My mother asked me to thank everyone who sent birthday cards for her 90th, which we all celebrated last Friday. I think she ended up with 41 cards. She laughs at those of you who wrote that “you must be a wonderful person to have raised such a nice son.” She says, “I have four sons; which one do you think they mean?” A few weeks back after I put a note about her impending birthday in this blog and bragged on her a little, she teasingly said she was thinking of showing it to the other children and saying, “That’s what Joe says about me; what do you say?”

We do thank you very much. Wish you could have had one of the terrific fried pies she made for the occasion. Since my sister Patricia grows blueberries in the field across the road, Mom decided to vary the content of her turnovers from the traditional apples and make some with peaches and blueberries. Saturday morning, when I left to drive toward Knoxville, she sent four pies along. Before preaching Sunday morning, my breakfast was a Chilton County peach, a blueberry pie, and a cup of hotel-room coffee.

“Pastor, take a look at our parking lot.” Pastor Kwan Song of the First Korean Baptist Mission in Metairie called to tell me they are experiencing the strangest effects of Hurricane Katrina of any of our churches. The ground under their building and parking lot is sinking. Sure enough, it is. Cracks are appearing under the building and under the sidewalks and concrete parking area. The pastor is applying for some of the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund money to correct the problem.

I asked Pastor Kwan if he had lost members due to the upheaval Katrina brought to our world. “Oh yes,” he said. “We had 36 last Sunday. Before Katrina, we were running 60 and 70. The weekly offerings have dropped by 50 percent.” A new Korean family has just joined their church. “But they’re construction people,” he said, “and probably will not be with us permanently.”

Freddie Arnold told me, “Gentilly Baptist still does not have electricity.” Which means the Arkansas volunteers sleeping in their educational building are still sweating through the nights. And the members of Elysian Fields Avenue Baptist Church, which has moved over to worship in Gentilly, is continuing to hold their services on the front sidewalk due to the heat. “Tourists stop to take their picture,” he said. “It’s a good witness.”

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Monday, Frank Page came to town and made the front of Tuesday’s Times-Picayune. Frank, the pastor of Taylors, SC, First Baptist Church, is the newly elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention. He was invited to speak Monday night at FBC of Covington and then Tuesday morning to our pastors meeting at Oak Park Baptist Church. But Monday, they gave him a tour of the New Orleans he has only seen in the newsreels.

“The new leader of the 16 million-member Southern Baptist Convention toured New Orleans’ vast flood zone Monday and, astonished at what he saw, promised to point more volunteers toward the region where tens of thousands of Baptist church members have toiled since the second day after Hurricane Katrina.”

“In a neighborhood off Elysian Fields Avenue, the Rev. Frank Page chatted with nearly two dozen sweat-soaked Missouri teens gutting a house along with a few adult chaperones. Later, he visited more than 200 volunteers helping build 40 homes in the Baptist Crossroads Project, a 9th Ward effort co-sponsored by local Southern Baptists and Habitat for Humanity.”

“Flanking those visits were tours of Lakeview and the Lower 9th Ward. ‘My reaction is…incredulity,’ Page said later. ‘It’s almost unbelievable. I’ve seen the pictures, but they cannot capture the widespread devastation. Mile after mile. It looks like something after a nuclear bomb.'”

Religion writer (and all-around good guy) Bruce Nolan explained to readers that the convention’s North American Mission Board estimated its volunteers have contributed more than 43,000 days of Katrina relief work this year. Bruce frequently attends our Wednesday pastors meeting–it met on Tuesday this week in order to accommodate Dr. Page’s schedule–and has a good understanding of who we are and what we’re about. That is a rarity in today’s media.

I missed Frank Page’s visit, unfortunately. Sunday, I spoke four times at the Central Baptist Church of Bearden in Knoxville, TN, and Monday night at Green Valley Baptist Church in Birmingham, then drove home Tuesday. Several people I talked to, however, gave glowing reports of Frank’s visit with the pastors. “We had about a hundred,” David Crosby said. He reported that Page brought a good Bible study to the group on our mission, then fielded questions for a half hour. David asked him why he had run for president of the SBC and what he hoped to accomplish.

He ran, he said, because he felt that the Cooperative Program needed to receive a greater focus in Southern Baptist life. And he hopes to enlarge the tent of cooperation, to include far more people in the work and decision-making role of this denomination.

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I’m normally the optimist, but today’s attendance at the Wednesday pastors meeting was a good 30 or 35 more than I had expected. We counted 125 present. Not all were pastors, of course. In addition to the staff members whom we generally refer to as pastors also, a number of ministers’ wives were in attendance along with lay leaders and collegians who are serving our churches as summer missionaries. Host Joe Kay had to order more fried chicken for lunch.

