Monday, October 29, 2007

The Intense Prayer of the Righteous is Very Powerful. Jas 5:16

This past weekend's prayer walk was good, if not better than expected. In all, sixty-nine WMU ladies (and a few of us men) gathered together to lift up in prayer the area we designate as Zone 6. After an orientation on Thursday night, the ladies from Alabama spent Friday prayer walking the neighborhood around the building Faith Baptist had just purchased, had lunch at and prayer walked Tulane University, and visited and prayed for the Baptist Friendship House and Rachael Sims Baptist Center. Louisiana WMU joined the effort on Saturday and we put our feet to the street in six prayer areas within Zone 6. We even took the time to swing down to Carver Baptist Center to pray for their ministry as well as the new church plant, led by Kelly O'Conner, which meets in their building. Over 100 residence were personally prayed for and around 90 copies of God's Word were given out. Most importantly, however, is the fact that spiritual warfare has been waged against the powers that hold this zone in sin. I am excited to see what God will do as we build off of the foundation of prayer that has been laid.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Faith Takes Root


Even before the storm, Faith Baptist Church has been a congregation without a building. They could have found property must easier elsewhere in the city but they are committed to the community where God has placed them. And now, after a lot of searching and prayer, the members of Faith have been able to purchase a building at the corner of S. Claiborne and Fern. Once renovated, Faith's nomadic days will be behind them and they will have a set place from which to anchor their ministry. The timing of this purchase is truly a God thing because Faith sits right in the middle of Zone 6, the area of the city where a small army of WMU ladies will be prayer walking this weekend. We have the opportunity to quickly get on the field and begin the process of spiritually tiling the ground to make hearts ready for the Gospel. Celebrate with Pastor Tim Searcy and Faith Baptist as they look forward to being into their new building.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

The Big One

This coming October 27 will be our fifth and largest WMU/BAGNO sponsored prayer walk. For this event, the Louisiana and Alabama WMU have come together to lift up a specific part of New Orleans in prayer. Early in the post Katrina process, we divided the association in to zones for better strategic focus and Alabama Baptist adopted what is known as Zone 6. This zone falls in a part of our association that needs to be rebuilt physically and spiritually. Zone 6 has only two evangelical churches and they are struggling greatly. This zone is the most like a foreign mission field out of any other in our association. We are having to start at zero in many ways. Therefore, this zone is in desperate need of prayer. The WMU of Louisiana and Alabama have responded to this need and will be putting their feet to the streets the weekend of the 27th. As an evangelism strategist, I can't see us moving forward in Zone 6 without first laying a foundation of prayer. This will be the beginning of the work that is to come.

Fall is in The Air

Here in South Louisiana about the only way we know Fall has arrived is because the calendar says so. The leaves don't change and cooler air usually just comes in spurts. However, this doesn't stop us from engaging in typical Fall activities like football and camping. Another Fall favorite our churches enjoy is to host a Fall Festival for their community. These either take the form of a Halloween alternative or a more traditional community event over the weekend. Regardless of what shape it takes, Fall Festivals are a great way for churches to meet their neighbors, build a positive relationship with the community, and share the Good News of Jesus Christ with the lost. As it stands right now, there will be around ten Fall Festivals in the New Orleans area this year and each church has their own spin on the event. In total, these events will impact a few thousand people from their respective communities, many who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus. Pray for these upcoming Fall Festivals and for those who will be attending. May Christ be lifted up and glorified during this season. I'll take Kingdom growth over cooler air any day.

Friday, October 12, 2007

Paying My Respects


Its a little known fact that visitors are not allowed out of the state of Wisconsin until they have made a pilgrimage to Lambeau Field in Green Bay. No fan base is more loyal and die hard than Packer fans. Even a lifelong Saints fan like myself has to admit this (they only edge us out by a little bit). I watched the local newscast my first night in Wisconsin and was amazed at how they tied almost every news story, even the weather, to the upcoming Packers - Bears game on Sunday. Wisconsin eats, sleeps, and breaths Packers football all year long. After all, they own the team. So I wasn't surprised when I was offered a trip to Lambeau Field and the Packers' Hall of Fame. If you're a fan of pro football, you really owe it to yourself to swing by Lambeau Field regardless of who you root for on Sundays in the Fall. The stadium is open year round and is one of the most impressive football venues I've visited. There's a lot of history and great football that's come out of Lambeau and its worth seeing. I got to see three of the four Vince Lombardi trophies (the first two weren't named for Vince), a site that eludes us Saints fans for now. There is also a lot of historic Packer memorabilia for the history buff. I didn't buy a cheese head while I was there, but I did parade around the stadium in my Drew Brees jersey just to make it clear where I call home.

Baptist Frontier Land

I just finished a week speaking at churches in the Bay Lakes Association in Wisconsin. This was my first time in Wisconsin and my first time to personally experience what its like to serve in a part of the country where evangelical Christianity is the minority. No Bible Belt up there. It was an eye opening experience that has helped reshape my view of ministry in a positive way. Being removed from the Baptist culture we experience here in the South is not necessarily a bad thing. The work is more difficult, but that type of trial blazing excites me. I only spoke in one church building the entire week I was there. Most churches were less than ten years old and met in storefronts, hotels, and even a converted pallet factory. Although the area has few churches, spread out over a large area, I still met several people who had answered God's call to participate in the rebuilding of New Orleans. In fact, I was greeted by and Operation NOAH Rebuild T-shirt as I entered the building of my very first event upon arriving in Wisconsin.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Casting the Vision for New Church Plants


On October 1 & 2, the Baptist Association of Greater New Orleans hosted a church planting vision tour which featured seven potential plant sites. Pastors from Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Maryland, and others came to hear directly from the strategist working on the plants and to see first hand the community where these efforts are being made. This event was different than the typical large group bus tour where individuals are asked to consider if and where God might lead them to plant a church. This tour started with seven actual proposals where the sites have been determined and demographic surveys conducted. This was the only tour that I've been on since Katrina that took and optimistic look at the devastation and real possibility of what God can and wants to do in the Greater New Orleans area. If you would like more info about these potential church plants and how you or your church and be involved, please get in touch with me. These church plants are a very important part of the spiritual transformation of our city.