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By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer
As he sat among an overflow crowd of 17,800 inside the New Orleans Arena on March 12, 2006, Dean Ross was watching evangelist Billy Graham preach a message of hope to those who were recovering from Hurricane Katrina that devastated the city seven months earlier.
Seven years later, in early November, Ross wasn’t inside the arena but at the church he pastors, watching a broadcast of Graham’s sermon to millions through the evangelistic effort My Hope with Billy Graham. The end result throughout Restoration Church, Louisiana and beyond was thousands saved and lives forever changed through what is believed to be Graham’s final sermon.
“It was a huge blessing in 2006 for Franklin and Billy Graham to come support the restoration, renewal and revival of our city by bringing the hope of Jesus to so many people,” said Ross, pastor of Restoration Church in Metairie. “I’m also incredibly encouraged by the adaptability of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in how they have presented the gospel through My Hope from a methodology standpoint.
“I think the relational, home-based initiative of My Hope works now more than the evangelism crusades since this generation values authenticity and relationships,” he continued. “Is there a better way to introduce someone to Jesus?”
Among those attending at Restoration Church was a woman who hadn’t stepped foot inside a church for decades and a grandmother who does not actively attend church. Both were brought by those in the community who are part of the church’s core group of 30 people. The church that is sponsored by Williams Boulevard Baptist in Kenner officially launched on Dec. 8.
Though My Hope was shown inside the Restoration Church building, other Louisiana Baptist churches and individuals chose to show the film at a variety of locations, such as homes, Baptist Collegiate Ministry building, coffee shop and even an oil rig. More than 28,000 churches – including around 700 of different denominations in Louisiana – participated in the grassroots effort to reach others with the gospel in a method different from the usual Billy Graham Crusade.
Instead of holding an event in an arena or stadium, Christians across the country hosted in a variety of venues “Matthew Parties,” where the gospel was presented to their friends, neighbors, co-workers and family using a message by Graham along with music and testimonies. This strategy is modeled after the biblical apostle Matthew, who after accepting Christ’s call to follow Him, invited friends for a gathering in his home to meet Jesus.
“The miracle of My Hope is it combines the power of a national media event with the amazing power and influence of personal relationships,” said Jerry Pipes, regional coordinator for My Hope with Louisiana and Texas and executive pastor at First Bossier. “This was a commitment of Billy Graham to give back to the church, to give pastors and lay leaders a tool to do what we all ought to be doing for a lifetime.
“Is it not a dream and goal of every pastor to be reproducing, devoted followers of Christ until Jesus comes back?” Pipes said. “Billy and Franklin Graham saw this as an opportunity to make a lifetime, game-changing contribution to the local church.”
In Washington, three city utility department workers accepted Christ after watching the film with nine people in attendance in the home of the city’s mayor.
Louis Charrier, pastor of Washington Baptist Church, said he will also show the film at a women’s prison in January.
“Even in one of the oldest towns in Louisiana, the message of the gospel has not changed,” Charrier said. “The human heart still has a longing to fill this emptiness and void through Christ. Times have changed from antebellum homes, wagons, horses and buggies to a computer age in the quaint town of Washington, but the message of hope remains through time.”
For its part, First Baptist Jeanerette showed the film during a Sunday morning worship service in early November, with one person accepting Christ and another requesting prayer for his son struggling with drug use.
“I challenged my members to bring someone with them who wasn’t saved and they responded,” said Wallace Millsaps, pastor of the congregation. “I’m so proud and happy of what happened that day. Another lost soul led to the Lord – isn’t that what we are supposed to do?”
Perry Nelson, who attends East Jena Baptist Church, showed the DVD to 13 people during a Bible study that takes place each week on the oil rig where he works 200 miles south of Galveston, Texas.
Of those who showed up for the film, three had never attended a Bible study before, Nelson said.
“Once the video started everyone was focused on the screen,” Nelson said. “Once it was over there was a time of just silence, seemed everyone was soaking in what they had just seen.
“Once the conversation started it carried on for around 35 to 45 minutes with three people giving some form of testimony and other telling how they could relate to the people on the video,” he continued. “Even though we do not know of anyone that gave their life to Christ last night, we know it touched and stirred hearts.”
Further north, the Louisiana Tech Baptist Collegiate Ministry in Ruston showed My Hope during its weekly worship on Nov. 5.
By the end of the night, several students indicated an interest in accepting Christ. One-third of the students attending the presentation indicated an interest in hosting Matthew Parties, including a group of female members who held one for three people.
“One student was feeling hopeless and the video helped him see he could have hope on Christ,” said Kevin Inman, BCM director at Louisiana Tech. “Another student said he had never been discipled or read his Bible, so we are meeting weekly now walking through John, memorizing scripture and learning key ideas of following Christ.”
At Philadelphia Baptist in Deville, two of its Matthew Parties resulted in decisions for Christ.
One Matthew Party occurred during an LSU football game. During halftime of the game, the host couple showed the video and two teenagers prayed to receive Christ as their personal Savior and Lord.
Sean Keith, interim outreach director at Philadelphia Baptist and LBC Sunday school and discipleship strategist, and his wife Pam, along with two other families, welcomed a group of Louisiana College Chinese exchange students for a Matthew Party. Three of those who attended the event prayed to receive Christ as their Lord and Savior that night.
Keith said the greatest part of My Hope was an opportunity to connect with others they know and see those lives transformed.
“Disappointment comes when you do all of the planting seeds of the gospel and no one responds,” Keith said. “We have to remember that Christ is the one who saves, not us. Our job is to throw the party and share the message. But when God moves, life change happens.
“It is thrilling to see personally lives change as they respond to the Gospel, but even more awesome to see is when you equip others to share the message and they have the privilege of seeing someone respond to the Gospel,” he continued. “To see their face when they share that someone accepted Christ. To see their own Spiritual Faith renewed and invigorated when God uses them to see life change in others that they have prayed for and loved on. That’s a miracle.”
Several Louisiana Baptist Hispanic churches reported first-time decisions for Christ during their Matthew parties. Getsemani Hispanic Baptist Church in New Orleans held 12 Matthew parties, in which 123 attended and 15 made first-time decisions for Christ while six made rededications to Christ.
Also, the Hispanic ministry at Hessmer Baptist Church reported three rededications among the seven who attended its Matthew party.
“When I viewed the My Hope DVD I thought it was a really great tool to reach others,” said Carlos Schmidt, Hispanic catalytic church planter strategist for the Louisiana Baptist Convention. “We shouldn’t think of My Hope as a one-time event but a lifestyle.”
Keith Manuel, evangelism associate for the Louisiana Baptist Convention, said the next step is critical for those churches that had people make a decision for Christ.
“Those who hosted Matthew parties should be leading individuals who made commitments to Christ through the four-week discipleship process provided by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association,” Manuel said. “The four lessons reinforce the individuals’ commitment to Christ and teaches him or her about how to grow a vibrant relationship with Him.
“Also, the Matthew host should seek to move the new believers into a small group or Sunday School type of ongoing study, to embrace biblical baptism and become engaged in the life of the church,” he continued. “These steps may or may not happen quickly, but through these already established relationships, God can use our church members to grow a new believer into a strong disciple of Jesus.”
While many participated in My Hope in November, churches and individuals still can show the DVD at the venue of their choice. Videos and training material can be viewed at myhopewithbillygraham.org.