By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer
FRANKLIN – Darrell Guy is a big believer that the church should band together and serve outside the walls of its building.
He is pastor of Unity One Baptist Church in Franklin, a predominantly African-American congregation, and his members are committed to ministering to the needs of the community.
They distribute bags of food and serve lunch plates to residents of Franklin, and the children in the church raised money to purchase an armored vest and donated it to the local police department.
Guy said the encouragement that has broken out among the church’s neighbors has been contagious, and the resulting receptivity has helped the congregation to spread Christ’s love throughout Franklin.
Pastor Darrell Guy
“We wanted them to know we are praying for them,” Guy said. “Those are the things we are doing that are sticking out in the minds of the community. They are seeing the church is about giving.”
The outreach has produced fruits for the congregation, which began with 12 people participating in a Bible study in Guy’s home during the summer of 2015. By that fall, the group had doubled, creating a welcomed problem – the need to find a bigger space to accommodate the growth.
The congregation met for one month at Franklin’s recreational center before moving into its current building; and recently, the church decided it was time to move yet again, having increased to 50 regularly attending worshipers – maximum capacity for their meeting space.
They now will meet in the worship center of Teche Baptist Church, a predominantly Anglo congregation, who is allowing them to use the building for Sunday morning worship services.
Unity One will worship at 9 a.m. and Teche Baptist will meet two hours later.
The growing Unity One congregation is the first church Guy has pastored.
“This is the best thing that’s ever happened,” he said. “Even though it’s hard and has its moments, I am truly enjoying it because I am working for the Lord.
“You can see people coming to Christ and see their faith is getting stronger because they believe in the Lord, even in challenging times. We are building more disciples at Unity One Baptist Church because of that. That’s how we will build God’s church.”
Guy is a graduate of Grambling State University, having earned a bachelor’s degree in social work that has helped him in ministry. Now he attends New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary where he is on track to earn a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry.
When he is not ministering to others or engaged in graduate studies, Guy can be found in Franklin’s City Hall, where he serves as manager of purchasing, a position he has held for two years.
With work, school, hospital visits, phone calls and other ministry duties, Guy said most days he does not go to sleep until 1 a.m. But, he is thankful he has a supportive mayor, who allows him to serve as a bi-vocational pastor.
“Doing both jobs has its moments and makes my daily routine extend late,” Guy said. “Thank God I have a mayor who also is a Christian and allows me the flexibility to do ministry.”
Prioritizing is the key for him in keeping pace, he said.
“You have to understand time management, but most importantly you have to rely on God,” he said. “God gives you the strength to do your job and to carry you through the rigors of ministry.
“Some days are hard,” Guy said. “But it’s good to know you’re being used by Him to help someone in need of Christ’s love.”
