Like almost every other point in the city, it was eerily quiet in the Upper Ninth Ward on the evening of Sept. 28, 2005. Silent, anonymous piles of rubble, including whole boats, were parked where cars would normally be, and the doors of the community’s houses were marked with spray paint to indicate the status of those inside — dead or alive.
Hurricane Katrina had put a hush over the city of New Orleans, and in certain pockets, for safety reasons, folks were kept by roadblocks and barricades from breaking the silence. But Charlie Dale needed to check on his church and with God’s help, he did.
Dale, a native of Northport and graduate of the University of Alabama, had been called the previous January as associate pastor of Grace Baptist Church, a historic 103-year-old church in the Upper Ninth Ward’s Bywater neighborhood. With a degree in urban ministry from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS), Dale was just what Grace Baptist was looking for — an eventual successor to Pastor William Rogers.
Mere months later, Dale met Katrina — a seemingly insurmountable roadblock to his ministry. But he pressed on.
When stopped by a National Guardsman in his quest to survey the hurricane’s damage to the old church, Dale told him what he was doing. “Of course, pastors don’t carry credentials but the only thing that I had that connected me to the ministry was my Bible and my seminary work ID. He bent into the window of my car and whispered, ‘I’m a Baptist, too,’ and let me go my way.”
Upon first returning to Grace, Dale saw that at least 7 inches of floodwater had only recently receded from the sanctuary and fellowship hall.
The Dales — Charlie, wife Shannon and their young daughters, Michaela and Moriah — would also soon discover that their possessions inside their apartment on the campus of NOBTS were ruined.
In the wake of Katrina, Dale, only eight months settled in his new job and home, faced the sort of challenge never imagined while contemplating the Lord’s plan. He would not be reconciling congregations or keeping sermons fresh but rebuilding and surviving, both at his church and his home.
“Realistically speaking, I think that our church could have possibly closed,” Dale said. But it didn’t.
As life slowly returned to normal, a worship service was scheduled on the steps of the church. Thirteen were in attendance as opposed to the usual 50–70. By Thanksgiving, people had started to return to the neighborhood, including members of Grace. A missions team from Texas arrived to help with repairs.
Financial support came from the Southern Baptist Convention and Northport Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa Baptist Association, where Dale was called to missions at age 16.
“I was able to bring my family back and be here for people during a very difficult time,” he said of the financial assistance.
“Our congregation heard the heart of Charlie,” Northport Baptist Associate Pastor Bill Patton said of the situation following Katrina when Grace’s congregation was dispersed. “He so wanted to stay and minister where there was no group of believers to support him. We knew the need was great and the resources were nonexistent.”
So the church created the position of staff “missionary” to Grace for Dale in September 2005. The position enables the Alabama Baptist congregation to supplement his income with monies donated to the Grace for New Orleans fund, which is a part of Northport Baptist’s stewardship budget.
In April 2007, Dale was voted in as pastor of Grace, but as staff missionary, he remains accountable to Northport Baptist Senior Pastor Johnny Nixon.
“Charlie Dale is one of those rare men who has the powerful blend of a clear call to inner-city missions, outstanding gifts and abilities as a pastor, deep godly character and the humility not to notice,” Nixon said.
“Charlie makes you optimistic for the future.”
Now Dale’s church is not only surviving, it is prevailing in membership and in its role as beacon to a recovering community. “Grace is a wonderful church, and we’re thankful to God that He has sustained us through the storm,” Dale said.
For more information about Grace Baptist Church, visit www.northportbaptist.org/ministries/grace.html.
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