AN ANNIVERSARY LOVE-NOTE FROM THE 85 SOUTHERN BAPTIST
CHURCHES OF METRO NEW ORLEANS
“You know us. We're the Baptist church in your neighborhood -- like Williams Boulevard Baptist Church in Kenner at Interstate 10, Riverside Church on Jefferson Highway, West St. Charles in Boutte, and Celebration Church on Transcontinental. We're El Camino Iglesia and El Buen Pastor Iglesia in Metairie, the Vietnamese Baptist Church in Gretna, and the Korean Agape Church in Marrero. In New Orleans, we are Edgewater Church on Paris Avenue, New Salem in the Ninth Ward, and Franklin Avenue, now worshiping with First Baptist Church on Canal Boulevard. We are Grace on North Rampart, Oak Park on Kabel, and Horeb Spanish on Bellemeade. We are Port Sulphur Church downriver in Plaquemines Parish, and in St. Bernard, we're Poydras and Delacroix Hope Baptist churches, and the coalition church meeting at Chalmette High School. Before Katrina, we counted 140 of our churches large and small in the metro area. At the moment, that number is 85. We are the yellow-shirted ‘Disaster Relief’ volunteers you saw for months after Katrina -- running chainsaws, gutting out houses, handing out food and water, preparing and serving literally millions of hot meals throughout the area. Our people arrived from every state in the union to assist New Orleans, serving under the leadership of our own Louisiana Baptist Convention (www.lbc.org). We are Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Georgia, Kentucky, and Louisiana red-shirted 'Builders for Christ,' reconstructing houses throughout the metro area (www.namb.net/bbuilders). We are ‘Operation NOAH Rebuild’ with offices at Calvary Baptist Church in Algiers, coordinating the work of a constant stream of volunteers from churches across America. We are the Volunteer Village in the World Trade Center at the foot of Canal Street, able to house 500 volunteers a night. Our people have gutted out thousands of flooded homes already and are at work this very moment rebuilding houses (www.namb.net/noah). We are ‘Baptist Crossroads,’ the Ninth Ward project where our volunteers are constructing forty new homes under the direction of Habitat for Humanity. When these homes are finished, we plan to keep right on so long as there is a need (www.baptistcrossroads.com). We are the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary on Gentilly Boulevard, birthed in this city in 1917 and committed to the rebuilding of a brand-new New Orleans (www.nobts.edu). We are brothers and sisters to all who follow Jesus Christ as Lord. We take literally the words of the Savior when He said, 'Inasmuch as you do it unto the least of these my brethren, you do it unto me' (Matthew 25:40). Helping our neighbors is His command and our privilege. We love New Orleans. In fact, we are New Orleans. We love you, New Orleans. We're with you for the duration.”
Not only did these kids see Cherie eight full weeks out of the summer, every morning (Monday-Friday), whether it was a good day or a bad day, but Cherie went beyond her responsiblity to minister. I can write tonight that God called Cherie to minister to those kids at Sandygate because she took ownership and shared her love with them. When is the last time you took ownership of what you were called to do and you do it in/with love?