Surreal
Standing in the ruin that was the East New Orleans sanctuary of the Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church was a totally surreal experience for me yesterday. Here in this room where Bishop Paul Morton once sang “Let It Rain” I was moved nearly to tears at the thought of God’s house under all that water with only the steeple showing above the flood plain. Yet I was reminded of Gideon and his faithfulness and God’s capacity to rebuild anything if his followers are willing to be used for his purposes and glory.
So we set out now to help them rebuild. I was joined by Elder Raymond Steib, Jr. who was last in this room on the morning Ray Nagin called for a city-wide evacuation.
I am humbled and blessed to do the work I do.
Here’s the room BEFORE Katrina. invest seven minutes of your life on this.
Here’s the room today after a lot of clean up from the flood.
I look forward with great anticipation to the day when our photo gallery includes pictures of worship breakin’ out all over this room again. I sat with Bishop Morton’s wife yesterday and heard her vision for this place - a place where once again people will come to know Jesus and walk more fully with him, a place where God’s Holy Spirit will be free to move about and touch souls, a place of healing and deliverance and a place of restoration. May it be so.
Tags: Bishop Paul S. Morton, Changing A Generation, Flood, Full Gospel Baptist, Greater St. Stephen, Hurricane Katrina, Let It Rain, Pastor Debra B. Morton
