By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer
SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA – “We are in this together and we are going to come through this together.”
That’s the phrase that has come to the mind of Jeff Ginn, pastor of Istrouma Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, following the historic flooding that has left him and many others in his church flooded out of their homes.
Citing Isaiah 43:2, Ginn said that God is with his congregation and others who have been affected by the flooding, which dumped nearly three feet of rain in some areas since Thursday.
“I know we all deeply feel a sense of loss and the challenges before us,” Ginn said during a Facebook live message taped from Istrouma Baptist Church. “When I say we are in this together, it’s not just that you and I are in this together, but the Lord is in this with us.”
Dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, Ginn addressed the congregation via his own Facebook page since the church was unable to hold services on Sunday morning. He was one of many Louisiana Baptist pastors who took to social media to broadcast a message, either from their church building or a living room.
Brian Crain, pastor of Progression Church in Baton Rouge, took to Facebook to deliver his message. Broadcasting from the living room of Worship Pastor Michael Young, Crian encouraged those watching to meet needs.
“Just reach out and be the hands and feet of Jesus,” Crain said. “It’s going to take a lot of us to be able to work together and really see an impact made in the city. But it’s a great way for the church to kind of step up as in the church collective body of followers of Jesus to get involved in the city.”
Further west, David Denton, pastor of Highland Baptist Church in New Iberia, used Facebook to communicate a Sunday morning message. High water in the area forced cancellation of services.
Denton encouraged those watching to allow God to use them to bring hope.
“Help with clean up and exercise caution in doing so,” Denton said. “Feed people who are hungry. Get involved wherever you can and by all means share Christ with people.
“Be encouraged by God’s promise that there is coming a day when there will be no need for rescue shelters or clean up because there will be no more floods,” he continued. “Hold on to that hope.”
