by Wayne Guinn
In previous articles, we have given you testimonies and stories of how the NCPO has helped church planters, state fellowships, established churches, and dying churches. This month, we are excited to tell you about a new church plant in New Orleans. We have asked our church planter, Chris Housewright, to tell you about it.
An Adventure Story
I have always enjoyed a good adventure story. It’s exciting to watch characters work through the twists and turns, finally making it to the end. But as great as adventure stories can be, it is even more thrilling to see God writing the chapters in my family’s story. The next step in our adventure is planting a church in the New Orleans area.
Over the last several years, New Orleans has seen its share of devastation. Today, approximately 1.2 million people are living in the metropolitan area, and this city is still in need of Jesus! The only way they can be reached is if Christ-followers are willing to give or even go to start new churches. The Baptist Bible Fellowship recognizes this need and has made multiple attempts to plant churches in the area, but none of these churches exist today. This is why God has called us to reach these hurting people.
Our family was approved by the National Church Planting Office in September 2010. While on deputation over the last few months, we have seen Christ provide in more ways than we could have imagined, and we plan to move to Louisiana on May 23, 2011. Although the generosity of churches and individuals has been overwhelming, and we are thankful for their partnership, we still have a ways to go. There are many personal and ministry needs that need to be met in order for us to make this transition. In April we will make one final visit to New Orleans to secure our housing as well as a school for our daughter. Additionally, we need to secure facilities for our future church. Our plan is to launch GracePoint Baptist Church within four months of our arrival. In order to make this happen, we must find the right location for this new ministry. Also, we are praying for a worship leader to take this journey of faith with us. We appreciate your prayers and financial support to help make this transition possible.
Perhaps God is leading you to partner through giving or going to help this church plant. I cannot wait to see what God has planned as He continues to write our adventure story.
For ways to get involved in helping establish GracePoint Baptist Church, contact us at www.chrishousewright.com or 785-554-6821.