Hello Grace family! Jenny Guillory here. Charlie has allowed me to take over blogging this week so I could write about the newest members of our Grace family.  God has undoubtedly been working through our children’s ministry, and the congregation was able to witness the fruits of summer camp on August 30 with the baptisms of Prene, Keshira, and Byron.

Ministering to the children of the Ninth Ward is no doubt a challenge.  I have often felt intimidated and inadequate when faced with the responsibility-and privilege- God has given Grace Baptist Church to minister to these kids. And, I venture to say, many of you have felt the same way.  Thankfully, God specializes in using inadequate people to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks.  Need proof? Here are the stories of three lives redeemed by God through the ministry of our congregation.

Byron was introduced to Grace through our summer camp. He is a student at Fredrick Douglas and lives with his grandmother across St. Claude.  Byron is hard to miss because he is very tall, really thin, and wonderfully friendly.  I always go to Byron for the latest neighborhood scoop because he knows everybody and everything that happens in the Bywater!  Pretty soon after we first met Byron, he became a regular at camp, at Sunday school, and at church- not to mention at our doorsteps!  Byron did not believe in God or in the Bible when he first became involved with Grace; yet, he kept coming.  Was this because we presented compelling arguments for the existence of God and convincing proof for the authority of the Bible? I doubt it.  Or was it, rather, because when he came to Grace he was loved on and listened to by our people? Bingo! Grace loved on Byron, and God took care of the rest.

Prene and Keshira are cousins who became involved with Grace long before summer camp started. They both live together with their auntie near the church and attend Drew Elementary. One morning, Prene showed up in my Sunday school class. I had never met her before then. She said she wanted to start going to church, but that her auntie was unable to come.  Prene made up her mind that Sunday to begin going to church on her own.   Ever since then, Prene and Keshira have been coming to church on Sundays and Wednesday nights.  Jake made sure that the girls received a Bible after they accepted Christ, and Keshira was especially thrilled to have a Bible of her own. She has been spotted carrying her Bible around and has begun reading it on her own.  A few days ago, I asked Prene if there was anything special about her that she wanted the rest of the church to know. Her answer surprised me because I was expecting Prene to tell me her favorite color, or maybe the name of her best friend.  After a momentary pause, Prene carefully made the following reply with utmost sincerity and conviction: “I just want them to know I am very special because I love Jesus and because I have a family who loves me.” Prene, only in elementary school, understands and appreciates what many adults take for granted.

I hope that you will continue to get to know these three. Stop and talk to them at church on Sundays, or come and hang out with them at children’s worship on Wednesdays.  They are the next generation of Grace Baptist Church, and Grace has the collective responsibility to help these kids grow as followers of Christ.  I have no doubt that this call will be challenging.  However, I am equally convinced that the blessings we receive from having Prene, Keshira, and Byron as part of our family will make every effort worthwhile!