The Gulf Coast Baptist Association may be small in numbers, but it is strong in spirit.
The Gulf Coast Baptist Association may be small in numbers, but it is strong in spirit.
Covering the parishes of St. Mary, St. Martin and a small slice of Iberia, the Gulf Coast association ministers to a population of more than 125,000 in this predominantly Catholic conclave.
Like many South Louisiana parishes, the region has its share of farmers, crawfishermen, commercial fishermen and shrimpers and skilled laborers. It is also home to numerous oil field workers.
Serving in the midst of a predominantly Roman Catholic population, the Southern Baptist churches there face some unique challenges.
“It is a neat area to work in,” said Director of Missions Bert Langley. “There are quite a few Catholics, but the area also features a variety of other nationalities as well. And this mixture of people is what makes this region such a unique area to serve.
“We do a lot of individual work … basically people to people, who share the Gospel wherever it can be shared,” he said.
While inroads have been made in the area’s growing Hispanic community as well as with a sizeable Vietnamese population, Langley cites the work of Bobby Hodnett, pastor of Little Pass Baptist Church with the Chitimacha Tribe.
“As transient as people are in South Louisiana, Bobby Hodnett and Charles Gilder have been the exceptions. They have steadfastly been doing the Lord’s work for more than 40 years,“ Langley said.
Hodnett has served for more than 40 years while Gilder, the pastor at Bayou Vista Baptist Church, has more than 35 years under his belt.
Hodnett, Gilder, and Pastor David Willoughby, pastor of First Baptist Morgan City, all took proactive roles when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita slammed into Louisiana two years ago. Today they continue to be vital in assisting the community and evacuees to deal with the aftermath.
The association has moved beyond hurricane relief and has partnered with the Evangeline Association to help get cross-associational missions teams off the ground.
“With so many small churches in this association, it is almost impossible for every church to participate on a mission’s trip,” Langley said. “God put on my heart to keep missions alive, so we developed a plan to sort of pool our resources.
“Not all our little churches can send a team, but they can send one or two members to be a part of a mission team,” Langley said.
The association does most of the work organizing missions, and does a good bit of funding.
“It has been such a blessing,” said Langley. “We’ve sent teams to the Ukraine, Canada and this summer to Alaska. As a matter of fact, I just return with a team that went to Alaska.
“Here in mission territory we sometime overlook the fact other people are in need as well,” he said. “These trips not only allow us to share the Gospel, but it also provides an opportunity for fellowship.”
As a matter of fact, Langley proudly points to the association’s annual evangelism rally in February as an example of how strong the fellowship is.
“I believe we have the strongest fellowship of any association in the state,” he said. “At our February rally we had almost 500 to attend the event. And for just 17 churches, most of them small, that’s pretty good participation.”
With its annual 48th annual meeting just a month and a half away (Oct. 15) at Teche Baptist Church in Centerville, Langley will have plenty of good news to share with the association.
“The churches in this association have been very pro-active every since the hurricanes two years ago,” he said. “They have played a vital part in helping the community deal with the issues. I feel God has been busy down here, it has been wonderful watching Him at work.”