As usual, Arkansas Baptists have a lot on their calendars to look forward to next year.
To start the year off, Arkansas Baptists are invited to join in prayer and kick off 2024 by diving into God’s Word and hearing devotionals from leaders around the state.
The focus this year comes from Philippians 3:12-14. Every week in January, the focus will be on a different word from the verse: forget, reach, goal, prize, and call. Devotional videos, written devotions, prayer prompts, and more will be shared via email, and all Arkansas Baptists are encouraged to engage with content via social media.
The 2024 Statewide Conference on Evangelism + Church Health will be Jan. 22-23. It will feature powerful worship, dynamic speakers, and practical workshops.
Special guests will include Mark Clifton, Noe Garcia, Todd Kaunitz, Nathan Lino, Fred Luter, David McKinney and Cross Church Worship, Shane Pruitt and Ken Whitten.
On Monday morning before the Evangelism Conference begins, there will be two workshops available beginning at 9:30 a.m. The annual Prayer Workshop for church staff and lay leaders will be led by Todd Kaunitz. New this year is a Church Revitalization Workshop led by Mark Clifton.
Lead>Defend is scheduled for March 2 at Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock.
Lead>Defend is a leadership and apologetics conference for high school and college students and young adults of Arkansas, while Foundations is aimed at students in grades 6-9. The goal each year is to equip attendees to understand how the Bible addresses certain issues at the forefront of culture.
From the main stage and in the breakouts, all involved are given a biblical worldview on difficult and hot topics. The conference can help students wrestling with their own beliefs and doubts find answers and help solidify their commitment to Christ and a biblical worldview.
There will be several guest speakers including Brett and Erin Kunkle, Brent Crowe, and Kolby King.
For the Spring Outreach Strategy, churches are encouraged to select a day, or multiple days, in March to serve their communities, meeting practical needs and strategically sharing the Gospel. Resources will include suggestions on identifying needs and evangelism resources.
As churches look for needs to meet, the answers do not have to be huge, complicated strategies that require a big budget. They can be as simple as recruiting a team of volunteers to serve a meal in the community, collecting supplies for a local food pantry, organizing a backpack giveaway for a low-income area, or even hosting a traditional egg hunt. Churches have been successful doing door-to-door evangelism and prayer walking, while others see lives changed through connections at ministries such as a “No Sell Yard Sale” or sports camp. The possibilities to serve locally are endless.
Arkansas Baptist Women Conference
The Arkansas Baptist Women Conference will be Sept. 21 at First Baptist Church in Benton.
The conference is designed for women of all ages and stages of life, offers powerful worship, dynamic speakers, and meaningful times of connection.
Registration opens on March 1, 2024.
Camps
Arkansas Baptists also have the opportunity to participate in various camps throughout the year.
This year’s PraizFest, a student weekend of worship and equipping, will be Jan. 26-27, 2024, at First Baptist Church in Benton.
The students will be able to participate in a mass worship choir while also choosing one breakout experience from a list of nine. These breakout sessions will cover areas from vocals to worship band instruments and multi-media.
JoyWorks, July 8-12, is a worship arts camp offered for children grades three through six. At this level, the children are given the opportunity to participate in several “tracks” led by experts from across our state. These track leaders give children the opportunity to develop their skills and explore interests which can be immediately implemented into the worship leading of their local churches.
PraiseWorks, a worship arts camp offered for students in grades six through 12, is the next level of discipleship and equipping. At this camp the students are allowed to choose from more than 30 tracks, led by experts in their field. This camp is also July 8-12. Both take place at Ouachita Baptist University. Registration opens March 1.
In 2024, Engage Missions Camp will be held at Camp Paron from June 17-21. This unique camp combines biblical teaching, worship, evangelism, fun, and fellowship with hands-on ministry opportunities to help equip students to be engaged full-time in God’s mission
Super Summer Arkansas, scheduled for June, focuses on evangelism and discipleship for students. It is split into two camps: Super Summer JV, serving campers who have completed sixth through eighth grade, and Super Summer, serving campers who have completed ninth through 12th grade. Both camps have adult leaders who attend one or both camps as adult chaperones. Every camper is assigned a specific college-aged staffer who facilitates small group discussions and recreation.
Super Summer JV will be June 22-25 while Super Summer will be June 25-29. Registration opens February 1.
The next One Day missions trip is Oct. 5, 2024, in north Pulaski County.
One Day Acts 1:8 Missions Experience provides an annual opportunity for Arkansas Baptists to impact lostness in a specific area of our state. Partnering with the churches of a local Association, Arkansas Baptists from across the state spend five hours on the first Saturday in October serving in a variety of ministries, including: prayer walking, evangelism, children’s activities, block parties, construction and home repairs, medical/dental clinics, sports camps, yard work, cowboy ministries, children’s fishing derbies, multi-housing ministries, and several others.
Annual Meeting
The 2024 Annual Meeting of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention is scheduled for Oct. 22-23 at Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock. The Pastor’s Conference is Oct. 21.
This is only a partial list of the many opportunities to participate in events and ministries provided through your Cooperative Program giving.
Visit absc.org/calendar to see additional opportunities. Click here to subscribe to receive the monthly electronic newsletter that will keep you up to date as well.