In a town that’s 97 percent Catholic, Pastor Jesse Owen leads his church in rushing toward opportunities to minister in the surrounding communities devastated by Hurricane Rita last year. GUEYDAN – Bonds formed at a community-wide 9/11 memorial service in 2001 strengthened after Hurricane Lilly in 2002 lobbed trees like jousting sticks all over this southwestern Louisiana town, and by the time Katrina sent hundreds of evacuees into the town, first-time Pastor Jesse Owen was a recognized figure. “I’m not here just for my church, but for the town,” Owen said. In a town that’s 97 percent Catholic, he’s been invited over the last five years to perform nine weddings – each with three sessions of pre-marital counseling. “It’s the Catholics who don’t go to church who approach me for different things,” Owen said. “They invite me to drink coffee with them, but say something like, ‘I’m a non-practicing Catholic but I’m still a Catholic so don’t try to change me.’” He doesn’t. He’s made it his business instead to learn about Catholicism so he can better visit with people in his quadrant of the state. Even more than Hurricane Lilly, four years ago, and Audrey in 1957, last September’s Rita ripped … [Read more...]
LBC, churches help Vinton help others
After housing 437 evacuees from Katrina in area hotels, mostly those rescued from the civic center, Superdome, and Convention Center in New Orleans, this small town 26 six miles west of Lake Charles, La., and seven miles east of Orange, Texas, took the eye of Hurricane Rita as it blasted through here a year ago. VINTON – After housing 437 evacuees from Katrina in area hotels, mostly those rescued from the civic center, Superdome, and Convention Center in New Orleans, this small town 26 six miles west of Lake Charles, La., and seven miles east of Orange, Texas, took the eye of Hurricane Rita as it blasted through here a year ago. After hitting Cameron and Holly Beach, the storm moved north through Hackberry and straight into downtown Vinton, whose population is only about 3,000, not counting Katrina evacuees. “There wasn’t a home or a business here that wasn’t damaged,” said Bill Holifield, pastor at First Vinton, who, along with his wife, was one of the last to leave Vinton after the mandatory evacuation before the storm hit at midnight. “It took us nine hours to get to Baton Rouge,” Holifield said, describing interstates and highways clogged with vehicles from Southwest Louisiana and … [Read more...]
Louisiana’s People, Places and Events
Southern Baptist happenings around the state. Potpourri EUNICE – First church: Joe Aguillard, guest speaker; Oct. 8, 10:15 a.m.; Dwayne Smith, associate pastor. LONGVILLE – First church: Adam Paul Williams in concert; Oct. 15, 10:45 a.m.; Stuart Graves, pastor. BATON ROUGE – Broadmoor church: “Mozart on Mission” concert featuring the sanctuary choir and Donna Toney, Christine Lein, Bernadette FitzPatrick and Lynda Poston-Smith; Oct. 15, 6 p.m.; childcare provided; Paul Henderson, music minister; John W. Goodwin, pastor. ALEXANDRIA – Parkview church: John Hebert, guest speaker; Oct. 8, 10:45 a.m.; David L. Shaw, pastor. CLAYTON – Faith church: The Southern Plainsmen in concert; Oct. 14, 6 p.m.; everyone invited; Hershel Clanton, pastor. EUNICE – Acadian camp: Acadian Academy reunion; Oct. 13, 6 p.m. – Oct. 15, 10 a.m.; main program/alumni business meeting Oct 14, 9 a.m. with meal and fellowship to follow; Wallace Primeaux, guest speaker; Zack Young, music. To register or for information, call 337-457-9047; James Newsom, camp manager. HOUMA – Mulberry church: The Jeremiah People to perform; Oct. 9, 6 p.m.; free admission; Steve Graves, … [Read more...]
Dry Creek Camp took a one-two punch
For 33 days after Katrina, Dry Creek Baptist Camp served as an evacuation center for more than 400 folks from the New Orleans area. Amid the tension, uncertainty and helplessness of the evacuees, the camp became a DRY CREEK – For 33 days after Katrina, Dry Creek Baptist Camp served as an evacuation center for more than 400 folks from the New Orleans area. This was our third time in recent years to serve as a center. However, all of the previous times had been for 2- or 3-day periods. When the levees were breached and everyone realized they were not going home soon, if ever, it created a great time of tension among the evacuees. This uncertainty and helplessness created extreme stress. Nonetheless, it also opened a wonderful door of opportunity to aid these new friends who were now our long-term guests. During that first week, our evacuation center received its official name: “The City of Hope.” We were so proud of what the name symbolized. These folks, from every walk of life, race, culture, and background, came to a rural camp in Beauregard Parish and found hope, comfort, and the love of Jesus. Our evacuation center officially closed the week after Hurricane Rita, through which most of the New Orleans … [Read more...]
Church news notes
More than 100 people have participated each Wednesday night in September for a Revival in James at First Monroe, where Alan Miller has been interim pastor for about a year. The church is hosting a chicken and spaghetti lunch fundraising event in honor of James Christopher Allums, who is a bone marrow transplant patient. A reception honoring Charleen Courtney is set for Oct. 1 after the morning worship service at Emmanuel Alexandria. Courtney has been the church’s organist for 40 years. Fifteen Fair Park West Monroe families have adopted children in orphanages around the world. Disaster Relief training is being offered at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, at McClendon West Monroe, for potential “Yellow Hats” working with the mobile shower unit. Jefferson Baton Rouge is preparing for its tenth annual Twin Living Christmas Trees program. The Baptist Collegiate Ministries group at Louisiana State University is said to be one of the largest BCM groups in the nation. Gaither Homecoming Oct. 14 starts at 6 p.m. at Centurytel Center, Bossier City. North Monroe is in the midst of a major remodeling that includes new flooring, a coffee bar, holes in walls, the addition of 100 … [Read more...]
