Was it by chance that the contrails of intersecting airplanes formed the sign of the cross in a brilliant blue sky during Bobby Jindal’s inauguration as Louisiana’s governor last Monday, Jan. 14?
BATON ROUGE – Was it by chance that the contrails of intersecting airplanes formed the sign of the cross in a brilliant blue sky during Bobby Jindal’s inauguration as Louisiana’s governor last Monday, Jan. 14?
Was it by chance that on this picture-perfect day, a solitary white bird (too large to be a dove) swirled in the near-cloudless sky above the 3,000 or more people come to be part of the history-making event?
Maybe these symbols of God’s blessings were in response to the blanket of prayer that shrouded inaugural activities.
“I am very hopeful about the future of our state,” said Waylon Bailey, pastor of First Baptist Covington, who attended two inaugural prayer events, the inaugural ceremony and the inaugural ball.
“I want Gov Jindal to be undergirded in prayer,” Bailey said to explain the time he took from his busy pastorate to be involved in inaugural activities. “We have high expectations for the governor and want him to know he has the support of praying people.”
An “official” inaugural prayer service, which featured five Southern Baptist pastors among 13 God-honoring leaders on the program, took place at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Baton Rouge Sunday afternoon.
An unofficial Pastors Prayer Breakfast sponsored by the Louisiana Renewal Project took place Monday morning at a Holiday Inn Conference Center in Baton Rouge. Rob Masteller, pastor of Summer Grove Baptist in Shreveport, brought closing remarks and benediction to what many said was a revival experience.
And for the inauguration ceremony on the steps of the Louisiana State Capitol, John Avant, pastor of First Baptist, West Monroe, was added to the inaugural ceremony even after the program was printed. His part: to pray “the governor’s prayer,” announced the celebrity emcee, CBS sportscaster Tim Brando.
This was after Fred Lowery, pastor of First Baptist, Bossier City, gave what Brando said was the inaugural prayer, and before Jerry Dean, pastor of The Pentecostals of Bossier City, gave the benediction.
In between the prayers at the inauguration ceremony came a 19-cannon salute, posting of the colors – U.S. and Louisiana flags – plus Pledge of Allegiance, singing of the National Anthem, introduction of various officials, oaths of office of several elected officials, presentation of Jindal and his family as they walked down red-carpeted steps, the oath of office by Jindal, and the 55th governor’s first address, which his office said the incoming governor wrote without the aid of a speechwriter.
Four F-15s of the 159th Fighter Wing of the Louisiana Air National Guard made a flyover in formation during the ceremony as Jindal concluded his remarks with “God bless you and God bless the great state of Louisiana,” and just before the colors were ceremonially “retired” – taken back into the Capitol building – Deacon John Moore of New Orleans sang “God bless America.”
The “official” praying had started at 3 p.m. Sunday, with the traditional Inaugural Prayer Service at St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge. Five Southern Baptists had parts on that program: Waylon Bailey, pastor of First Baptist in Covington; Fred Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist in New Orleans; Gil Arthur, pastor of East Leesville Baptist in Leesville; Philip Robertson, pastor of Philadelphia Baptist in Deville; and Dennis Watson, pastor of Celebration Church in Metairie.
They were joined by a Jewish rabbi, two Catholics, one Episcopalian, one Lutheran, one Methodist, one African-Methodist-Episcopal, one Pentecostal, six other pastors of unknown denomination, and Gene Mills of Louisiana Family Forum.
“I want to be here to pray for Governor Jindal,” said Jim Duck, pastor of University Baptist in Thibodaux, who attended both Sunday afternoon and Monday morning prayer events. “Our state needs all the prayers it can get and he as our governor especially needs our prayers. He needs wisdom from the Lord in order to effectively lead Louisiana to be the state God wants it to be.”
The Monday morning prayer event included David Barton, founder of the Christian organization Wallbuilders, who talked about the nation’s Christian foundation; Bob McEwen, a former congressman from Ohio; Rick Perry, governor of Texas; and then-governor-elect Bobby Jindal. Soul-stirring music was led by the Classic Praise Ensemble of Bethany World Prayer Center of Baton Rouge.
The pastors prayer breakfast felt similar in spirit to the coronation of David as the Old Testament King of Israel, said Waylon Bailey, pastor of First Covington.
“I was blown away by the coming together of diverse groups from the Christian community in support of our new governor,” said Gil Arthur, pastor of East Leesville Baptist, who attended both prayer events and the inauguration ceremony. “I saw demonstrated Sunday afternoon and Monday morning an encircling of the entire Christian community to pray God’s spirit around our governor. Monday morning especially was a worship experience for me.”
Roy Davis, pastor of North Shreve, Shreveport, also attended both prayer services and the inaugural ceremony.
“I was impressed by the fact that the new governor is so willing to not only stand up for his Christian beliefs but to include input from ministers,” Davis said. “Righteousness exalts a nation, Proverbs tells us, and I believe this is the kind of leadership that’s needed all over our nation.
“Governor Jindal is, I believe, genuine in his commitment to serve all the people in Louisiana and still remain faithful to the Christian faith, and that’s not always done by politicians,” Davis continued. “I think to appeal to the evangelical vote, a lot of politicians promise a faith-in-action type of administration but they don’t always follow through. I believe Governor Jindal will. He is fond of saying Louisiana can change, it must change and it will change, and I believe that the Lord is going to be the one who helps him, and helps us see a change.”
In is inaugural remarks, Governor Jindal made it clear he sees all Louisianians – not just himself – as the solution to decades of mismanagement and inept leadership. Yes, he spoke that bluntly, then deviated from his written words to thank previous governors and state officials for being part of the inaugural ceremony.
“We are not here for one man to take an oath, but for one people to make commitments to each other,” Jindal said. “We are here … to set forth together – all of us – towards a new era.”
Read the complete text at www.gov.state.la.us/ – click on “newsroom” and “speeches.”
“We will come to this Capitol to make a clean break with the past, to give Louisiana the highest standards for accountability anywhere in the nation, to take our government 180 degrees from the darkest chapters of its past,” the governor said. “When we have accomplished ethics reform, we will move next to economic reform. … In short, the opportunities flow to places focused on the future and driven to do something about it.”