Gary Walker says he knows the old adage "out of sight, out of mind" holds true many a time but he prays it won’t be so for Alabama Baptists and New Orleans.
It’s definitely not a possibility for him.
Walker, former pastor of Riverbend Baptist Church, Gadsden, recently took on the role of being Alabama Baptists’ point man in New Orleans for the state’s partnership with the Zone 6 area of Operation New Orleans Area Homes (NOAH) Rebuild.
He’d never been to New Orleans pre-Hurricane Katrina, but he couldn’t get the images of the storm’s aftermath out of his mind.
"I felt the urge to get involved down here, but I didn’t want to kick the door in — I just kind of waited on the Lord," Walker said.
The Lord began to open doors several weeks ago, he said, and May 21 he rolled into New Orleans as the state’s new project manager for Zone 6 in cooperation with Operation NOAH.
The next day, Walker was already combing the neighborhoods of Zone 6, taking applications for assistance and doing house assessment. He will prioritize the requests and give them to NOAH for processing. Then NOAH will assign Alabama teams that volunteer to come work.
"It’s an overwhelming task," Walker said, noting that windows are still boarded up in the neighborhoods and devastation still reigns.
Tommy Puckett, Alabama Baptist state disaster relief director, said he is "very, very thankful" to have Walker on-site to coordinate partnership efforts, which have been going on nearly three months.
"We feel like this will add to the availability and the efficiency of the partnership that we’re working on with NOAH," Puckett said. "Gary has a compassionate heart not only to see structures rebuilt but more importantly see lives changed in Jesus Christ."
NOAH, a partnership of the North American Mission Board, the Louisiana Baptist Convention, New Orleans-area Baptist associations and churches and The Salvation Army, has the goal of rebuilding 1,000 homes and 20 churches in two years.
"That goal is very attainable," said Steve Gahagan, construction manager for the entire NOAH project. "I have no doubt that NOAH will touch that many homes, whether it is a complete rebuild or filling a work order such as roofing or drywalling the home."
When NOAH passed the one-year mark May 1, it reported 10,338 volunteers had been mobilized on 671 teams and 203 professions of faith had been recorded as volunteers shared the gospel on-site.
Only a small slice of that happened in Zone 6, where work cranked up for Alabama Baptists in March.
But Walker said he can see that a significant impact has already been made by the teams that have come so far.
"I don’t know how they have accomplished what they’ve accomplished in such a short amount of time," Walker said.
And according to him, it’s only beginning.
Before becoming pastor of Riverbend Baptist five years ago, Walker owned a general contracting company.
Having "grown up" in the construction business, he said he can see the possibilities — there’s plenty of work for plumbers, electricians and painters and just willing folks are welcome.
"We’ll get each volunteer team channeled into a job that fits their skill level," Walker said.
As he and his wife, Cathy, prepare to spend the next year in a camper trailer on the property of Calvary Baptist Church, New Orleans, Walker is gearing up for what he hopes and prays will be a flood of Alabama Baptist volunteers.
"When we came down here to bring our trailer (before moving May 21), Cathy kept saying, ‘I don’t see anyone smiling. Everyone is just so sad,’" Walker said. "We have a great need here and a great opportunity for ministry. Please come and if you cannot come, please pray for the folks here and for the folks trying to help them."
Project requests are already waiting on Alabama Baptist teams in the NOAH office, Puckett said.
"This summer is going to be a good time for volunteer teams," he said. "We’re praying that God would grant us grace and mercy this coming summer and fall to be able to see our people respond to New Orleans and put families back into their homes."
To volunteer for a project, contact Puckett’s office at 1-800-264-1225, Ext. 229. Puckett can then direct volunteers through the process of contacting NOAH for a job assignment. (BP contributed)
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