Celebration Church Senior Pastor Dennis Watson (bowing at far left) and Shiloh Christian Fellowship Pastor Michael Raymond (standing at left) place yellow roses on Bourbon Street in advance of a noon prayer walk on Jan. 2 after a terrorist attack killed 15 and injured at least 30 in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day.
NEW ORLEANS (BP) — In an eclectic New Orleans ministerial mix, a second line band belted gospel favorites in the footsteps of pastors prayer walking Bourbon Street hours after the carnage of a New Year’s Day terrorist attack was cleared.
Southern Baptist pastors and chaplaincy leaders were among clergy who joined city elected officials in the 10-block procession at noon on Thursday, Jan. 2, praying for New Orleans after an attacker drove a truck past barricades and into a crowd of predawn New Year’s celebrants, killing 15 and injuring at least 30.
Police identified the attacker as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Texas who served in the military and praised ISIS in advance of the attack. After crashing the truck he was driving, Jabbar was killed after exchanging gunfire with police.
Vieux Carre’ Baptist Church, meeting at 433 Dauphine St., was directly in the attacker’s path and perhaps only yards from where the truck came to rest after it barreled three blocks down Bourbon Street, a street of bars and dance clubs typically packed with revelers in the city known for its ability to host large parties.
Vieux Carre’ Baptist Church Pastor Alex Brian, who participated in the prayer walk, was awaiting the opportunity to check on his church’s meeting location when he spoke with Baptist Press on Thursday, Jan. 2. The church’s address was included in the portion of Bourbon Street that was closed to pedestrian traffic until Thursday afternoon.
There’s no indication that members of Vieux Carre’ were injured in the attack, Brian said, but added that could change. His congregation serves the community that spans the homeless and the wealthy.
“Thus far no one in the ministry of the church has been affected, although our church has historically been deeply involved in work in the homeless community, and word there travels more slowly,” Brian said. “And we’re trying to figure out who, if anybody, connected to the ministry of the church was affected by the attack, and of course praying and mourning for all those who were affected, even if they weren’t connected to the church.”
Former Southern Baptist Convention President Fred Luter was also among prayer walkers, pleading for the peace of God to permeate the city.
“We did not have any members directly impacted by this tragedy,” said Luter, senior pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church. “However, our entire city has been impacted because of this terrorist attack.
“New Orleans is used to hosting major events like the Super Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Mardi Gras, all without incident,” Luter said, lamenting the attack “where a number of people have been killed and injured. Therefore, prayers for our city and the families who lost loved ones are truly needed. This incident will only draw our public officials and citizens together to continue to make New Orleans a popular tourist destination from people around the world.”
Brian is praying for and supporting chaplains in the locked-down area, including those under the command of Col. Page Brooks, state command chaplain for the Louisiana National Guard and pastor of Canal Street Mosaic Community Church, a Southern Baptist congregation that works with Brian on various ministry outreaches.
Col. Page Brooks, state command chaplain for the Louisiana National Guard and pastor of Canal Street Mosaic Community Church, (left) attended a Jan. 2 prayer walk on Bourbon Street with chaplains Ken De Soto (center) and Larry Johnson (right).
The National Guard deployed 100 soldiers and two chaplains in response to the attack, said Brian, who was walking the streets of the French Quarter to provide counseling and check on soldiers and first responders when he spoke with Baptist Press.
“It’s been tragic for them,” Brooks said. “Many of them live here in the New Orleans area, and so I think it’s the shock having an incident happen like this in New Orleans. We’re so focused on Mardi Gras and tourism … that you wouldn’t think anything would happen like a terrorist event down here in the French Quarter. That’s been a lot of my conversation.”
Much of the chaplaincy ministry has been focused on the soldiers and police who have responded to the scene, he said.
“Most everyone kind of in the area is still in shock,” Brooks said. “I think people feel secure because there’s a lot of police presence down here, but I think people are still just in shock at what has happened.
“I try to tell them that God is still in control, and, of course, none of this took Him by surprise.”
Still, Brooks expressed surprise at the many tourists who still crowded the parts of the French Quarter that remained open to traffic in advance of the Sugar Bowl, which was postponed until Thursday afternoon from a scheduled kickoff of Wednesday night.
Brooks and Brian will hold a joint service Sunday at 10 a.m. at Canal Street Mosaic Church dedicated to healing in the aftermath of the tragedy.
Brooks also participated in the prayer walk, which together with the second line, created a vibe he described as unique to New Orleans.
“We had a second line band behind us, that as we were praying they were singing ‘I’ll Fly Away’ and ‘When the Saints (Go Marching In),’” Brooks said. “In New Orleans, it’s that weird mixture of lament but also joy in the middle of things like this.
“It’s the lament of the death that’s happened and the people that have passed, but it’s also the strength of coming together as a city that is symbolized in that very act of” prayer accompanied by a second line.
“This is part of the rhythm of New Orleans.”
(EDITOR’S NOTE — Diana Chandler is Baptist Press’ senior writer.)
