IN DEFENSE OF A CITY THAT NEEDS SOME LAUGHTER

I usually don’t expend my limited energies–emotional or physical–on responding to media comments, otherwise there would be time for little else. Last week a local professor wrote a long op-ed piece in the Times-Picayune, for example, on “Why they hate us,” going to great lengths to expound on why the rest of the world despises New Orleans. One wonders what planet that guy lives on. I didn’t respond to him, but plenty of writers did, including one in Thursday’s paper from North Hampton, Ohio.

Karen Hayes wrote, “What a surprise it was, while I visited your city this weekend, to read in your headlines that we who are not from New Orleans ‘don’t get’ Mardi Gras and not only that, will always ‘hate’ you! As one of the chaperones for a high school marching band from the Ohio cornfields, I can assure you that our group of almost 100 would not have come if we didn’t love both New Orleans and its people.’ She ended with, ‘I have no doubt that your city will be better than ever, but already your hospitality and courage have won the hearts of a bunch of Ohio kids and their parents.'”

Said so much better than anything I would have written.

Thursday’s Baptist Press releases included a short article from Gary Ledbetter, editor of the Southern Baptist Texan, in which he asked “Is this the New Orleans we want back?” Ledbetter is for New Orleans, he said, and I don’t doubt it. He stands for the same gospel we love and opposes the same vices and excesses those of us who live here do. But in railing against this week’s Mardi Gras celebration, he said, “It is…a bit unseemly for a city…to quake in terror before a storm, beg for mercy, beg for help, and then, after those prayers are abundantly answered, to run naked through the street yelling, ‘Laissez les bon temps rouler!’

I did not read of anyone running through the city naked. Perhaps he did. Thursday’s paper reports that arrests were down 60% from last year, and with the exception of one hit-and-run, no major incidents related to Mardi Gras were reported. Of the 282 arrests in the French Quarter’s 8th District, the police department indicated that 91 were for public intoxication, 21 for lewd conduct (maybe streaking naked, but more likely exposing themselves for beads), 6 for guns, and 2 for narcotics. A total of 900 arrests city-wide were made in connect with many Mardi Gras parades over several days. And those parades, bear in mind, involved several hundred thousand people. Pretty good, if you ask me.

Now, I’m not justifying public drunkness or t-shirt-lifting for beads. I’m not even justifying Mardi Gras, a custom which we could most definitely do without. Having lived here since 1990, I know more about the wickedness of the city and the corruptness of its politicians than I’d like to.

What I am suggesting is that Mr. Ledbetter might be misinformed. Here are a few things I wish he and others knew about New Orleans.

One. Since there is not one parade that goes through the French Quarter, whatever excesses (or abcesses) one finds there have little to do with Mardi Gras. The parades themselves tend to be family affairs, hence the marching band from Ohio which its leaders obviously feel safe to bring to the city year after year.

Two. Locals will tell you that most of the public drunkenness, lewd behavior, and bizarre antics are out-of-towners who come here and get blind-eyed-drunk and throw off all inhibitions, then return home, railing about the wickedness of New Orleans.

Three. Toby Pitman, the leader of the Brantley Center, Southern Baptists’ homeless shelter a block from Canal Street, tells me that he is forever explaining to people that the French Quarter itself is far more than Bourbon Street, that Royal Street, one block over, is antique shops and fine dining. The entire area is a wonderfully historic district.

Four. I was interviewed on FamilyNet Radio Wednesday morning and asked what I thought of the city’s throwing a Mardi Gras at this time. I answered, “The people down here need to laugh so badly. Everything they see depresses them. Much of the city is deserted, their houses are in ruins, the political leadership is in disarray, and they are hurting. If it helps them to laugh for a little while, then so be it.” That’s all it is for the majority, just a little diversion for a few hours.

