“Thirteen years ago, this friend turned me down,” Freddie Arnold told the pastors at Wednesday’s meeting. “I was trying to recondition an old school bus for mission trips and I felt led to ask a certain member of my church to pay for it. He wasn’t able to–in spite of my knowing for certain the Lord led me to ask him–and nothing was ever done. We finally sold the old bus. That friend called this week.”
“He said, ‘I couldn’t help you 13 years ago, but the Lord has not let me alone about that.'” He knew Freddie is deeply involved in the rebuilding of this city, so informed him he is sending a sizeable check for the work here. Freddie said, “That will allow us to update our disaster relief van and buy some additional equipment.”
“I have an announcement for some of you pastors,” Freddie said. “The salary supplements several of you have been receiving are being phased out as of June 1. They will be reassessed at that time.”
Apparently–and we have no argument with this–our state leadership has decided that after over 18 months of post-Katrina existence, our pastors should be on their feet. Either their church should be back to the point of supporting them, they should have a job on the side to supplement their church income, or they should be thinking of moving on to a pastorate outside this hurricane area.
Freddie announced that Lifeway Christian Resources had sent us preschool and children’s books for a new church library. “See me,” he said to the pastor who was quick to volunteer that his church was in the process of creating a new library.
Speaking of Lifeway, John Moore was with us. John served for 30 years in student ministry with the Louisiana Baptist Convention before moving “to the dark side,” as he jokingly put it, meaning the denominational headquarters in Nashville. “I want you to know that Lifeway is partnering with you,” he said. “We have sent $1.5 million in non-Cooperative Program funds to the Louisiana Baptist Convention for disaster relief work. We sent $750,000 to the seminary. And we’re putting money into the Unlimited Partnerships.”
“Furthermore,” John said, “Bruce Raley of Lifeway is working to bring religious education people to staff your Ridgecrest-on-the-River conference this September. The ministers of education will be available at no cost for workshops in your churches, too. Bruce says these guys are hearing about this and calling to say, ‘Sign me up for New Orleans.'”
Tommy Teague was with us today. The pastor of North Richland Hills Baptist Church in Fort Worth used to serve the West St. Charles Baptist Church of Boutte during his seminary days. (That was my seminary pastorate in the 1960’s when it was the Paradis Baptist Church. I’ll be preaching there this Sunday.)
“This is our sixth working visit to New Orleans,” Tommy said. His people have partnered with Grace Baptist Church in the Bywater section of New Orleans. “We have 4 teams here this week,” he said. “Some are painting Douglass High School. Some feeding the staff, other rebuilding homes. And our jazz band arrives at the airport tonight. They’ll be playing at Thursday evening’s block party, hoping to draw a crowd by their music.”
Pastor Teague went on to say, “Our people are going door to door, inviting people to the block party and asking them two big questions: What is your greatest need? and Is there anything we can pray about for you? They walk through any open doors of witness the Lord provides.”
“Last night we were outside in the neighborhood sharing the gospel, and some shady characters were driving by, yelling insults and profanity. Then a burly-looking man blocked my path on the sidewalk and I thought, ‘Okay, Lord. You said you would be with me!’ The man said, ‘It’s 6:30. Either you’re an idiot or you’re Spirit-filled. Which is it?’ I said, ‘I hope it’s the latter.’ The man hugged me and with tears in his eyes, said, ‘I’m a pastor. I wish I could get my people to do what you’re doing.'”
David Rhymes introduced a new phase of ministry for church volunteer teams headed this way, something he has developed from necessity. “I call it ‘Where Y’At Ministry.’ You probably know that ‘Where y’at!’ is how a lot of people down here greet one another.”
He continued, “We’re up to our eyeballs in volunteers. A nice problem. We have many organizations down here that are bringing in church teams to work–NOAH, BAGNO, MissionLab, World Changers, Family Fest, Baptist Crossroads, Baptist Builders–just to name a few. This spring and summer promises to be one for the books.”
“We have too many groups coming in for the local churches to put to work in their neighborhoods. A church can have only so many block parties and backyard Bible clubs. So, what we’re now suggesting to groups coming in to help us is that you go to work in the neighborhood helping to rebuild houses and continue to minister there. Work ‘where y’at.’ The problem is a church will want to help rebuild homes, but want to go into some more exotic neighborhood or where churches are functioning well to do their personal ministry. But the greatest need is right there where they are.”
“We’re trying to maximize volunteer effectiveness in the communities where they are conducting rebuilds by getting them to engage the neighbors. This might take many forms: prayer walking, door to door witnessing, street-corner concerts by choirs, playing with children in a park or vacant lot, community cleanup, cookouts, that sort of thing. Whatever the Lord calls to your mind.”
Those interest in learning more or plugging into this “Where Y’At” work may contact David Rhymes, our evangelism strategist, at 504/214-5815 or drhymes@namb.net.
Joshua Del Risco (I bet I misspelled his name) is director of the Multi-Ethnic Evangelism Department with our North American Mission Board. Today he told how he’s working with our Hispanic churches on a crusade to reach the Mexicans flooding into New Orleans to do construction work. We will appreciate prayers for the success of their ministry. We’re hoping to start new churches with the people we reach.
Cherry Blackwell and husband Ben are volunteering with the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation this weekend at the New Orleans Arena for the NCAA basketball regional championship games. Next year, our city will host the NBA All-Star Game and she’s been asked to enlist crowds of volunteers from our people for that.
“The last week of June,” Cherry said, “we’re having a camp for boys and girls grades 1 through 6 at Camp Living Waters. I am so committed to this that even if your church does not have a missions ministry for these children, if you can enlist some to attend, let me know and we’ll find the money to pay for this week. It will be life-changing, I assure you.”
Corey Olivier, the metro N.O. collegiate ministry director, has been invited to be the chaplain of Tulane’s baseball team and perhaps some of the other sports programs as well. “The BCM work at Delgado Community College is flourishing,” he said. “And we are renovating the BCM center at Tulane.” Next door to the Tulane Center on Freret Street is a frat house that partially burned last year and continues to stand as an eyesore. Corey said, “We’re offering to tear it down for them if they’ll let us use the space for parking.” He asked for prayer on that. The BCM center is a 3 story shotgun house with maybe 6 parking spaces.
We promoted the May 20 baseball-evangelism event called “Safe at Home,” in which 9,000 free tickets to that day’s Zephyr’s game will be distributed to our churches. The idea is for church members to invite their unsaved or unchurched friends to the game, then everyone stay for the after game events. When the game ends, they’ll roll a platform onto the field and set up mikes. A concert will follow and then Birmingham evangelist Scott Dawson will bring a message of hope and faith.
Pastor Johnny Jones and wife Winniefred (Free Mission Church) told of their annual student conference which attracted 70 young people from throughout the city. Chief of Police Warren Riley challenged the youth with his own testimony. He said, “It makes a difference where you came from, but it makes even more difference where you’re going.”
It’s all about ministering where y’at.