New Orleans Mission Trip Devotional Guide October 7-14, 2017
Inside Our Mission (CRBC).3 New Orleans Overview for SEND NOLA... 3 About the Anderson Family... 3 New Orleans Street Smarts... 4 Schedule... 5-7 Important Phone Numbers & Addresses... 7 Sunday Devotional: Who Will Be The Greatest?... 8 Monday Devotional: Pray For Me!... 9 Tuesday Devotional: To Bear The Infirmities of The Weak!... 10 Wednesday Devotional: Asking For What You Know Not!...11 Thursday Devotional: Pray for Laborers!... 12
Our Mission (CRBC) Our mission is to effectively reach out to the unsaved to cultivate spiritual growth and worship and to be a place of refuge. New Orleans Overview for SEND NOLA Riverbend Baptist Church is being planted on the west bank of the Mississippi where the river bends as New Orleans and Belle Chasse meet. This area has a population of more than 20,000 people but only about 500 people attend church on any given Sunday. The vision is to see a multicultural community of reproducing believers established. This community will reach out and engage the city with the gospel through a variety of entry points. One of the points we are most excited about is a community fine arts academy that we seek to establish. This academy will provide fine arts education that is centered on a Christian worldview and creates a platform for community engagement. About the Anderson Family Gerry and Emily Anderson have been married for more than 13 years. They have three children, Austin (13), Autumn (11) and Catherine (7). During the past 13 years of marriage, they have been blessed to serve the church in various ministry roles. They have spent the past five years serving as senior pastor of Harvest Baptist Church in Dyersburg, Tennessee. Hospitality is a characteristic of their home.
New Orleans Street Smarts Do s 1. Always carry your identification 2. Use a money belt. 3. Always stay with your group. 4. Put identification tags on all your bags. 5. Always have phone numbers of your group leader and other group/team leaders. 6. Carry Traveler s Checks for larger sums of money. 7. Sightseeing plans from group leaders must be coordinated with Pastor Shane 8. Come up with a travel buddy (someone who will always make sure you are with the group and someone you make sure is with the group.) Don ts 1. Don t exchange money on the street. 2. Don t wear flashy jewelry even if it s costume. 3. Don t put all your money in one place. 4. Don t go anywhere alone. 5. Don t flash wads of money 6. Don t carry a lot of cash and don t carry a purse or wallet in your rear pocket. 7. Don t promise anything, not even to write a letter to someone, if you cannot follow through with your promise.
2017 NOLA Mission Trip Schedule Saturday, October 7, 2017: (Eat Breakfast before you arrive, bring snacks). 6:30am -- Depart from CRBC. 5:00pm -- Arrive at Bell Chasse, LA. (check-in hotel) 6:30pm -- Broil/Pizza Dinner at Gerry Anderson s 7:30pm -- Orientation with Gerry Anderson at Riverbend Baptist Church 11:00pm -- Lights Out! Sunday, October 8, 2017: 6:30pm -- Twice The Ice Outreach (Team of 4-5) 7:30am -- Breakfast at hotel (pack bag lunch at end of breakfast) 8:00am -- Personal Devotional Time 8;45am -- Daily Briefing at hotel with Pastor Shane 9:00am -- Depart hotel (driving) to Riverbend Baptist Church 8:45am -- Welcome Meeting at Riverbend Baptist Church w/ Pastor Gerry Anderson 10:30am -- CRBC to attend Church Services at Riverbend Baptist Church 12:00pm -- All groups to eat lunch prior to departing Riverbend Baptist Church (bring Sack Lunch) 12:30pm --Gift Bag Outreach/Prep for Teachers at Primary School 12:30pm -- Neighborhood Canvass for block party 3:15pm -- Meet back at Riverbend Baptist Church to get ready for Block Party (will help serve food, greeters, manning corn hole games, but mostly talking with and getting to know people.) 4:00pm -- In position (Block Party begins) 7:00pmish --Clean-up pack-up and head back to hotel & unload. (leave it better than we got it). 9:00pm --Debrief at hotel with Pastor s Shane & Jonathan. 11:00pm -- Lights Out!
