed live over the Internet as well, and each message will be downloadable soon after the original broadcast by using louisianabaptists.org/econ.
STUDENT OUTREACH
Manuel said Student Night will emphasize reaching the lost souls of the next generation and build on the challenge “to share Christ with others” presented in November during the 2018 Youth Evangelism Celebration in Alexandria. He is praying that some of the students who attended YEC will invited their friends to ECON or one of the simulcast parties being hosted at satellite locations throughout the state.
The final day of ECON will feature another father-son duo, David and Eric Hankins. David Hankins is the Louisiana Baptist executive director, and Eric Hankins is pastor of the First Baptist Church in Fairhope, Alabama. Other speakers include Argile Smith, senior pastor of the Parkway Baptist Church in Biloxi, Mississippi, and Lee Strobel, an atheist-turned-Christ follower who authored the best-selling book “The Case for Christ.”
The praise and worship lineup includes David Phelps, an award-winning Gospel artist from Nashville, Tennessee; Benji and Jenna Cowart and David Logan, worship leaders at First Baptist Covington; the Southeast Louisiana Church Orchestra; and, a combined choir from area churches.
The conference also will feature breakout sessions and the senior adult lunch, both on Jan. 29.
Topics for the sessions will be geared toward reaching the next generation. Topics include sharing the Gospel with kids, praying the prayer of faith, communicating with the next generation and equipping parents to share the Gospel.
SENIOR ADULT ENCOURAGEMENT
The senior adult lunch at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 29 will feature messages by Smith and music by Phelps.
Any remaining tickets for the lunch are $15.
“We’ve got a great program lined up for the Senior Adult Luncheon at the Evangelism Conference,” said Jeff Ingram, adult ministry strategist for Louisiana Baptists. “Seniors are encouraged to come early and stay lat. I hope seniors across the state will join us on January 28-29 for ECON.”
For more information about ECON, visit LouisianaBaptists.org/ECON.
