Mardi Gras and Metairie Church

MetairieChurch Post

By: Waylon Bailey ~

First Baptist Church has two campuses, one in Covington and one in Metairie. If God should so allow, we hope to have other campuses in the future.

We felt led to move first to Metairie, not because it is a easy place to start churches and do ministry but because it is hard. Metairie and the Southshore of Lake Pontchartrain is a difficult place to establish churches. All you have to do is look at the paucity of Biblically based evangelical churches to see the difficulty. I am pleased to report we are not the only ones seeking to plant a flag in the area of the Southshore. The North American Mission Board (NAMB) has designated New Orleans as a Send City and has asked Southern Baptists to pray for this city with so few Southern Baptist churches. Only 11.8% of the city is evangelical Christians.

Last week Metairie Church did yeoman service in ministering over the Mardi Gras period. Jared Stacy, our campus pastor, reported making contact with over 1,000 parade goers during two parades that moved by the church location. Some of those people were happy to thaw out from a frigid Mardi Gras day parade.

Our members at Metairie Church had the opportunity to share the gospel in social ministry and the spoken word. All of these avenues of witnessing worked together as the church served free hot chocolate, throw bags, and live worship music.

Jared summed up the effort in this way: “So the result is two-fold: we are excited about the seeds planted in the city, and equally excited to see the campus grow in faithfulness & maturity. Thank you for giving MC the opportunity to love our neighbors & speak the gospel in ways specific to Severn Avenue.”

Thank you to saints on the Southshore who love their neighbors and to saints on the Northshore who pray and give to help reach others.

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Love is here. from FBC Covington on Vimeo.