By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer
Since its first Bible study last August, The Bridge Church in Covington had planned having several big outreach events this spring as a lead up to its launch of worship services this fall.
Now, like so many other Louisiana Baptist churches, those planned outreaches for Bridge Church have turned into flood relief opportunities – even as its pastor Kirk Strawbridge and his family lost most of their furniture as their home took on 10 inches of water on Thursday.
Now living in a parsonage belonging to First Baptist Church in Mandeville’s Barker’s Corner campus, Strawbridge is optimistic about the future.
“It has been awesome to seen the flood of love from God’s people trump the damage of an earthly flood of water,” Strawbridge said. “He has a plan through it all.”
Strawbridge’s church did not sustain any water damage and plans to hand out food boxes to those in need.
Lane Corley, pastor of the sponsor church, said Strawbridge and his wife Susie lost nearly everything they owned during Hurricane Gustav in 2008. He expects the couple to come out strong once again.
“This hardship is not new to them,” said Corley, pastor of the Bridge Church in Madisonville. “They’ll bounce back very quickly and be able to minister to others.”
Resiliency is a theme being played out throughout Louisiana Baptist congregations in flood areas, even those that were damaged.
Several churches within Northshore Baptist Association are cleaning up for floodwaters that made it inside their facilities.
Collins Boulevard Baptist Church in Covington received 6-8 inches of water last week. Volunteers from New Zion Baptist Church in Covington and First Baptist Church in Covington were among the churches that helped the congregation remove pews in danger of being damaged by the flooding.
Old Zion Hill Baptist Church in Tickfaw suffered damage to its property, primarily in the church office.
Stillwater Baptist Church in Hammond reported a small amount of water inside its facility but was able to still have worship services on Sunday.
Lonnie Wascom, director of missions for Northshore Baptist Association, said even though some churches weren’t damaged, they were unable to meet on Sunday because many roads were impassable.
“The primary concern of all the churches was to minister to the needs of their communities,” he said.
A volunteer from New Hope Baptist Church in Independence delivers a box of spaghetti dinners on Sunday, March 13, 2016.
Volunteers from New Hope Baptist Church in Independence box spaghetti dinners on Sunday, March 13, 2016.
New Hope Baptist Church in Independence was among the churches in the association doing all it can to minister to flood victims. On Sunday evening, the church fed 225 people. Pastor Steven Campbell said some of those they served lost everything in the floods.
“Some had just been trapped behind flooded roads for two days,” Campbell said. “Some of the people just started crying as they opened the door or as we approached them in their yard and told them here is a free meal so you don’t have to worry about supper.”
A waiting game
In the Lake Charles area, churches are bracing for a potential major flooding event by the middle of the week. The Sabine River, which runs along the Texas-Louisiana border, is expected to crest at 34.5 feet in Lake Charles on Tuesday, which is two feet higher than a record set in the late 1880s.
Bruce Baker, director of missions for the Carey Baptist Association, said First Baptist Church in Starks and Crossroads Church in Vinton, which are located along Highway 109, could be among the churches impacted by the flooding.
Currently, churches and residents in the community are waiting and preparing for what may come.
“The difficult thing is the waiting because the water is still making its way down here from north Louisiana,” Baker said. “It seems a certainty Crossroads Church will get wet; it’s just a matter of how much. It’s surreal hearing about the flooding in Shreveport and knowing how long it will take that water to get down here.”
Baker is asking for prayers that churches would be ready for when it floods and then the weeks following in which they will minister to those affected.
“We have a lot of people loving on others and helping where they can,” Baker said. “Probably tomorrow it’s going to go from weird to chaotic. We’ll have four weeks of cleaning, drying and fixing after the floods pass.”
Cleaning up
At Northwest Baptist Association, Ford Park Baptist Church in Shreveport had sewer water backing up in its restrooms covering the floors in the youth building and educational space.
Associate Pastor John Newman said the church did not have a flood policy but was hoping its insurance would somehow cover the damages. All the carpet in the educational building must be replaced and the walls repaired he said. However, the sanctuary received very little water damage.
As of today, the water had receded off the church parking lot, and Newman believes most of the water has left the back of the facility.
“Please request prayer for us as this will be a big task to renovate,” Newman said. “The church has been flooded before at least three times and I think this makes the fourth time. The sooner we can get the wet carpet up, the sooner we will be able to get rid of the smell. It is pretty bad. All the floors are going to have to be mopped and cleaned and disinfected. But we will do it.”
Floodwaters surround Ford Park Baptist Church in Shreveport.
Woodridge Baptist Church in Shreveport was planning to feed 200 first responders, First Baptist Church in Haughton is serving as a staging area for Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief operations and Samaritan’s Purse plans to use Bellaire Baptist Church in Bossier City as a location for its relief efforts, Director of Missions Lane Moore said.
