Bill Rogers, the 30-year pastor of Grace Baptist Church in the Bywater section of the Upper 9th Ward, has resigned, effective April 1. Charlie Dale has been in place the last two years as Bill’s associate pastor, with the understanding that he would get the job once the pastor retired. Charlie is so humble, he was willing to grant the church the freedom to revisit the issue, but the leaders were firm: you will be our new pastor.

We have reported here previously how Bill Rogers received his doctorate from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville last December. He’s youthful and has a lot to offer. Barataria Baptist Church down in the fascinating little community of Jean Lafitte, LA, has asked him to come down and preach for them this Sunday.

Meanwhile, Grace is hosting a group from North Richland Hills Baptist Church in Fort Worth over the next week. They will be painting the inside of Douglass High School, just across the street from Grace. On Wednesday, they’ll serve hamburgers at the church for the faculty and staff of the school. Thursday, they’ll have a block party with a live band (those dead bands are such a drag!), food, and fun. I’ll be there, sketching people. Then, on Sunday March 18, Joe Williams our NAMB chaplain will be leading a “Coping With Life’s Losses” conference at the church. The Texas youth will be covering the neighborhood during the week to invite everyone.

Grace Baptist Church is asking all of us to make the next few days “pray for the Bywater” time.

We found out today that Shiloh Baptist Church on North Claiborne Street is up and running. They’ve been shut down since Katrina. Pastor Edward Scott had relocated out of the state. Today, Friday, Freddie Arnold ran into Michael Raymond–whose church in the lower 9th ward was put out of business–and he reported that he’s been preaching for the Shiloh group.

This brings our total number of churches up to 93. That compares to 145 before Katrina.

Liz Curtis Higgs is in New Orleans for the “Embrace Grace!” conference at the First Baptist Church of New Orleans Friday night and Saturday. Meanwhile, at the same time the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary is hosting members of its Foundation from all over the country. These are friends whose contributions, encouragement, and counsel provide a great resource for NOBTS.

Sunday morning, I’ll be one of several “missionaries” bringing presentations during Sunday School and the worship service at FBC of Avondale. Then, Monday at noon, I’ll be meeting with the ministers of the Bayou Baptist Association, formerly known as the Adolph Stagg Assn, in Houma. I always ask the Father to use me to provide encouragement for His people. Times are hard down here, and we all need the occasional shot in the arm.

Recently, Pastor Tony Merida shared this story with the congregation at FBC Kenner. It was so powerful and so applicable to what many churches are going through, I asked him to share it with us.

Many years ago, the British Navy arrived on the Atlantic coast near what is now Quebec. They were told to wait until reinforcements arrived and then begin attacking the city. Growing bored with the wait, the commander of the British fleet decided to do a bit of target practice. He ordered his gunmen to fire their cannons at a nearby cathedral and to see if they could destroy the statues of the saints. Eventually, when his reinforcements arrived, the British had used up most of their ammunition and they were unable to defeat the French. Two hundred years later, Quebec is still a French city, because the British decided to fire on the saints instead of the enemy.

We in New Orleans are the recipients of blessings such as the North Richland Hills Church is providing Grace Church this week. Instead of firing “on” the saints, they’re firing “up” our saints.

Those little prepositions can make all the difference.