Spring 2009 Update

A Church for West St. Tammany 28156 Hwy. 22, Ponchatoula, LA 70454, 985.373.2748

Spring 2009 Hello Friends! In 2001, God called our family to Covington, LA, to plant a new church in central St. Tammany Parish. We began with four people in a home Bible study, grew to 75 in an un-airconditioned fire station, moved to a former café/truck stop, and seven years later, Hope Church of Waldheim gathers for worship each Sunday in its own building on 16-acres of land, and is faithfully reaching out to its community. Through church planting lives have been changed and now a healthy church exists where seven years ago there was none. Now God has called our family to reach out to a neighboring community through starting another new church. It is a joy and privilege for us to partner with Bedico Baptist Church, the North Shore Baptist Associations, Louisiana Baptist Convention, and the North American Mission Board to plant a church for West St. Tammany Parish. Currently we are building the team to launch this new church. In March we will begin public ministries including block parties on March 15th and 29th, Sunday night worship gatherings, ministries to our Parish Jail and an impoverished mobile home park in our area. Please keep us in your prayers as we embark upon one of the most challenging and difficult endeavors in North American missions – starting a new church from scratch. If you or your church would like to partner with us as a strategic prayer partner, financial partner, or visit our area for a national mission trip, please contact us – 985.373.2748 or [email protected].

Thanks!

About West St. Tammany Parish

Lane Corley

St. Tammany Parish is located thirty minutes north of New Orleans on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain. It has been one of the fastest growing areas in the state of Louisiana for many years, but after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, population swelled from 220,000 to 270,000 - what would have been considered five years of normal growth. Along with the growth in population, there are other key indicators that point us to the need for a new church in the region. While St. Tammany enjoys one of the lowest overall crime rates in the state of Louisiana, following Hurricane Katrina, instances of drug and alcohol addiction, domestic disturbances, and suicide are on the rise. Volunteers of America reports that the suicide rate in the Parish has increased at least 48% in the last three years. Parish officials report that in 2007, domestic disturbance calls doubled and suicide completions increased 257% in West St. Tammany. We need more churches focused on transforming the community through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

For more info about St. Tammany Parish check out:  www.stpgov.org - St. Tammany Parish Government  www.stedf.org - St. Tammany Economic Development Foundation  www.sttammanychamber.org - West St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce  www.neworleansnorthshore.com - St. Tammany Tourism Commission  www.i12alliance.com – Interstate 12 Economic Development Alliance

Six Steps to Starting a Church from Scratch How do you start a church from scratch? A lot of books have been & are being written on this topic (two of my favorites are Planting Missional Churches by Ed Stetzer & The Multiplying Church by Bob Roberts). For our mission of planting a new church for West St. Tammany Parish we’ve outlined six steps & two are already complete!  Step 1: A Sponsor/Mother Church with a Vision for Evangelism & OffCampus Multiplication. Who starts churches? Many people would say that this is the job of denominations & conventions, but Biblically, healthy church planting happens when healthy mother churches start healthy daughter churches (see Acts 11:19-30,13:1-5). Because of God’s leading & a passion to evangelize their neighboring community, Bedico Baptist Church in Ponchatoula has taken on the responsibility of planting/sponsoring a new church for West St. Tammany Parish.  Step 2: A God-Called Church Planter/Pastor. After spending seven years planting Hope Church in Central St. Tammany Parish. Heather & I have heard the call of God to be a part of planting a new church in West St. Tammany and in September 2008, joined the staff at Bedico Baptist Church.  Step 3: Cultivating the Field & Building the Team. In September 2008, we began cultivating & building relationships in West St. Tammany Parish. So far, we have pulled together demographic info for the area, conducted twenty-one interviews with community leaders, provided Christmas presents for needy children in a local school, began a ministry to our local jail, & began ministering to an impoverished mobile home park. We currently meet every Sunday evening in various locations for worship, Bible Study, & team building.  Step 4: Launching Public Worship Services. In the fall of 2009, we plan to begin Sunday morning worship services in the West St. Tammany area.  Step 5: Building Church Life. Developing ministries that will transform our community, assimilate & disciple new members, & develop leaders for extended fruitfulness.  Step 6: A Vision for Evangelism & Off-Campus Multiplication. Began preparing to repeat the process & multiply a healthy, evangelistic church in a neighboring community in need of the Gospel.

What are some specific ways I can help a Church Plant? 1. Be a prayer partner. Pray for God’s favor in the community & for laborers for the work. 2. Ask for the church plant to be added to your churches regular prayer list. 3. Become a monthly financial partner for one to two years, helping the new church with staff salaries, facility rental, outreach events, etc. 4. Purchase a box of Bibles ($85 for case of 24) or a box of New Testaments ($50 for case of 100) 5. Make a trip to help with Church Planting Outreach events or prayer walk the community.

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Pray for the Corley’s Lane, Heather, Jackson, & Hudson

Church Planting in Southeast Louisiana 28156 Hwy. 22 Ponchatoula, LA 70454 985.373.2748 [email protected] [email protected]