Fellowship & Prayer

• by: David Crosby 08/14/08

Our church voted Wednesday night in business session to use the Franklin Avenue Baptist Church gift to develop our planned fellowship and prayer garden. This area is visible through the west windows in the sanctuary and connects to the fellowship hall through glass doors and a porch with descending steps to ground level.

A plaque displayed prominently in the area will memorialize the amazing and inspiring partnership-that we hope will continue until Jesus comes-between the congregations of First Baptist and Franklin Avenue in our post-Katrina world.

Initial plans enclose the entire space with a wall of bricks and/or greenery along the perimeter of the sidewalk and parking lot. A plaza for parties and weddings may feature both flower beds and fountains.

Perimeter seating will facilitate group meetings, Bible studies, and prayer gatherings.

The area is closely connected to our fellowship hall with its almost-complete expansion that includes restrooms, storage, and a commercial kitchen. The garden area may serve as an overflow or alternative venue for dining events in the fellowship hall.

Our church has come through one of the great tests of a community of believers. We have sustained-and largely recovered from-significant damage to the relational fabric of our congregation and the resources which sustain our ministry.

The congregation of Franklin Avenue and the leadership of Pastor Fred Luter have contributed significantly to our recovery in all dimensions. We are indebted to this great sister church and to her pastor. We rejoice in the beautiful tapestry woven by the Holy Spirit in our time of devastation. And we look forward to years of productive interaction with the sisters and brothers with whom we shared our buildings and our lives in a time of crisis.

This jewel of a relationship, facilitated by great loss, will be remembered and honored through the fellowship and prayer garden.