“We have boxes of free books up here,” Joe Kay said. The front pew was lined with cartons filled to capacity with volumes to beef up pastors’ libraries. Later, Brantley, the manager of Lifeway Christian Stores, brought more boxes. When we broke up at 11:35, many of the pastors were loading themselves down with the gifts of books.

Mike Canady from the Louisiana Baptist Convention introduced the subject that brought everyone out today. “We’re talking about how to revitalize and rebuild our churches, and how to put in place strategies to reach people. It’s not enough to build a house or rebuild a church. This is about people, the people in your neighborhood.”

In essence, the LBC and the North American Mission Board (NAMB) are working with our association (BAGNO) to divide the metropolitan area into 27 zones, each with one or more Southern Baptist church. Soon, Mike Canady and Wayne Jenkins will meet with their counterparts in the other state conventions and offer churches, associations, and state conventions the opportunity to partner with one of our 27 zones. A large church might take a zone by itself; in some cases, an entire state may be assigned one zone. What happens then is up to the churches and pastors in that zone and the entity (church/association/convention) that takes responsibility for it. Whether the task is gutting out and rebuilding homes and churches, or doing ministry and evangelism in the neighborhoods, or a hundred other approaches, will be strictly up to the participating churches.

If it was mentioned once today, it was said ten times: “Each church is autonomous. Self-governing. You decide what you will do, and what you want done in your neighborhood.” We were not giving anyone their work assignment. We work for the churches. That’s Southern Baptist polity. It’s not always the most efficient, but it’s our way and it has served us well for 160 years.

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At Jim Nason’s funeral in Montgomery last Monday afternoon, his former wife gave the eulogy. “This is a first,” I told Anne. “Oh? Maybe I shouldn’t do it,” she said. “Oh no,” I reassured her. “I’m just saying I’ve never preached a funeral where the ex-wife paid tribute. I think it’s just fine.” And it was. She and her former sister-in-law had wonderful things to say about his life and character.

Back in the early to mid-80s, Jim Nason had served as our maintenance supervisor at the First Baptist Church of Columbus, Mississippi, where I pastored. If ever a man was over-qualified for a position, he was that one. At various stages in his life, he worked as a commercial pilot and flight instructor and any number of other jobs. “He was a perfectionist,” Anne said, and told of the time he was teaching her to fly.

“He reached over and shut off the engine,” she said, “while we were taking off. It was so frightening. Later, he explained that he was trying to prepare me for emergencies. I said, ‘Well, the least you could have done was warn me.’ Jim said, ‘Emergencies never come with a warning. They happen when you least expect them.'” Anne considered it one of the best lessons she ever learned.

While Margaret and I were in Alabama Sunday through Tuesday, I was interested to see that New Orleans’ plight is still being kept before the readers of the Birmingham News and USA Today. The only time I read the latter paper is when I’m out of town, it seems. Among other things, the Birmingham paper had articles on restaurants that have reopened and those that haven’t, while USA Today was running an editorial page invitation for residents in our part of the world to write a letter with their Katrina story; several letters were run. I’m considering sending mine.

Tuesday night back at home, I sat at the table with a bowl of my favorite food and read the Times-Picayunes I had missed Monday and Tuesday. Whereas the papers I had read in Alabama had a little Katrina-type/New Orleans coverage, the local paper was saturated with post-hurricane-rebuilding stories. Welcome home. It’s the major fact of our existence down here. One feature was calling on residents to be prepared for the next hurricane.

They used to tell us that hurricane preparedness meant stocking up on canned foods such as vienna sausage and potted meat, jugs of water, and such. Occasionally, someone would add, “My daddy always told us to keep a hatchet in the attic.” In case they were stranded inside and had to hack their way out to the roof. Like there’s a likelihood of that happening, most of us know-it-alls thought, back then in the antediluvian days.

These days, hurricane preparedness is not about staying, but leaving.

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Chris Rose writes a column in the local paper which used to be funny. Since Katrina, he has become deeper, more serious, and a lot more insightful. Recently, in this blog, I mentioned that locals are wondering where Mayor Nagin is, that he seems to be more interested in the celebrity aspect of the mayor’s office than actually running the city. That he seems to think, like a lazy preacher, if he speaks on a subject he has done something about it. In Sunday morning’s paper (which arrives at my house Saturday night), Chris Rose said it like this….

“(At his inauguration, Nagin) stood with the two men (Congressman William Jefferson and State Sen. Cleo Fields) made infamous by their wads of suspect cash, which they both told us they would one day explain how they got–but…did I miss that news conference? No doubt, with billions of federal dollars ready to roll into this city, we can all be confident of its proper use.”

“And then (Nagin) disappeared. Back to Neverland. His Isle of Denial. City Hall is on Perdido Street and perdido is Spanish for ‘lost’ and isn’t it fitting?”

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People are wearing pins on their lapels, a large crescent on which are the words “I know what it means,” underwhich is a heart with a fleur de lis inside, underneath that is “New Orleans.” It’s a song, you no doubt remember: “I Know What It Means to Love New Orleans.”

Love is something you do, Scripture teaches. When David Crosby came as pastor of the FBC of N.O. 10 years ago last month, he led the congregation to post banners up and down St. Charles Avenue with their theme: “Love This City.” These days that church is leading out in a hundred ways toward the rebuilding of this city, particularly in the Baptist Crossroads project of erecting 40 new Habitat homes in the Upper 9th Ward. Thousands of our friends from all over the country are giving much of their summer to make this a reality.

Meanwhile, other churches are on the front line doing all they can. Keith Maddox at West St. Charles Church in Boutte wants you to know that they have facilities for housing groups up to 50 with showers and everything. After the present group leaves, they’ll be ready for your team. Boutte is some 20 miles west of New Orleans on U.S. Highway 90; that was my seminary pastorate 40 years ago and I do love this church. Churches like Oak Park, Metairie, and Highland are also capable of housing groups. Anyone needing contact information on these churches may call our associational offices at 504/282-1428.

Today, Saturday, is the kickoff for the Volunteer Village, a wonderful site for housing groups of church workers coming to help. We’ve spoken of this before (www.joemckeever.com; scroll down a couple of days), and continue to be excited about their capacity to put up 500 people at a time, three meals a day, etc. Maybe the most attractive thing about the VV is that it’s at the foot of Canal Street, right on the river, meaning that when volunteers come in and get their showers, they are close to great restaurants, the Riverwalk shopping center, the Aquarium of the Americas, a movie theater, and some great antique shops.

A fellow named Ricky Graham is tickling the funny bones of locals, teasing us about our accents and mannerisms. Anyone knowing this city and enjoying it for any reason will get a kick out of some of his insights.

“We’ve been through hurricanes, floods, fire, Kimberly Williamson-Butler–what else can we take? Locustses?”

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We told you about the cars donated by DaimlerChrysler to the City of New Orleans sometime after the hurricane, and how some of the cars were diverted to personal use by city council members. Now the FBI is getting involved.

DaimlerChrysler AG gave the city 40 vehicles and Ford Motor Company donated another 15. Some were trucks and the rest were sport utility vehicles. All were designated for the use of public agencies and government units such as police and fire departments. Dave Elshoff, a spokesman for DaimlerChrysler, said those instructions were given in writing and were stressed verbally to Renee Gill Pratt, city councilwoman who signed for 20 of the cars when they were delivered to Baton Rouge. She kept four for her own use, and gave two each to the remaining council members.

Now, eight months later, it comes to light that Gill Pratt arranged for her four vehicles to be donated to two charities with whom she has close ties, Care Unlimited and the Orleans Metropolitan Housing. The other council members say they scattered theirs around, too. Jay Batt gave one to the Audubon Nature Institute and one to the Lakeview Crime Prevention District. Jacquelyn Clarkson gave one each to St. Paul Lutheran Church and Greater St. Mary Baptist Church, saying both churches were deeply involved in disaster relief. Eddie Sapir gave his cars to Citizens Against Crime and Friends of NORD, both charities. The other councilmembers have kept control of their vehicles, saying they’re used for running errands and such. One of the pastors who received a car said he could never get the title transferred, so the expensive vehicle sits in the church yard unused.

What happened to the other trucks and SUVs? Most are being used as the donors intended, by police and fire departments, parish officers, and the like.

The New Orleans City Council–several members are brand new on the job and were not recipients of those vehicles–have called for the cars to be returned and for the local FBI to take a look. In Friday’s paper, the FBI admitted it is indeed getting involved. Jim Bernazzani, special agent in charge, said normally they would not make a public comment, but in this case the public interest has been aroused to the point he wants everyone to know they are investigating. However, he pointed out, “Being incredibly selfish is not a criminal act in itself.”

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Thursday, I ran into Jeffery Friend in the lounge of the seminary’s Hardin Student Center. Wife Stephanie is working at the Lifeway Christian Store just on the other side of the glass, and he seemed to be studying. “I’m working with Jeff Box at Suburban Baptist Church,” he said. East New Orleans. Chef Menteur Highway. “Three blocks away, the flooding started,” he said.

They alternate preaching and leading in the worship services. “We both are used to running the show,” he smiled, “so it’s a learning experience for each of us.” Two pastors, an African-American and an Anglo, leading a damaged church in its rebuilding and restoration. Big task.

What percentage of people in that area have not even touched their homes yet? “Maybe 60 percent.” Lots of FEMA trailers? “All over the place.” Suburban is running 50 or so in attendance. “None of them attended this church before the storm. They’re all new.” A few are members of Jeffery’s flooded church, Hopeview in St. Bernard Parish, who drive in from out of the area.

