“A New New Orleans”



Graham, along with his son Franklin, spoke to hundreds of pastors at a special prayer service as they prepared for this weekend’s Celebration of Hope at the New Orleans Arena.

“This has been a disaster, but out of this disaster will grow a new New Orleans” Graham said. “People like you are the key to the progress, because what is needed is moral and spiritual renewal. New Orleans needs leadership that only Christ can bring.”

Graham, who may speak Sunday night, reminded the pastors of the story of Job. “After Job had lost everything, including his family and possession, he didn’t complain,” Graham said. “Instead he worshipped God and the Lord later restored and blessed him. We know that Jesus may not be security against life’s storms; we do know that He is perfect security in life’s storms.”

Graham spoke behind a restored pulpit that had been found floating at a local seminary following Katrina’s flood surge. The pulpit, used at a four-week Crusade at Pelican Stadium, had been signed by the evangelist and several members of his Crusade team, including George Beverly Shea and Cliff Barrows—all in attendance at Thursday’s prayer luncheon.

Churches Led the Way
Franklin Graham, who will speak Saturday night, applauded the work of local churches and faith-based groups that have played pivotal roles in the ongoing recovery of New Orleans.

“We’ve come to support the church,” he said. “All of the work we do through the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse is through the church. We come as your servants for Christ’s sake.

“When I first visited New Orleans a few weeks after the storm, a local political leader told me that it was churches who were leading the way in relief and recovery. Church buses and vans, loaded with volunteers, have come from all across America to help.”

Rev. Fred Luter, whose Franklin Avenue Baptist Church sat under eight feet of water for several weeks, said the Grahams’ visit was an historic occasion. “If this city needs anything right now, it needs hope,” he said. “Things are bad, and they will be bad for awhile, but this Crusade has brought much needed excitement and hope.”

Still Recovering
Luter’s church of nearly 7,000 people has been reduced to about 3,000, and he travels regularly to Baton Rouge and Houston to preach to members who have been displaced by the storm. The church is still without power six months after Katrina.

“A lot of people are depressed,” he said. “They have lost their homes and belongings and many have nothing to come back to. This is why faith is so important right now. It is the substance of things hoped for.”

Bishop J. Douglas Wiley of New Life Cathedral in Algiers, across the Mississippi River from downtown New Orleans, said pastors needed to be reminded that God is in control. “Pastors, like everyone else, have been deeply affected by Katrina,” he said. “People are wondering what will happen next. There are so many unanswered questions. But God is still in charge. We need to hear that and know that.”

Wiley’s church was severely damaged by Katrina’s winds, and his congregation meets in a tent erected on church property immediately following the storm. He has seen God work good through it all.

A New Unity
“Katrina has forced pastors to bridge so many gaps that existed before the storm,” he said. “Barriers between races and denominations have been broken down, and there is a new unity and fellowship that didn’t exist before.”

Rev. David Crosby of First Baptist Church of New Orleans, where the luncheon was held, told the pastors: “You have led your congregations through a difficult time, perhaps one of the difficult times in history. But we are beginning a new era spiritually, even in the face of this great threat.”

Celebration of Hope will be held March 11-12 and features several guest artists along with messages from Billy and Franklin Graham. It is sponsored jointly by BGEA and Samaritan's Purse. BGEA’s Rapid Response Team of chaplains and counselors has ministered to more than 32,000 people across the Gulf Coast.