By Message Staff PINEVILLE – During an evening session of the 2018 Evangelism Conference, Brent Crowe urged hundreds of adults and youth to make sure redemption through Christ was part of their life story. “When Jesus calls us to tell a story in our life that has redemption as the theme and the redeemer Jesus as the central character, He not only bids us to tell the story but He provides us all the resources that are necessary so that theme will be true in our lives,” said Crowe, vice president of Student Leadership University in Orlando, Fla. “If redemption is not the theme of the story we are telling in our life, then our story is not worth telling.” Crowe spoke Jan. 22 to a packed crowd in the worship center at First Baptist Church, Pineville, while hundreds of youth watched from their home churches via a livestream broadcast during student night at ECON. At the invitation, three students came forward to declare Christ the Lord of lives, four repented to restore fellowship with Christ, two responded to the Holy Spirit’s call to vocational ministry and one made an undisclosed spiritual commitment. Student night also featured the testimony of Kayla Sasser, a member of the youth group at Philadelphia Baptist Church, … [Read more...]

  By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA – Those who worked with Wayne Jenkins during his 27-year tenure with the Louisiana Baptist Convention all agree he will be missed, but they are excited to see what the Lord has planned in the days ahead following his Jan. 31 retirement as evangelism and church growth director. “I am so thankful for Wayne Jenkins' friendship and ministry across the years,” Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Director David Hankins told the Baptist Message. “He has been the premier director of evangelism for a long time. His own commitment personally to soul-winning and his ability to teach and inspire churches to be evangelistic has advanced the Lord’s work remarkably. I pray that Wayne and Martha will be blessed greatly as they enter a new era of service.” Keith Manuel, who has assumed Jenkins’ role Feb. 1, echoed the thought. “Wayne’s ministry has taken the message of Jesus from the bayous to the piney woods of Louisiana, as well as to the remotest parts of the Amazon and the largest cities of Brazil,” Manuel said. “His heart beats for men and women to hear the gospel, no matter the personal sacrifice he has to make to see the task to completion. Thousands of men and … [Read more...]

By Message Staff PINEVILLE – Wayne Jenkins may have retired as evangelism and church growth director for Louisiana Baptists, but his involvement with the annual mission trip to Brazil will continue. During his remarks Jan. 23 at the 2018 state Evangelism Conference, Keith Manuel, who assumed Jenkins’ role Feb. 1, announced that Jenkins still will lead teams from Louisiana and other states as he has in the past 33 trips there. His son-in-law, David Denton, pastor of Highland Baptist Church, New Iberia, will assist Jenkins as associate director for the trip, on a volunteer basis. Since Jenkins took his first mission group to Brazil, he and his team members have seen more than 100,000 people come to Christ and 65 church buildings constructed. Manuel is excited for the future impact Jenkins will make on the people of Brazil. “They are cooperating with Southern Baptist missionaries on the field in Brazil and the local churches to plant those churches,” Manuel said. “They’re not just throwing something together and saying good luck. They have a solid foundation basis for the work that is going on.” … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer PINEVILLE – Wayne Jenkins, who retired Jan. 31 after 27 years as director of evangelism and church growth for Louisiana Baptists, was presented with a fitting honor during the final moments of the 2018 state Evangelism Conference at First Baptist Church, Pineville, Jan. 23 – the announcement that his alma mater, Louisiana College, has formed the “Dr. Wayne and Martha Jenkins Center for Evangelism and Missions.” Fellow members of the evangelism and church growth team joined Jenkins and his wife, Martha, on stage, and a multitude of family members gathered in front of the podium to surprise him with news his alma mater, Louisiana College, had formed the Wayne and Martha Jenkins Center for Evangelism and Missions that will reside on campus. “It was a shock they did this, especially how they could keep it a secret since this idea was first born in November,” Jenkins said. “This center has a great deal of potential to equip students and pastors and staff in the areas of evangelism and missions. I’m looking forward to getting things rolling. “It’s more than just an honor to have the center named after my wife and me – it’s another phase of ministry,” he said. “What I wanted to do was … [Read more...]

