By Message Staff
WOODWORTH – Southern Baptists of Texas Convention African American Fellowship President Tony Mathews will headline a Louisiana Baptist conference next month for African American pastors and their wives wanting to be intentional in Acts 1:8 missions.
Scheduled Sept. 8-9 at the Tall Timbers Conference Center in Woodworth, the conference also will feature worship by Thomas Eugene Keys III, worship minister at Calvary Baptist Church in Shreveport. The conference will include a wives event on Saturday morning led by Carolyn Fountain, spouse of Leroy Fountain, church health strategist for the New Orleans Baptist Association.
During the 25 years he has served as pastor of North Garland Baptist Fellowship, Matthews has led the congregation to help plant eight churches and sponsor church mission trips to Brazil, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Paso, Guatemala, India, Japan, Kenya, Laredo, Madagascar, Mexico, Montreal, Panama, Peru, Romania, South Africa, Spain, Tanzania and Venezuela. He is a published author of several books, and he has preached, lectured and conducted seminars in a number of cities across the United States.
The idea for the conference and retreat was birthed in a conversation between Wayne Sheppard, coordinator of Partnership Missions, for Louisiana Baptists, and Fred Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church and a former president of the SBC.
“We are excited to provide this weekend of encouragement, training, and inspiration for all Louisiana Baptist African American pastors and wives,” Sheppard offered, “and to give them a brief retreat.”
Registration is free before Sept. 1, as a joint gift of the Louisiana Baptist Partnership Missions and the Louisiana Baptist Missions and Ministry team. The conference will begin at 5 p.m. Sept. 8, and conclude at noon the following day.
To register, visit louisianabaptists.org/castthenet.