Editor’s note: Every church, every person in Greater New Orleans has stories to tell of the impact of Hurricane Katrina. Following are the beginnings of several of them. Subscribers to the Baptist Message can read the articles in their entirety online at www.baptistmessage.com.
CHALMETTE
CHALMETTE – St. Bernard Baptist Church has a mostly new body of believers since Hurricane Katrina, many of them former Catholics displaced from their parishes after the storm.
Paul Gregoire, who has led St. Bernard Baptist for nearly 28 years, had baptized 12 former Catholics into the congregation as of August. That’s sizable, considering the church draws about 35 people on Sundays.
[img_assist|nid=6637|title=Franklin Avenue Pastor Fred Luter as he surveys massive damage and destruction by Hurricane Katrina.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=80]“Almost everybody is new,” Gregoire said. The church’s aging congregation of about 75 believers was permanently displaced by Katrina. Outside of his family of four, only five others were Baptist when they joined the congregation, which has also drawn Lutherans and Presbyterians.
Gregoire is uniquely suited to minister to the group, having converted from Catholicism at age 30. He takes Catholics through the transition by focusing on relationship evangelism and setting a good example.
ST. BERNARD
ST. BERNARD – John Galey is more committed than ever to leading Poydras Baptist Church to be an Acts 1:8 congregation.
With the help of more than 50 convention churches and associations, the 8213 Saro Lane congregation in August 2007 became the first St. Bernard Parish Southern Baptist church to return to its sanctuary after the storm.
Galey said his greatest current challenge is inspiring his members to be missionaries and follow the example set by mission teams who helped the church thrive after the storm.
“A lot of the church members have become so used to the [mission] teams coming and doing ministry for us,” Galey said. “I thought it would motivate us and serve as a catalyst. A few people have mentioned a missions trip, but there’s no real desire for it.”
While the church continues to grow its benevolent missions fund, Galey said its only new post-Katrina outreach is its food pantry. The church in 2009 resumed leading its own Vacation Bible School, after mission teams did the work in 2006, ’07 and ’08. A New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary student is serving as the church’s minister of education.
NEW ORLEANS
NEW ORLEANS – No one who has seen New Orleans doubts the power of Katrina’s fury. At First Baptist Church, the storm’s energy was converted into a force for new ministry that is challenging the old way of “doing church” and taking new ground for Christ.
“Katrina washed our people out of the building and into the streets of our city,” said Pastor David Crosby. “Now we understand in a new way that the Gospel must be lived to be believed.”
The chaos of the storm proved fertile ground for ministry, Crosby said. Despite a loss of half the staff, hundreds of members, and millions of dollars in damages, the church’s vision for reaching the city came more clearly into focus.
“It’s like we see the city through different eyes,” said Christi Gibson, connections minister.
“Maybe our hearts have begun to be broken by the things that break God’s heart.”
PORT SULPHUR
PORT SULPHUR – “Fully recovered, physically” is how Lynn Rodrigue describes his Port Sulphur Baptist Church, one of two Southern Baptist congregations that have returned to Plaquemines Parish, so devastated by Katrina some thought it senseless to restore.
But coordinated help from various state conventions, with large commitments from the Virginia and Oklahoma Baptists, helped Port Sulphur Baptist Church and its Solid Rock Christian Academy return three years ago to its pre-Katrina location on State Highway 23.
“It looked like somebody had dropped a nuclear bomb warhead on Plaquemines Parish. I told my wife the place is never going to recover. It was that bad,” Rodrigue recalled. “But the people down here, they really didn’t want to leave.”
Rodrigue said he just couldn’t desert the area.
“In my heart I said I couldn’t leave this place like this. I’ve got to do something,” he said.
“I’m glad I made that choice. There’s a great force out there, the church, that came in. It was God’s people that came in. They ministered to the people in a physical way.”
DELACROIX ISLAND
ST BERNARD – James “Boogie” Melerine is confident Delacroix-Hope Baptist Mission will thrive, even as he has retired from his pastorate here to spend more time with family.
The congregation has a permanent home in the former Creedmoor Presbyterian Church at 1932 Bayou Rd. and continues to draw new members.
“I don’t have any doubt. It will not fall apart,” Melerine said. “I think the biggest thing is what if (Katrina) happens again. I don’t think we could come back, but how do you leave?”
NEW ORLEANS
ST BERNARD – James “Boogie” Melerine is confident Delacroix-Hope Baptist Mission will thrive, even as he has retired from his pastorate here to spend more time with family.
The congregation has a permanent home in the former Creedmoor Presbyterian Church at 1932 Bayou Rd. and continues to draw new members.
“I don’t have any doubt. It will not fall apart,” Melerine said. “I think the biggest thing is what if (Katrina) happens again. I don’t think we could come back, but how do you leave?”