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer ALEXANDRIA (LBM) - Wayne Jenkins’ call to fulfill the Great Commission has taken him from the bayous of south Louisiana to the streets of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during his 27 years as director of evangelism for Louisiana Baptists. Jenkins retired Jan. 31, but his commitment to share the Gospel alongside Louisiana Baptists will continue with annual trips to Brazil. He hopes to continue spending time with his children and grandchildren, but he is determined to assist with the Harvest and other evangelism efforts that equip Louisiana Baptists with the tools needed to share their faith. “I never thought I would work for the Convention,” Jenkins said. “I always had high regards for the men and women who worked for the Convention and would never have felt qualified. When (Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Director) Mark Short approached me about considering the position of evangelism director, it was the one position I would consider. “Never would I have dreamed I would have been privileged to work here for 27 years and under three executive directors,” he added. “To be able to work with pastors, directors of missions, staff and laymen for all these years has been such a rich … [Read more...]

By Baptist Press Staff DALLAS (BP) - North Carolina pastor J.D. Greear will be nominated for SBC president, Florida pastor Ken Whitten announced Jan. 29. WHOLEHEARTED ENDORSEMENT Whitten, pastor of Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, Fla., told Baptist Press that Greear, 44, "is all about what Southern Baptists have been all about." "We bleed missions. We bleed evangelism, and we bleed the Gospel of Jesus Christ ... J.D. Greear will give us the opportunity to impact another generation while continuing to honor the former generation of Southern Baptists,” he added. GREEAR’S REMARKS Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Durham, N.C., released a statement to BP, announcing, "I am again allowing my name to be placed in nomination" after "a lot of prayer, encouragement and counsel, with the consent of our [Summit] leadership team and Veronica my wife." "The basic things that God laid on my heart haven't changed from 2016 and I feel more committed to them than ever," Greear added, according to BP. BP attributed Greear with stating he would emphasize "the Gospel above all"; "cultural and racial diversity"; "intentional, personal evangelism"; "church planting"; and, "engagement of the next generation in cooperative … [Read more...]

By Norm Miller PINEVILLE (LCNews) - A two-year trend of enrollment growth continues at Louisiana College, which reports an 18 percent head count increase since the 2017 spring semester. Spring enrollment reflects a 53 percent increase in graduate students and an eight percent increase in traditional undergraduate students. High school dual enrollment also doubled. The continuing increases have reversed a 5-year downward spiral in enrollment that began in 2010. “There is no magical formula here,” said Rick Brewer, president of the college. “Success still requires a vision and the hard work to fulfill it.” Particularly gratifying for Brewer is the number of transfer students. “These students have essentially recruited us and have left other good schools for what we have to offer. Some of them considered enrolling at LC last fall but attended elsewhere, yet they have come back saying that they should have begun here initially.” Brewer noted the struggles LC endured prior to his unanimous election by trustees in 2015 are continually overshadowed by the innovative strategies developed in, and implemented by, the college’s President’s Leadership Team. “These enrollment successes require a team that’s ‘all in,’” said … [Read more...]

By Will Hall, Message Editor ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM)—Southern Baptist statesman Ken Hemphill will be nominated for president of the Southern Baptist Convention, according to an announcement issued by a group of distinguished Southern Baptists. ENTHUSIASTIC ENDORSEMENTS “Some interested Southern Baptist pastors and leaders have been thinking together for several weeks about whom God might raise up to follow Dr. Steve Gaines as our SBC president,” said David Hankins, executive director of the Louisiana Baptist Convention. “We desire to elect a man who is a Southern Baptist through and through, values our understanding of the Gospel, and, has an established record of affirming the cooperative work of our local churches through the associations, state conventions and national entities. “We sought Ken out because of his record in these areas as well as his impeccable character, remarkable breadth of experience in Southern Baptist life, passion for missions and evangelism, and an active ministry of re-vitalization to pastors and churches.” Numerous others added their endorsements in emails to the Baptist Message, including Richard Land, president of Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, N.C., and president emeritus of … [Read more...]

Louisiana College President Rick Brewer presents the Smith Scholarship trophy to Prospect resident Alena Noakes, a student at the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts in Natchitoches, after she was announced the winner of a full scholarship to Louisiana College. All of the competitors were judged according to their academic performance, leadership traits, and Christian commitment. Runners-up who enroll at LC this fall will be awarded an annual scholarship of $8500 and admitted into the C.S. Lewis Scholars Honors Program. Addyson Baden photo … [Read more...]

Prospect resident Alena Noakes (fourth from left, front row) won Louisiana College's prestigious Smith Scholarship competition Jan. 27.  The winner was announced at a luncheon for all the competitors. Noakes beat out 24 other competitors, all of the competitors were judged according to their academic performance, leadership traits, and Christian commitment. Runners-up who enroll at LC this fall will be awarded an annual scholarship of $8500 and admitted into the C.S. Lewis Scholars Honors Program. Addyson Baden photo … [Read more...]