By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer
DENHAM SPRINGS – The baptismal waters for the congregation of First Baptist Church Denham Springs were calm for several months following the historic flood of August 2016, but they have stirred once again for the congregation, just not where they would have expected.
In December, 10-year-old Elise Hebert stepped into a livestock watering trough at the Denham Springs Junior High School cafeteria and declared her faith in Christ before being plunged beneath the surface in obedience and as a public display of her faith.
Despite the dislocation from their church campus, the event was a true homecoming for Elise and her family. Elise, who along with her sister Ann Marie, had just recently returned to Denham Springs after living with their uncle in Maryland for two months immediately following the flood.
Pastor Leo Miller told members the baptism was another reminder their future was bright.
“It is one thing to have worship and the music in a service to lift you up, but when you see God do things like the ordinance of baptism, it’s a really encouraging reminder to know God is moving and using difficulties to bring about his plans and purposes,” he told the Baptist Message. During the first two months people were just overwhelmed.
“It was really encouraging to begin to get to a place where we are seeing growth once again,” he continued. “When you are in the mode of survival and get beyond that, you see God is still in charge and see blessings that come as a result of that.”
Elise’s father, Mark, said the leadership and compassion shown by Miller and others in the church underscores the importance of a church family, especially in the midst of disaster.
“Going through those first few weeks after the disaster, especially when my wife and I were away from our daughter for a couple of months, was a little easier with the comfort our church family showed us,” he said. “They were what we needed as we all leaned on God during that time.
“Getting my daughters back and seeing Elise baptized was more emotional than we expected,” he said. “Since then, it seems like as every week passes we are getting back to some type of normalcy.”
TOTAL DESTRUCTION
The floodwaters tossed pews around like matchsticks, made unrecognizable the toys that once filled children’s Sunday school classrooms and left a stain line around the room as a reminder of the 10 foot high waters that rose on the campus Aug. 12, 2016.
Early estimates for cleanup and repair totaled a jaw-dropping $4.3 million – far too much than the uninsured congregation could afford to pay.
However, amid the despair, Miller discovered something much brighter – a reminder that God was with the congregation and that He was providing them an even brighter future.
“We live life knowing that we’re never promised tomorrow and we realize that devastation and destruction can happen without a moment’s notice,” Miller said. “But once you’re faced with such adversity, you quickly sense the mighty hand of God is at work.
“It was truly amazing to see how God was going before us providing the right people and the right resources needed to bring about rescue and recovery,” Miller said. “No one wishes for difficult times but for the child of God it’s in these moments that God does His best work.”
NEW HOME
First United Methodist Church in Denham Springs, which had escaped major damage from the historic flood, immediately stepped up and offered a temporary home. Ironically, the Methodist congregation worshiped on the First Baptist Denham Springs’ campus in 2011 while rebuilding after a fire destroyed its facilities.
The congregation met Aug. 21 at the interim location with 250 people attending that Sunday, and the crowds held steady around that number until the group relocated Oct. 23 to the Denham Springs Junior High School cafeteria. About 275 gathered for worship the first time there. Then small groups were added along with a nursery, children’s worship area and a second service to accommodate the growth – about 350 worshipers have been gathering since the start of 2017.
MOVING FORWARD
Although the congregation has enjoyed fond times in their new location, they are planning to build new facilities.
Fifteen years earlier, members had voted to purchase a property 2 miles from their original church building.
At the time, they had no plans to move but felt one day God might lead them to relocate – and that time is now, Miller said.
The land at 27735 Highway 16 in Denham Springs is not far from Interstate 12 and a bustling shopping center that features the Bass Pro Shop.
Once construction is complete in the fall, the worship center will seat 753, with room to expand to 1,100 in the future, Miller said.
The complex also will feature adult education classrooms, children’s and preschool spaces, a large commons and a multi-purpose gymnasium.
“We just pray that God is glorified and that he continues to work through body of Christ, and that the area sees and experiences the love of Christ through his people,” Miller said.
“Our vision is to become a regional life transformation center,” he said. “We realize this is part of the prayer we have been asking God to work in and through us to unify us. We are ‘one’ now in that we are all unanimous about moving to a new building.
“People are more receptive now to the things of God than they have been in quite some time. The people of our area are very much aware our homes and houses and relationships are all temporal,” Miller offered. “But they are learning that those things which we have with God are forever.”
