Alabama native leads NAMB ministry to New Orleans

Alabama native leads NAMB ministry to New Orleans

Linda Middlebrooks, program director at the Rachel Sims Baptist Mission in New Orleans, knows a little bit about storms — and not just the kind that roll in from the coast.

Middlebrooks, an Anderson native, has served in the Crescent City for nearly 30 years and witnessed not only the destructive force of hurricanes but also the devastating effects of poverty, crime and despair.

Rachel Sims Mission is located in New Orleans’ Irish Channel, a 7-by-17-block community that is home to more than 56,000 people and 19 ethnic groups.

Middlebrooks and her small staff of college students and volunteers actively minister to the community through programs that provide food assistance to approximately 300 families every month and distribute clothing to the homeless year-round.

But Middlebrooks’ heart is with the children and youth of her community.

The after-school program at Rachel Sims engages more than 50 students with academic tutoring and recreational activities in a fun and safe environment.

The students also receive both a snack and a meal, which for some is the only meal they get during the day.

In the evenings, the mission is open to teenagers who come in to shoot pool, play video games or just talk.

“We’re reaching these children but we’re also reaching into families with the gospel,” Middlebrooks said.

“It’s hard to compete with the money that comes from selling drugs, but we’re trying to give them goals for a better life, and even more, we’re giving them hope.”

She is also involved in a partnership with local courts to allow juvenile offenders to perform community service at Rachel Sims.

“We have them help prepare the rooms for our discipleship groups, and when the group is finished, we have them clean up,” Middlebrooks said. “Of course, that means that they are around while we teach the Bible to other students. Of the 10 people assigned here by the court, we’ve seen nine become Christians. Some even stay after their time is served to help with other programs.”

In fact, about 200 children and teens profess faith in Christ every year at the mission, she said.

Many of the volunteers were discipled through Rachel Sims and now serve there. Some even bring their children and grandchildren.

“Our people here really do connect us with the community and they minister to me,” Middlebrooks said. “They come back to cook and clean, but they also get me out of the center when I need a break.

“The ministry is being handed down from generation to generation, and that’s how we’ll win our city for Christ.”

Middlebrooks, who grew up as a member of Bethel Baptist Church, Anderson, in Colbert-Lauderdale Baptist Association, first arrived at Rachel Sims in 1980 as a US-2 appointee with the North American Mission Board and remained as an intern while she completed her degree at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

She was appointed assistant director of the mission in 1984 and later assigned to her current position. She now coordinates volunteer teams from across the nation for short-term projects in New Orleans.

Every summer, 10 weeks of backyard Bible clubs, sports evangelism camps and block parties are scheduled, but Middlebrooks said groups of all ages come all year round to do all kinds of things.

“Here, in our city, people have become hopeless and cynical, so when you show up to help mow their lawn or work on their house, they want to know why,” she said. “They’re amazed when we tell them that we come because we love God and because He loves them.

“People get saved while we’re picking up trash in their yard.” 

Short-term projects make a big impact on Rachel Sims’ community, but they also make a lasting impression on the churches that participate.

“Most of the churches who come for a week will come again,” Middlebrooks said. Some will even become financial partners with the mission.

For more information about Rachel Sims, visit www.rachelsims.50megs.com, and for information about volunteer opportunities, contact Middlebrooks at rsbm@bellsouth.net.