For the first time in its nearly 21-year history, the New Orleans Church is planting a church in Louisiana.
Steve and Bonny Stephenson, evangelist and women’s ministry leader in New Orleans, are proud to announce the more than 30 disciples living in the greater Baton Rouge area will become their own church in August when Jonathan and Karla Perkins move from Central America to Louisiana to lead the church.
The Perkins have served on the mission field in the San Salvador church—Iglesia Internacional de Cristo en El Salvador—in Karla’s native country for nearly three years in the family ministry. They are returning to the United States where the two have served in both Miami and Los Angeles as evangelist and women’s ministry leader in campus and teen ministries since the mid-1990s.
The move to Baton Rouge is a homecoming of sorts for Karla, who became a disciple of Jesus while studying at Louisiana State University in June 1993. During a recent visit to Baton Rouge, Karla, who also co-led the church planting in Caracas, Venezuela in 1999, testified to the unity of God’s kingdom worldwide. “It’s a different package, but we’re all the same—here, China, El Salvador, Los Angeles—we’re all sinners, and we need God’s forgiveness,” she said.
Baton Rouge is one of the largest cities on the Mississippi River and Louisiana's most populous, boasting a population of more than 800,000 people in the metropolitan area. Since The New Orleans Church was planted in June 1991, a group of disciples have lived in the state’s capital city.
Early on, these disciples faithfully made the 70-mile trek to New Orleans >>> several times a week for Sunday and midweek services, devotionals and leadership meetings.
Wyona Battle, who has covered many miles in Interstate 10 since her baptism in 1996, remembers those early treks, where several college students usually occupied every available space in her car. They often spoke about the day when driving wouldn’t be necessary. Many of those students are now married with families of their own.
“I am so excited,” said Battle who celebrated her 69th birthday in November. “This is something I’ve been praying for for years and years.”
The Baton Rouge group enjoyed several periods of growth and stability throughout the years, but attrition and other obstacles prevented self-sustainment.
Encouraged by the Stephensons, the current Baton Rouge disciples have worshipped more and more frequently in their city. Since the rebirth of the campus ministry on the campuses of LSU and Southern University, the campus has grown from two disciples in the fall of 2009 to 11.
The Perkins, who have three children, Elysia, 8, Joshua, 5, and Samuel, 2, are looking forward to continuing Jesus’ mission to seek and save the lost at LSU, Southern University and beyond.
Baton Rouge has an incredible mixture of both students and families. “This is an amazing opportunity that this church has to not only impact the campuses but the entire city as well,” Jonathan said. Please be praying for this new church to make an impact for God never seen before in the great city of Baton Rouge.
Damiane Ricks - New Orleans, Louisiana