Monday, October 9, 2017: 7:30am -- Breakfast at hotel (lunch will be served at the Rescue Mission) 8:00am -- Personal Devotional Time 8:45am -- Daily Briefing at hotel with Pastor Shane 9:00am -- Depart hotel (driving) various areas for prayer walking 10:30am -- Depart for Rescue Mission (to serve lunch) 11:00am -- Serve Lunch at the Rescue Mission 12:30pm -- Lunch at the Rescue Mission 1:00pm -- Depart for Nursing Home/Canvassing Surveys/Snack Pack Drop-Off 1:30pm --1 Team to Nursing Home Outreach (until 3:30pm) Teams - Door-to-Door Canvassing/Evangelism Team of 2 people snack pack drop-off Teams Beautification project for the parish (until finished) 1 Team Drywall Work (until finished) 3:30pm -- Free Time/Break 5:30pm -- Dinner Out as a group (use $10 vouchers) 6:30pm -- Downtown Tour w/ Pastor Gerry Anderson (all teams) 9:00pm -- Depart for hotel (all groups) 9:30pm -- Group Debrief with Pastor s Shane & Jonathan 11:00pm -- Lights Out! Tuesday, October 10, 2017 7:30am -- Breakfast at hotel (pack bag lunch at the end of breakfast ) 8:00am -- Personal Devotional Time 8:45am -- Daily Briefing at hotel with Pastor Shane 9:00am 9:00am -- Depart hotel (driving) 1 Team to Serve Riverbend Senior Center All other teams Door-to-Door Canvassing/Evangelism (until finished) 12:00pm -- All groups to eat lunch prior to departing for Rescue Mission Outreach 1:00pm -- Rescue Mission Outreach 3:00pm -- Free Time/Break 5:00pm -- Water Bottle Outreach (Parks, Ball Fields Bus Stations, etc.) (until 6:30pm) 7:00pm -- Dinner at The Anderson s 8:00pm -- Worship/Small Group (all teams) 9:00pm -- Depart for hotel (all groups) 9:30pm -- Group Debrief with Pastor s Shane & Jonathan 11:00pm --Lights Out!
Wednesday, October 11, 2017: 6:30am -- Personal Devotional Time 7:00am -- Breakfast (pack bag lunch at the end of breakfast) 8:30am -- Debriefing with Pastor Shane 9:00am -- Depart for downtown New Orleans Sight Seeing Day 9:30am -- Free Time/Sight Seeing in New Orleans in groups Dinner on your own for Thursday night in New Orleans 10:00pm --Debrief at Hotel (review & share from the week, receive instructions on clean-up and departure) 11:00pm --Lights Out! Thursday, October 12, 2017: 7:30am -- Breakfast at hotel 8:00am -- Clean-up/Pack & load bus 8:30am -- Head Home 6:30pm -- Approximate time to arrive to CRBC IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS/ADDRESSES: LA QUINTA INN West Bank / Gretna, 50 Terry Pkwy, Gretna, LA 70056 PH: 504-368-5600 MEETING LOCATION GERRY ANDERSON 60 1 ST STREET SW WASHINGTON DC. 20024 Church Pastor: Gerry Anderson: 731-478-5705 RIVERBEND CHURCH LOCATION: 8101 LA-23, Belle Chasse, LA 70037 Ph: 504-392-9622 Meeting Location (YMCA Belle Chasse) Church Planter: Gerry Anderson 731-478-5705 SHANE LAWSON, ASSOCIATE PASTOR/OUTREACH: 423-650-4845 JONATHAN GOING, STUDENT PASTOR: 423-715-0128
Devotional: Sunday, October 8, 2017 WHO WILL BE THE GREATEST? Luke 9:46-50 It is interesting to me how a team member will love all over children and adults from another culture and then treat their roommate for their trip like that were garbage. Many forget that ministry is not to a select group of people for a particular time, but to all people at all times, even those that you serve with and worship with. Now s would be quick to say that this is a youth team problem, they would be wrong, it is a people problem. I cannot tell you how many members that I had to separate in vehicles or in hotel rooms because they would not serve on another. Oh, they could love those they came to serve, but not those that they serve with. Perhaps therin lies the problem. They came to serve but only those they wanted to. Team leaders can fall into this trap also. It doesn t take much to get caught in this trap, especially when you are dealing with a person that just seems to always be late, or a person who complains about everything, or a person who can t seem to find anything good to say, and well, you get the idea. The list goes on and on. If a leader does not guard his heart, that leader will end up serving those that are easy to serve. We are not called to serve just the easy but all, and even more so one another. Who will be the greatest among you? Will it be you? My thoughts from God s Word & Devotion today: People and Needs for which I have prayed today: Things to do today for preparation: Thought for the day:
