By Message Staff
HOUMA – The 33 churches of Bayou Baptist Association have united and devoted a year to a series of prayer meetings in preparation for a harvest of souls during its upcoming “Churches United” crusade.
Scheduled for March 28-30 at three separate locations nightly, the crusade will include powerful messages by Preston Nix, an evangelism professor at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and Duane and Iris Blue, past state Evangelism Conference speakers; and special music by a multi-denominational praise team. The crusade will be held March 28, 7 p.m., at Cut Off Youth Center; March 29, 7 p.m., at South Terrebonne High School in Bourg; and March 30, 5 p.m., at Peltier Auditorium on the Nicholls State University campus in Thibodaux.
Since March 2018, the crusade planning task force, led by crusade director JP Cox, pastor of University Baptist Church in Thibodaux, has met monthly to pray about reaching Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes through a joint evangelistic effort. Soon after they began meeting, Cox said the Holy Spirit confirmed their desire to hold the crusade.
“Ever since I became pastor of University Baptist Church four years ago, I really have been burdened for the spiritual lostness in our community,” Cox said. “We’re in a heavy degree of spiritual lostness, and Jesus is the only hope to release the strongholds Satan has on this parish. Since we are such a large association, I was convinced that involving all of our churches for not one, but three days at different locations in the parish would reach the maximum amount of people, not only who are lost but who once had that fire for the Lord but have since grown cold in their faith. We can do more together than we can separate.”
Cox said God has reaffirmed their decision multiple times throughout the year.
Not only has the task force sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit at their planning meetings, but God has provided most of the funds for the crusade budget through individual church members donating 5 dollars a month from October to February.
“A concern was how we would pay for this, but we knew the Lord was in this and He would provide,” Cox said. “And the Lord has provided abundantly. We are not in a hole. He’s really taking care of us financially.”
With the first session of the crusade just days away, Cox is anticipating a mighty movement of God.
“He’s ready to move, and He’s ready to move because our folks are ready to move,” Cox said. “It’s not a question if He is not moving, but are we ready to get out there to plow the field to get done what needs to be done. Our people are hungry and ready for this.
“My goal and expectation is that there is a huge response where people come to faith in Christ, and where people let go of the chains and barriers that hold them back,” he continued. “My hope is blinders come off people’s eyes and they realize their need for a relationship with Christ. Furthermore, may those who once made a decision to follow Him but have grown cold would wake up and have that passion for Christ rekindled. If we see those things happen, it will be a great testimony to what the Lord is doing.”