Admittedly, it’s not my kind of laughter. But if that’s what they need to get through a few more days of life in this broken city, let them have it. What they do not need are the Lord’s people 500 miles away railing at their wickedness. “If God were to mark iniquities, who would stand?” (My version of Psalm 130:3)

Someone told me of something Ruth Graham said many years ago when she and Billy were building their home on the mountain at Montreat, North Carolina. A worker found a discarded moonshine jug and asked Mrs. Graham what she thought of it, perhaps expecting the typical diatribe against drunkenness. As it was related to me, she answered, “Perhaps they need that to get through these harsh winters in these mountains.”

I appreciate the grace of that comment. We thank our brothers and sisters around the country for their generous gifts and volunteer teams and intercessory prayers on the behalf of New Orleans. We would also appreciate a little grace in their comments as the city tries to get to its feet again.

THE NOAH PROJECT

Thursday morning at 10, we filled our office’s conference room with leaders come to talk about the rebuilding of the homes and churches of this city. From the North American Mission Board in Atlanta, we had Richard Harris and Jim Burton, Randy Creamer and Mickey (whose last name I missed). Darwin Bacon of the Arkansas Baptist Convention was present, alongwith, from the Louisiana Baptist Convention in Alexandria, David Hankins and Mike Canady, Larry Badon and Ed Jelks. Subject: “Project NOAH.” Noah meaning “New Orleans Area Hope.” Play on words intentional.

The idea is to involve many thousands of volunteers around the country over the next two years and rebuild a thousand homes and 20 or more churches in our area. In order to do this, NAMB has designated over $5 million and will be working with us to send in a project coordinator to oversee the entire event. Under him will be two regional coordinators, one for the Northshore (the parishes above Lake Pontchartrain) and one for New Orleans. Each will have warehouses, managers, and a secretary, along with a couple of summer missionaries to make it work.

It’s an exciting concept, and one we are enthusiastic about. We are immensely indebted to these leaders for their faith and faithfulness.

In a meeting like this, we discussed a lot of things.

Whether to charge volunteers coming in for their room and board is an issue. Ideally, you would not want to charge someone coming a long distance to help you build your house. But realistically, whether it’s a church or a mission center providing rooms and meals, it will be easier for our visitor-volunteers to pay a little than for the hosts to come up with the money to support an unending stream of workers. Someone said, “The people coming in will want to help out with local expenses.” That sounds right.

How is the adopt-a-church program working in New Orleans? Answer: well in places, not so well in others. Some churches are having great success. Calvary was adopted by the First Baptist Church of Hendersonville, TN, and they have knocked themselves out helping down here. Edgewater was adopted by Riverside of Denver; every time I’ve driven by, Coloradans have been there working. Other churches have had similar reports. On the other hand, some churches adopted a local congregation, found out what was going to be involved or asked of them, and dropped by the wayside. Some adopting congregations seemed more interested in meeting their own needs than the needs of the devastated church.

I told the group of a phone call a few days ago from a leader of a state convention in the Deep South, in which he asked for the names of a few churches that still need adopting. When I mentioned this to the pastors at our Wednesday meeting, six quickly volunteered that they would love to have the ready assistance of a church team.

Arkansas volunteers report that sheetrocking teams working in residences alongside the owners are having great opportunities to get to know the people, counsel with them, and share Christ. Ten or fifteen a week are being led to receive Christ as Savior on the average. However, one pointed out, this does not automatically translate to higher attendance in local churches. Why not? “There are reasons they were not going to one of our churches before,” a member of the group said, “and those reasons remain.” So, once people are led to Christ in their homes, should we try to get them into an existing neighborhood church or start a Bible study nearby out of which a new church might emerge? Good question.

The group wants a steering committee made up of a few local leaders to work with and advise the project coordinator, makeup of that group still to be decided.

Little of the above is set in stone. But speaking as one worker on the ground, I like the sound of it and appreciate its grace.