Devotional: Monday, October 9, 2017 PRAY FOR ME! I Samuel 12:23 Recently, I read where a young child asked his mother, Mom, did you pray for me this morning? The mother assured her son that she had. Then the child said, Ware you going to keep praying for me all day? The mother was surprised and said, Today I will. God is going to speak to you in these days, and He is going to give you some of His burden for these people. Some will ask you to pray for them and you will respond, Yes. The question is, will you? Prayer is not just telling someone we will pray or even sharing that need with a church. Prayer is when you and I sit down for a little talk with Jesus. Why not have a little talk with Jesus right now. My thoughts from God s Word & Devotion today: People and Needs for which I have prayed today: Things to do today for preparation: Thought for the day:
Devotional: Tuesday, October 10, 2017 Mission: TO BEAR THE INFIRMITIES OF THE WEAK Romans 15:1-7 On nearly every mission trip that I have been on, I have encountered those who remember a day when they were weak, poor, lonely, or lost. The mission field has a way of bringing back those memories. These individuals remember those who God sent to minister to them I their days of need. They are driven by a deep desire to be used by God to do the same for someone else. They often have compassion and passion about them that is lacking in many who have no memories of being weak. What is your mission? Will you be driven by a compassion for those you have come to serve? My thoughts from God s Word & Devotion today: People and Needs for which I have prayed today: Things to do today for preparation: Thought for the day:
Devotional: Wednesday, October 11, 2017 ASKING FOR WHAT YOU KNOW NOT! Jeremiah 33:3 Jeremiah 33:3 is often called the phone number of God. God has taught me so much from this verse, but I especially love the phrase, which thou knowest not. I suppose that you are just like me, that many times you don t know how to pray. At times like those, U love to rest in the fact that, if I will just call on Him, He will answer and show me great and mighty things. But what I love about this is that these things that He promises to show me are things that I know not. In other words, before He shows them to me, they were not even a part of my thinking. I never would have been able to dream them, plan them, or even ask them. They are bigger, greater, and mightier than I could ever even think about. Wow! Now isn t that awesome? Since I discovered this truth, I have started asking God for things that are so great and mighty that I can t even comprehend them, and then I ask Him to open my eyes and show them to me so I may glorify Him. What are you asking God to do in your life? Is it bigger, greater, and mightier than you can imagine? My thoughts from God s Word & Devotion today: People and Needs for which I have prayed today: Things to do today for preparation: Thought for the day:
Devotional: Thursday, October 12, 2017 PRAY FOR LABORERS! Matthew 9:37-38 You will be overwhelmed with the size of the task to reach the world with the gospel. You will hurt where God and others hurt. You will weep where God and others weep. You will sow where God and others are sowing. But hopefully you will begin to pray where Jesus and others have prayed, Lord send forth Laborers into Your Harvest! I hope that you understand that this call to prayer is not just to feel some vacancies but for those laborers that are the chosen to respond and to go. It is also a cry for prayer for the laborers that are presently in His fields and not just for those to come. It is a cry that says, O Lord I see the need for more workers, send them, send me I have very little doubt that this prayer will be on your lips many times in the days ahead. May the Lord of the harvest answer your prayer and mine. My thoughts from God s Word & Devotion today: People and Needs for which I have prayed today: Things to do today for preparation: Thought for the day: