Want to see faith at its starkest? Take a look at Free Mission Baptist Church.

Now, it’s not much to look at, just a single rectangular brick building that might seat a hundred people. The front door opens to a cozy worship center and in the back, behind the pulpit, a few classrooms sit. Freddie Arnold says the church is prettier on the inside than the outside. But that’s not the amazing thing about this church structure.

What’s incredible about Free Mission is that it has been rebuilt and where that happened.

Free Mission Baptist Church is located on Egania Street smack dab in the heart of the devastated Lower Ninth Ward, the most severely ruined section of New Orleans as a result of Katrina’s floodwaters. This, the lowest part of the city, lies along the east side of the Industrial Canal on your way from downtown New Orleans to St. Bernard Parish. The levee broke just a few blocks west of Free Mission Church and floodwaters swamped the church as they did everything else in their path. The rushing torrent lifted homes off their foundations, jumbled them on top of one another, set houses down on boats and cars, and collapsed older homes. Most of the people who had stayed behind to ride out the storm were drowned inside their houses.

For months after Katrina, tourists drove up and down the narrow streets of the Lower Ninth, aghast at what they were seeing—a neighborhood in tatters. For more than a year, dead bodies were still being taken from collapsed houses.

Today, the Lower Ninth is mostly vacant lots, many with weeds knee-deep. Here and there a house has been rebuilt and a few homes are marked for restoration, but nothing has been done yet.

In the heart of all that, Pastor Johnny Jones and his small congregation have rebuilt their church. With money from the insurance and some volunteer help, the building was gutted and restored. The dedication of this structure has been set for this Sunday afternoon, March 22, at 2 pm.

Only faith goes into the Lower 9th Ward and rebuilds a church before the population returns.

When the people come home, Free Mission will be here, waiting.

I drove over one day last week to check on the church building. One of the members, Myrna, was snapping photos to use with a powerpoint display at the dedication. She was on her lunch hour, she said.

When I expressed amazement that she was excited about the church being restored, she said, “I grew up in this neighborhood. My parents helped to start this church 56 years ago. I was born a few years later. It’s the only church I’ve ever known.”

For the past two years and more, Free Mission has held its Sunday morning services in our associational Baptist building at 2222 Lakeshore Drive, across the street from the University of New Orleans. Myrna said, “I have to drive from Metairie to get there. It will be just as easy to drive over here.”

Something about the church coming home, being where it’s always been, ready for the community to return, something about that strikes her — and the congregation — as the right thing to do.

Pastor Johnny Jones is the type of man most of us would love to have as our shepherd. A retired school principal, he is the soul of kindness and graciousness. He dresses immaculately, always wears a smile, and makes you feel better just to be in his presence. When he prays, you know you have been at the Throne. His wife, Winniefred — we call her “Miss Winnie” — is just as wonderful. Last year, she completed her master’s degree at Tulane University.

Johnny and Winniefred Jones have pastored Free Mission Church for 26 years. No one will be happier to be “at home” than they. We rejoice with them.

Man’s wisdom would dictate that this congregation should wait until the residents of that neighborhood return, then rebuild. Do nothing until your client base is there.

But faith goes out, not always knowing where it’s going, where it will end up or how things will be once it arrives. Faith just knows God is leading and that He is with them. Man’s wisdom would send us to a spiritual mapquest and plot every step, every turn, between here and there. But faith is not like that.

Faith does what Jesus did. He said, “I go to prepare a place for you.” At the time He said that and at the time He left to begin preparations for our eternal home, most of us were not born and of those who were, most were unbelieving. Yet, there He was — leaving to begin the building, preparing our home.

Jesus had faith that we would be there some day.

Faith is like that.

In his wonderful little 1965 book “The Power of Positive Praying,” John Bisagno tells of the time he casually promised his 5-year-old daughter Melodye Jan that he would build her a doll house. At the time, Brother John was engrossed in a book and hardly aware of his daughter’s presence in and out of the room. Sometime later, he happened to notice her on the front lawn with her arms loaded down with dolls and dishes and toys. He called to his wife, “Honey, what is she doing out there?”

Mrs. Bisagno said, “You promised to build her a doll house and she believes you. She’s getting ready for it.”

Brother John writes, “You would have thought I’d been hit by an atom bomb. I threw aside that book, raced to the lumber yard for supplies, and quickly built that little girl a doll house.”

Then, applying the lesson of that, he says, “Now, why did I respond (in that way)? Because she wanted it? No. Because she deserved it? No. Her daddy had given his word and she believed it and acted upon it. When I saw her faith, nothing could keep me from carrying out my word.”

“When Jesus saw their faith….” (Mark 2:5)

Update: Reader Wolf Paul sends this fascinating link where you can view the church and the 9th Ward area through Google Maps street view interface. Thanks Wolf!