In the Lifeway Christian Store, manager Brantley quickly agreed to my request to set the stack of cards on “How to Pray for New Orleans” by the cash register for customers to take. He led me into the back of the store where he has stacks of books ready to give to our pastors. “Lifeway sent these to professors who lost their libraries,” he said, “and these were left over.” I assured him if he will bring them to Oak Park Baptist Church next Wednesday at 10 am, not one of those books will be left behind. Many of our pastors lost their libraries and are eager to build new ones.

Recently when talking with New Salem’s Warren Jones, I asked what all the volunteer groups coming to his church were doing. “Rebuilding this church, working in the neighborhood,” he said. I said, “Where are you living?” In a little room near the church, his family still in Texas. I said, “Warren, ask the next group to work on your house. Believe me, friend, these good folks will count it a privilege to bring back your home. They will do it like they were building Jesus’ home.” And they are.

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Ask a local what “potpourri” (pronounced PO – purree) means and he or she will say, “A little of this, a little of that.” Which is a good description of our Wednesday pastors meetings at Oak Park Baptist Church.

Beginning, I told the pastors and guests of a preacher who had declared bankruptcy recently and how upsetting that was to his members. “Anyone can have money problems,” I assured them, then backed it up with my own tales from the early years of our marriage when neither Margaret nor I wanted to pay the bills because there was never enough money in the bank. “You need help. Jesus sent His disciples out in pairs, because He knew each one needs a buddy. You cannot do this by yourself. You need a friend, a counselor, someone to help you in a crisis.” Pastors are often isolated and bear both their burdens and their joys alone. Then wonder why they get into trouble.

Freddie Arnold presented information on how churches can start home Bible studies, taking advantage of the receptive climate God has given us. He promoted the September 9 “Ridgecrest on the River” when New York’s Gary Frost will be the keynote speaker.

Rudy and Rose French have returned from six weeks in Canada, seeing to some medical needs. “We were shuttled from doctor to doctor,” Rudy said. “It was enough to make you think FEMA had been managing Canadian Health programs.” One result of the runaway heartbeat he’s dealing with these days, Rudy says, is facing his own mortality. “I’m 57, and at the most, I may have 30 more years left. What to do with the rest of my life is a great question.”

Tobey Pitman, project director of Operation NOAH Rebuild, said, “God is so good. Last week I mentioned we need a volunteer to coordinate our food services for the next two years. And Cherry Blackwell stepped up and volunteered.” This Saturday, they are opening Volunteer Village in the World Trade Center downtown, floors 3, 4, and 5 with full accommodations. “We have 400 guests already lined up for next week,” he said, “making this a baptism of fire.” They still have to get the kitchen up and running. It has not been used in five years and needs work. “We need an ice machine,” Tobey said. “Time is of the essence.” He added, “We need a volunteer who can take over the renovation of that kitchen, and getting it inspected and licensed.”

Once everything in Volunteer Village is operational, the cost will be $20 per night per volunteer. This covers 3 meals, badges, supplemental insurance, and parking.

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The French Quarter merchants say their business is off 70% from pre-Katrina. When they re-opened following the storm, construction workers filled the gap. Months later, tourists came. Now that that’s slacking off, they’re turning toward the community, asking residents to help them stay afloat. For those who do not know, only a small portion of the French Quarter businesses are the sleazy joints you hear so much of. Most are restaurants, antique shops, t-shirt and souvenir sites, that sort of thing.

One store-owner said, “This summer will tell the tale as to how many businesses down here survive.”

The mayor and city leaders keep saying the city is able to host conventions now, and urge tourists to come in large numbers. I asked a friend who attended a convention in our city recently to tell me her experience. I’m editing it a little.

“The city was in better shape than when we saw it 6 months ago, but it’s plain to see there are still years of work to do here.

“Our room at the Hilton Riverside was $189 per night. We paid $22 per night to self park, leaving us a great distance to walk to the elevator, then even farther through the garage to find our car. The breakfast buffet was $19. The shops in the hotel were closed most of the time while we were there.

“A breakfast meeting where I spoke at the Hilton Garden Inn charged $12.50 for a continental breakfast, all pastries, no meat or eggs.

“The convention printed up a nice map marked with area hotels, restaurants, etc., for all of us. The restaurant list was very short!

“One night after supper, we decided to go to Cafe Du Monde for cafe au lait and beignets. We waited 45 minutes for the trolley and were pleasantly surprised to find it was free. As we walked back to the Hilton Riverside through some of the French Quarter area, we noted the many, many empty or closed businesses. I prayed that Christians would move into that area and put in wholesome stores. We stopped at the Jax Shopping area for the restrooms. Even though it was only 6 pm on a Monday night, the businesses were all closed and the restrooms were locked.

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