Many small groups at First Bossier are meeting various needs in the community and the church has set up a relief fund. The church also hosted the fire chief and mayor of Bossier City during its Sunday worship service, in which they shared the current needs in the city.
“It looks like our churches dodged a bullet as far as floodwaters go,” Moore said. “But many of our church were not so lucky. There are a ton of homes flooded around the area.
“There’s not a lot people can do till the water goes down,” he added. “You can’t clean up while water is in the house. It might be the later part of the week before we see it go down. Everyone is basically doing what prep work they can as they wait to start repairs and clean up.”
Community ministry
First West’s Fairbanks campus and First Baptist Church in Sterlington have mobilized and are concentrating their efforts in the Sterlington and Bastrop areas through a thrift store.
First West Fairbanks is serving the Bastrop area while First Sterlington is ministering to those in its community. Donations were no longer being accepted due to an overwhelming amount of support from the community.
The day before, the two churches joined the Foundry church and St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church, both in Sterlington, for a community worship service. “God is walking with you through this storm,” First Sterlington Pastor Ben Hackler said during the service.
On the other side of the Ouachita River, Peniel Baptist Church in West Monroe received a few inches of water inside its facility. They will have to repair walls due to water absorption.
Responding to disaster
Corey Olivier, interim pastor of Little Prairie Baptist Church in Prairieville, posted on Facebook his church took up an $1,000 offering Sunday and will be sending it to the Louisiana Baptist Convention to assist with Louisiana flood relief efforts. Little Prairie is in the Baptist Association of Greater Baton Rouge.
Stan Statham, director of missions for the Washington and Two Rivers Baptist Associations, said Green Law Baptist Church in Kentwood sustained roof damage, which allowed some water into the inside part of its facility.
A mud-out disaster relief team from North Carolina, which will arrive sometime this week, could help cleaning out the church, Statham said. That team will be staged out of First Baptist Church in Franklinton. The association’s disaster relief team and others from local churches also will assist in relief efforts.
Statham said the congregation at Mount Nebo Baptist church in Roseland was among the hardest hit in his associations. The church continues clean-up efforts. Last week, the church building was inundated with nearly two feet of water inside its sanctuary and parsonage.
Statham said about 300 homes in Two Rivers and Washington associations are flooded and he expects that number to grow as assessments are made.
“Please pray and give,” Statham said. “These areas have many who did not have flood insurance. We will be doing a lot of long-term recovery here, I suspect for at least four to six weeks, and we’ll need prayers and manpower here.”
Ron Thompson, director of missions for the District 8 Baptist Convention that includes five Baptist associations in west-central Louisiana, was taking the district’s shower unit to First Baptist Church of Haughton today for disaster relief deployment. He said many churches in his association are taking care of individuals in their congregations, as floodwaters continue to rise while others are just beginning to recede.
The hardest hit church in District 8 is Cypress Baptist Church, which Thompson said was surrounded by water. No one has been able to enter the building since Wednesday, though the congregation believes water has reached inside the fellowship hall and Sunday school space. They do not know if water is in the sanctuary.
Northwestern State University BCM Director Bill Collins and a member of the BCM work on the home of Josh Currie, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Natchitoches. Currie’s home received some floodwater but he plans to move back into his home once renovations are complete.
Josh Currie, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Natchitoches, cleans up his home, which received some water inside. BCM students along with the director of the ministry at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches.
A disaster relief operation also is taking place in Natchitoches. Some members of the Northwestern State University Baptist Collegiate Ministry in Natchitoches completed several mud-out jobs last week, including one for Josh Currie, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Natchitoches.
Currie and his family plan to live in his father’s camper until renovations to his home, which received six inches of water, are complete. The church got a small amount of water washing underneath the doors, but did not come any further. He said some of his church members are stranded in their homes and can only travel by boat.
“We didn’t lose anything that can’t be easily replaced or repaired,” Currie said. “If everything works out like we think it will, we’ll be back in our home within a month or two. But I have church members who may not be able to get back into their homes, so please keep them and others like them in your prayers.”
The camps also are playing a part in the effort. Clara Springs Baptist Camp in Pelican allowed disaster relief to store food in their walk-in freezer until it was moved to another area for distribution on Sunday. Toledo Bend Resort Ministry staff helped sort and organize the frozen food.
Thompson said a prayer summit is scheduled for 7 pm on Tuesday at Hope Chapel, 24054 Highway 171 North in Many. Earlier today, Thompson met for a time of prayer with 10 pastors in preparation for the event. Some of those pastors have met every Monday morning for more than six years praying for revival and spiritual awakening.
“It is out of this desire we planned the prayer summit for tomorrow,” Thompson said. “More than 30 leaders from across District 8 will lead us in a night of prayer and praise, asking God to send us a great revival. We expect a wonderful night and truly believe we will see God stir in our churches in the days to come.”
