Martha Bailey prefers not to be called the pastor’s wife.
COVINGTON – Martha Bailey prefers not to be called the pastor’s
wife. Rather, she’d prefer to be known as just plain ‘Martha,’
said her husband, Waylon Bailey, pastor of First Covington.
Not that there’s anything plain about a woman beautiful inside and out, Bailey said.
“She doesn’t play a role,” Pastor Bailey said. “Her name is Martha, and
that’s the way she lives. She doesn’t need a title.”
A highly organized person, Martha, with the help of several other
members of First Covington, designed a systematic distribution center
at First Covington the day after Katrina – which in the weeks that
followed served about 5,000 families with groceries, baby supplies and
personal hygiene items.
The church, situated on 40 acres just north of I-10, became the first staging area for post-Katrina disaster relief.
Word spread quickly of the help being given by the church, and cars
dashed to be in line while there was still something to be given out.
“They didn’t realize because of the support of Louisiana Baptists and
other Southern Baptists all across the country, we weren’t going to run
out,” Martha Bailey said.
But to allay concerns, quiet the crowd and minister to the people
whether they needed questions answered, their story heard or just a
gentle voice, volunteers started at the intersection to talk with the
people in each vehicle and let them know how long the wait would be,
and what they would find when they arrived at what essentially was a
drive-through relief center.
“Cars were lined up literally from the highway and then we had them
snaking around, like a Disney World’s amusement ride, but it didn’t
take them long to get through because it was so well-organized,” the
pastor said.
“We didn’t want them to feel that this was a trap, that if they came in
here and got our groceries they had to listen to our spiel,” Martha
Bailey said. “We didn’t want that situation; we wanted to show them the
love of God but we didn’t want it in a way that would be imposing.”
The people in vehicles were offered water, a tract and/or a Bible, and a prayer, while they were waiting.
That same sense of service follows Martha into her home where she
creates an atmosphere that can help soothe away the stresses involved
in the ministry life, Pastor Bailey said.
“Ministry is really hard,” he said. “If things at home are good, you
can handle most everything else. She makes things at home really good.”
Making sure their two daughters were sheltered from the fallout of
being the pastor’s children was also always one of Martha’s goals, the
pastor said. “She protected them from those who wanted to make
them do because they were the preacher’s kids or who would take their
dislike of me out on them.
“As [our girls] got older, she made sure they understood that the
church is made up of imperfect people, including our family,” the
pastor continued. “Therefore, she gave them a realistic and accepting
view of church. Our girls are very active in church. Martha helped them
to be that way.”
A difficult childhood inspired Martha to dream of the day when she’d
have her own family, a “real” one much like the television Cleaver
family, with all members intact, he said.
“That’s been the focus of her life, loving, caring and providing for
our emotional needs,” Pastor Bailey said. “I got included in
that. She’s been real good at it. People talk about how nice she
is, and I think ‘She’s better at home than she is in public.’”