“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own BAPTIST understanding, in all TO REPORT A NEWS ITEM your ways submit to OR BUY AN AD him, and he will make CALL 800.376.7728 your paths straight.” OR 318.442.7728 – Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) MessageNewsjournal for Louisiana Helping Louisiana Baptists impact the world for Christ Volume 131 l Issue No. 21 www.baptistmessage.com November 3, 2016 Unveiling of Harvest evangelistic effort set for ’16 Annual Meeting By Brian Blackwell mission services team serves as a resource to train and imple- Message Staff Writer ment.” ALEXANDRIA – Louisiana Jenkins will share more Baptists have a unique opportu- about the Harvest initiative dur- nity to be part of one of the larg- ing the Monday evening session est joint efforts for evangelism of the annual meeting, which ever undertaken in the state – an will be held at Calvary Baptist initiative that Church in figures to be a Alexandria. major catalyst After for spiritual spending 2016 awakening. to plan and enlist leaders Carlyss Community Church photo During the Louisiana and churches Nicole Dowers was baptized in August at Carlyss Community Church. Since Brian Manuel started the church Baptist Con- and using 2017 out of his living room in November 2014 with eight people, worship attendance has grown to 60. The area is ex- vention 2016 Annual Meeting, to conduct pected to add 22,000 residents by 2019, offering even more prospects to hear the Gospel. Nov. 14-15, messengers will statewide evangelism training have the chance to learn more and pilot different methods, about how they can say yes to Louisiana Baptists will join Church’s first baptisms opens door for more the Harvest – a two-year effort together across the state in 2018 to involve at least 700 Louisiana in prayer events and intentional By Brian Blackwell plant’s first baptismal candi- reading Scripture and talking Baptist churches to “pray for soul-winning activities. The every home and share Christ cooperative effort will include a Message Staff Writer date. about our faith. His father could not help “We were just obedient,” with every person” in Louisiana, diversity of approaches such as CARLYSS – Not long but grant it, with an attitude of he continued. “When he finally according to Wayne Jenkins, multi-church crusades, one-on- after Brian Manuel started thanksgiving. decided to get baptized, it was Louisiana Baptists director of one evangelism, single-church Carlyss Community Church in “To see that passion and one of those shining moments evangelism. revivals and other harvest events November 2014, his eight- desire by my son to get bap- as a parent to be able to be that “The plan is simple,” he which take advantage of com- year-old son Truett presented a tized was awesome,” Manuel person who baptizes him.” explained. “Dates and the kind passion ministries to share about simple yet life-altering request said. “We did things we knew of events are set by the churches the love of Christ. – a chance to be the church to be right, like expose him to See FIRST on 6 in the association and the state See ANNUAL MEETING on 9 Louisiana Baptists building hope in Haiti By Brian Blackwell tors and nurses to rush her to a local Message Staff Writer hospital. A Haitian boy is The team quickly fell in love with prayed for dur- HAITI – Wayne Sheppard has seen Selena, whose home life includes an ing a Louisiana thousands of Haitian children during absent father and a stepmother who Baptist mission 15 mission trips there, but for him one shows little interest in her. trip to the young girl stands out among the rest, One Louisiana Baptist couple, country. Mission teams symbolizing the whole of the impact of Terry and Shelley Hamilton, members will be needed Louisiana Baptists’ work there. of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in West to build a During an October 2015 visit near Monroe, was so moved in their love children’s village, the capital o