East Ridge gets payback for its help
A former cancer patient, who says the prayers of this congregation caused God to heal him, along with others the church has helped, stepped forward to help the church in rebuilding after Hurricane Rita. LAKE CHARLES—Though the steeple of East Ridge Baptist Church survived Hurricane Rita, the building did not. It was a miracle workers were able to transfer the steeple to the new building, said Alan Weishampel, pastor of East Ridge.. “We had no choice but to tear down the front half of the building,” said Weishampel. “It was unsafe. But we decided to convert the back half of the building to education space.” But church members decided to keep the steeple if possible, he said. Volunteer workers said they would try. Joey Leger, although not a member or even a Baptist, but a former student in one of the church’s weeknight Bible studies, working on a very large trackhoe, tore down the church’s porch and scooted it out of the way, Weishampel said. “Then he began to peel brick away from the building. He used those fingers on the edge of the bucket and got between the brick and the plywood on the wall,” he said. “I have never seen such skill in my life. He began to chew away at the sides … [Read more...]
Spider-bit pastor leads from hospital
Hospitalized with several brown recluse spider bites, Pres Riley, pastor of First Abbeville, led at least one member to safety through his own pain and misery without ever leaving his hospital bed. ABBEVILLE – Picture this: Energetic young pastor (in his first church for just three years) jumps in with both feet to join in community response to meeting needs of Katrina refugees (before they were politically-correctly renamed evacuees). He offers the church’s family life center, and the city builds a shower/laundry unit onsite. His team sets up organization that quickly locates housing for what seems at first a unending stream of evacuees, all of whom have the money, transportation and work background to be able to relocate, even though their material possessions are no more than what they stuffed into their vehicles before speeding (or something less) out of Greater New Orleans ahead of Katrina. Others who respond to the pastor’s request for volunteers arrange to cook and serve meals in and out of First Abbeville’s commercial kitchen. “Our church wanted to be used,” said Pastor Pres Riley. “They were calling and telling me, ‘This is what we did with [2002 Hurricane] Lilly and we want to do … [Read more...]
Clothing the community
Margaret Freeland has been this town’s “clothing lady” for the last 17 years. GUEYDAN – Margaret Freeland has been this town’s “clothing lady” for the last 17 years. A wooden, yellow, double-sided “washboard” sign set up each Wednesday on Main Street says, simply, “Garage Sale.” “Everyone knows that means we’re open,” says Freeland, a lifelong member at First Baptist Gueydan. The “We” refers to the church, which recently built an addition to its fellowship hall to take care of its growing “business,” in which anyone can buy any item for a dignity-saving 25 cents. The 1,200 square-foot addition was built after another long-time church member determined God wanted her to give $30,000 toward the addition. First Gueydan pitched in the other $15,000. “I’ve been doing the clothing ministry for 17 years,” said Freeland, a retired high school home economics teacher, Sunday school director for 30 years, VBS director for 25 years, Acteen leader for 17 years, and widow the last six years. “It was never on the scale that we’ve had since Rita, though.” The story starts with Katrina. Gueydan had opened its Civic Center to people streaming from the flooded areas of Katrina. Freeland’s job … [Read more...]
LC expands to Shreveport
PINEVILLE – Louisiana College is expanding to Shreveport. Summer Grove Baptist Church, which meets in a renovated mall, has offered its facilities to an expansion of LC’s program in the northern part of the state. PINEVILLE – Louisiana College is expanding to Shreveport. Summer Grove Baptist Church, which meets in a renovated mall, has offered its facilities to an expansion of LC’s program in the northern part of the state. “The partnership is a natural one,” said Charles Rey-nolds, church administrator. “We have the same focus on Christian education and are sollidly behind the direction of the college.” The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools gave the go-ahead last March to the college to establish off-campus centers where high school students could get a head start on their college careers. Course objectives and materials are the same as that taught on the LC campus, and faculty have the same credentials as required by SACS in teaching on-campus courses. “Other institutions around the state and nation are doing the same thing,” said Joe Aguillard, LC president. “By instituting this program, we are providing an offering commensurate with other … [Read more...]
Philly volunteers spread brotherly love in Louisiana
NORTH WALES, Pa. (BP) – The stench of rotting fish across the grass and parking lot of First Baptist Church in Slidell, La., somehow was tolerable – even after the rigors of a 24-hour drive. But the tragedy that these Pennsylvania volunteers from metro Philadelphia were seeing was overwhelming. Note: This article appeared Sept. 25, 2005 in Baptist Press. It serves as a stark reminder of the horror people felt in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and breached levees. The Message plans a special Katrina issue to be printed Aug. 31 and a special Rita issue to be printed Sept. 29. Please be sure we have your story in those issues, to encourage each other and to praise God together for all He has done this last year. NORTH WALES, Pa. (BP) – The stench of rotting fish across the grass and parking lot of First Baptist Church in Slidell, La., somehow was tolerable – even after the rigors of a 24-hour drive. But the tragedy that these Pennsylvania volunteers from metro Philadelphia were seeing was overwhelming. Although First Baptist Slidell – two miles from Lake Pontchartrain – sustained four feet of flooding from Hurricane Katrina in some of its facilities, the church was ministering in its stricken community … [Read more...]
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