Now That's What I'm Talking About!

In the words of Col. John "Hannibal" Smith (from the A-Team for those lacking in culture)"I love it when a plan comes together." We've worked hard here on the ground to put together a plan for evangelism that is both easy and effective. No rocket science, no complicated program, no confusing guidelines. Just simple evangelism that takes the Gospel to lost people in New Orleans. I had the privilege last week to work with a team of volunteers from Callahan Baptist Church who "got it." They came to New Orleans with the attitude of "point us in the right direction and turn us loose" instead of "could you please come and hold our hand." What exactly did they get you might ask? The fact that Opportunity + Availability = Awesome. This team came ready and willing to share their faith. Once we identified the neighborhood they would be in, I put them in touch with the local Baptist church in the area so the church could be aware of their presence and activity in their community. While half their team did rebuild, the other half went door to door to meet and visit with the neighbors. Those encounters led to the simplest of relationships which led to opportunities to share the Gospel. Despite bad weather throughout the week, the team from Callahan Baptist were able to lead seven people to faith in Christ. Praise the Lord! They had no special equipment nor clever gimmick. They simply followed the plan God had given us to effectively reach people in and around rebuild projects and God blessed their efforts and souls were added to the Kingdom. Dear Lord, please send me more volunteers like these from Callahan Baptist who will leave egos and agendas behind to take your love and message of salvation to the lost and hurting in our city.

Celebrating Missions in Prattville, AL

I had the privilege to spend this past weekend with the good people in and around Prattville, Alabama during their On Mission Celebration. If you've been watching the news lately, you'll know that Prattville was hit hard by tornadoes just over a week ago. However, none of the Southern Baptist churches were damaged despite the amount of devastation in the area. So, with clean-up and disaster relief still commencing, I along with 30 other missionaries from North American and overseas shared what God is doing in our particular corner of the world. At their mission fair on Saturday night, I met a young lady who was part of a team that helped us put on a block party for Christian Fellowship Baptist Church in New Orleans East. I was using a couple of photos of that event on my display and she immediately recognized the images. One of my joys as a missionary is to meet people in unexpected places who have given their time to assist in the work that God is doing in the New Orleans area. Continue to pray for the recovery efforts in the Prattville area and for the witnessing opportunities that naturally arise from such events.

Lions and Tigers and Volunteers, Oh My!

This is the time of year when my job does a major flip-flop. I go from being David Rhymes - Evangelism Strategist, to David Rhymes - Professional Volunteer Wrangler. Yes, from now until about mid-August, I will eat, drink, breath, and sleep volunteers. I'm not sure whether to ask you to pray for me or just put me out of my misery. Wait a minute. I though volunteers were a great and valuable resource? They are. I love volunteers and have worked with them for about twelve years now. But anyone who has worked extensively with volunteers knows it has its ups and downs. Because of Katrina, the number of volunteers in the New Orleans area has grown exponentially. Between now and the end of the summer, Southern Baptist will put an estimated 15,000 volunteers in the field in the New Orleans area. And we need each one of them. The tricky part comes in the logistical nightmare that these numbers create. Praise God for His all sufficient grace and strength! It never fails that when I've exhausted every option I can imagine to place volunteers in the field, God shows up and fills in the gaps. Those last minute mega groups that call and tell me they're arriving next week, God's got me covered even if His help comes in the midnight hour. Yes, it’s an all volunteer diet for me for the next several months. However, when it’s all said and done, the work God has accomplished through the countless faces that pass through our neighborhoods is beautiful to behold.

Christ in the Crowd

This year's Mardi Gras is in the books. At midnight on Feb. 5, the party was officially over (and literally because NOPD clears the streets). However, Mardi Gras Day didn't pass without God's people living out the Great Commission at the two premier parades on Fat Tuesday, Zulu and Rex. Pastor Kemp Johnson and some members from Urban Family Baptist Mission set up a tent near the beginning of the Zulu parade route. While parade goers waited for Zulu to roll, Kemp and Urban Family mingled with the crowd where they visited with individuals and offered to pray with them. This opened the door to share the Gospel. I don't know what the final outcome was, but at the time I had to leave, two men had prayed to receive Christ. Awesome! At one point during the morning, Kemp used the tent and their sound system to deliver a brief evangelistic message to the crowd. Quite a few people stopped by the tent to see what was going on, or to visit, or just to have prayer. It was a good start to Mardi Gras Day.

Meanwhile, on St. Charles Ave., Philip and Debbie Smith had set up a tent along the parade route and were reaching out to the many children that had come to see Rex (Remember from a previous entry the most of Mardi Gras is family friendly). The Smiths, along with a volunteer from the seminary, passed out Power Band bracelets and laniards left over from the BCS Championship game that had been stuffed with children's tracts. Before and between parades, children were invited to the tent to hear a story. At this time, the Smiths would use any number of attention getters to illustrate the story of the Gospel. While I was with Philip and Debbie, I was introduced to a girl who had given her life to Christ at last year's Mardi Gras when the Smiths were there. She saw Philip and Debbie and wanted to visit with them again. Isn't God amazing? There are a lot of nay sayers that declare Mardi Gras a lost cause when it comes to evangelism. I guess God never heard that because He blessed these two efforts and lives were added to the Kingdom on the biggest party day in America.