WELCOMING NEW BELIEVERS (AND OTHERS) TO CHURCH

I’m still thinking about those new believers whom the Arkansans and other volunteers bring to the Lord and who do not feel comfortable coming to one of our Baptist churches. In my heart, I know they will be welcomed. In my mind, I think I know why they might feel otherwise.

Churches often unthinkingly freeze out newcomers. Listen to the announcement from the pulpit: “The men’s group will be meeting at Charlie’s house Thursday at 10. Bob will be speaking.” The visitor hears that and thinks: “This is a closed corporation. They know each other on a first-name basis. I don’t know who these men are and I was not told where Charlie lives. They don’t want anyone else.” The same few show up at Charlie’s house and they wonder why, especially after the pastor announced it from the pulpit.

Pastors and church leaders should put themselves in the place of outsiders and listen to their pulpit words and printed announcements. Better yet, visit other churches and see how they do it. Take notes and come back and share with the other leaders. Make a serious effort to make the church visitor-friendly.

Churches that want to make newcomers feel at home use both names in their public statements: “Our men will be meeting at the home of Charlie Rogers Thursday night.” They tell where that is and maybe give a map. Better yet, meet at the church, since even the first-timer knows where that is.

When speaking of members from the pulpit, the pastor should call them by both names. “Now Henry Gibson will lead us in prayer.” “Cherry Donaldson will be singing during the offering.” “Thank you, Bill Rhymes.” Both names, always. In every church, no matter how small, you have people who are still learning names. Help them out.

Walk around your church and look at it through the eyes of the outsiders. What’s on the outside sign? From Friday until Sunday night, the sign should tell the times of the worship services. On Monday morning, change it to say something important to the community, but on Thursday night or first thing Friday morning, put the times back up.

Make sure the building is well marked for “entrance.” The First Baptist Church of Kenner, where I pastored from 1990 to 2004, is basically a round building with entrances on every side, but when we asked visitors for feedback, they told us they did not know which door to enter. So we painted “entrance” over a couple of the main doors.

A visitor feels vulnerable. We have to go out of our way to make it easy for him or her to get into our service and to get through it.

Enlist some good greeters, people with warm personalities who meet others easily. If you have some old-timers who have held that job for years and you can’t retire them, simply enlist some additional greeters to walk around looking for first-timers to welcome, making certain they are taken care of. Being careful, of course, not to overdo it.

A pet peeve of mine is to be comfortably eating in a restaurant with my nose in a book and have the manager interrupt rudely and usually loudly, wanting a conversation on how I’m doing today, am I having a good dining experience, and is that a good book. Pollsters tell us that outsiders coming to your church for the first time do not want to be publicly identified or to have their privacy intruded upon. Finding the line between too much and too little is an art, but it can be discovered. The key is to work at it, something nine churches out of ten never attempt to do.

How’s the visitors parking at your church? I read the other day of a church that had plateaued, even though their neighborhood was booming. A visiting leader pointed out they only had three visitors parking spaces, when they should have twenty or more. Just that one change made the difference.

Make sure people know where your church is. If it is situated off the main highway or major street, most of your members do not know that the community is completely unaware the church is even there. If you cannot put a major sign at the intersection directing people to your church, consider purchasing small “stick-in-the-ground” signs with the name of your church and the time of the Sunday morning services–that and absolutely nothing else–and have a volunteer put them up in acceptable spots on well-traveled streets near the church on Fridays or Saturdays.

COUPLE OF REQUESTS…

We’re asking our friends everywhere to pray for the Billy & Franklin Graham “Celebration of Hope” next weekend (March 11 and 12) at the New Orleans Arena. Saturday at 7 pm and Sunday at 4 pm.

Pastors are invited to the Church Building Conference on March 14 at Istrouma Baptist Church in Baton Rouge. They’d like you to register in advance by calling 800 622 6549 or 318 448 3402, extension 219. Or send an email to Lisa Smith: lisa.smith@lbc.org.