NEW ORLEANS – In town to cover a Baptist Collegiate Ministries disaster relief missions event, I decided to worship at Calvary since the phone book said their first service was 8:15 a.m.
By Karen L. Willoughby
Managing editor
NEW ORLEANS – In town to cover a Baptist
Collegiate Ministries disaster relief missions event, I decided to
worship at Calvary since the phone book said their first service was
8:15 a.m.
Reminder: Nothing in New Orleans is the same as it used to
be. Most churches that had multiple services now are glad to be able to
have even one!
However, Celebration Church, where Dennis Watson is
pastor, meets three times on Sundays and on Saturday evening, I found
out, when almost by chance, I came across their “Transatlantic campus.”
Sounded fairly pretentious to me, but it turns out Transatlantic is the
name of the street. I found myself floundering in the foyer; no
one greeted me.
That’s part of what happened when 75 percent of the congregation was
dispersed, I found out after being “rescued” from the fear of “what do
I do in this strange place?” by staff member Cindy Meilleur.
High points: Superb worship led by Dwight Fitch Jr.; call
to prayer at the altar long before the sermon; testimony time, and the
preaching.
Watson preached on fear in his Zig Ziglar voice, but the
‘zinger’ quote I wrote down was, “Sin is far more dangerous to us than
any hurricane.”
He used lots of anecdotes, got the congregation to raise
their hands in agreement several times, and kept my attention every
minute. Two thumbs up for an exciting Sunday worship.