Vision
By way of reminder - the purpose of Rebirth can be summarized with these three verbs: revive, resource and replicate.
revive - New Orleans has been our home and mission field since 1990. Our commitment to the city has not been dampened by the onslaught of flood waters. On the contrary, our strategy is refined, our vision widened. We are reviving ministry within the expanding community of troubled urban youth, planting a church and ministry facility in the center of town and
rebuilding our beleaguered city through community development enterprises.
resource - Rebirth International is pursuing resources to expand its mission to New Orleans, but is also in return providing urban ministry consultation to existing ministries and churches across the country. We are building lasting partnerships to enhance the church’s mission among the poor and to assist in building sustainable and transformative works in as many places as the Lord enables.
replicate - We believe that our Savior has given to the church a clarion call to continually replicate His ministry of word and deed among the poor. Our work in New Orleans serves as a model and a training ground for other men and women whom God has uniquely called to urban ministry leadership all over the world.
High School Ministry Development - Clark
As you may recall, in support of the aforementioned vision, we have a new ministry start at Clark High School, here in New Orleans. Richard Johnson and Sam Raushenberg are providing primary valued leadership to this effort and I have assisted by volunteer coaching at the school and providing a modicum of oversight and encouragement. There have been many conversions, in this first year and the work is off to a great start. Byron, Richard, Kenyon and the other coaches led the team to the playoffs in their first season. The team was only one of the few New Orleans public schools to do so. The young men on the team also make up the core leadership group for the Bible Study and there is much to praise God for in the first year of Rebirth’s effort there. A modest tutoring program has also been put into place. We hope to sponsor a camp for these boys this summer. Please pray for all these new developments.
Richard Johnson of course is a proud 9th Warder that I had the privilege of leading to Christ and with whom I’ve enjoyed an enduring friendship. He is a tremendous co-laborer. Sam Rauschenberg was the valedictorian of Georgia College and felt called of God to come to New Orleans as a teacher at Clark. He is receiving a serious baptism by fire and is contributing significantly to our effort. We’ve decided that he is in a better position to coach the special teams at Clark, and because he has been so diligent, I am now freed up to provide leadership to our movement on a macro level.
It is our hope to plant 3 more of these incarnational ministries in resurgent public high schools over the next 2 years. Pray for us as we continue to labor toward this end.
Church Plant
The goal is to plant a church in the center of these ministries that will enfold not only the new converts in these works but also many former members of Desire Street Fellowship. We’re a little ways from launch but hope to restart a Bible Study in the beginning of the new year. There’s been quite a bit of clamoring for this from the old posse.
Staff Development
As I recently reported, I’ve been very blessed with the addition of Kiva Barrow on my staff. She also is someone that came to Christ through our work in Desire. She has become in short order a dedicated side-kick, taking so much of the administrative burden off of me, even as she is part-time. I fully expect for her to be a long-timer with the ministry! She is a steady as she goes kind of girl and doesn’t mind doing what I despise to do. I hope you all will get to meet her soon! We’re renting out office space in the back of my house from my long suffering wife until we’re able to settle into a facility for administration and operations.
I also just finished a conversation with my dear friend Damon Greenberry over the phone who has committed to returning to New Orleans to help provide leadership in our fund-raising and development efforts. He also was a young man in our ministry when he first received Christ. I’ve told his story all over the country which has encouraged thousands of the transforming power of the gospel!
Board
We presently have a board of directors made up primarily of pastors and their wives. However, at the turn of the year, the plan is for those pastors to join some other clergymen to form our pastoral counsel. We will also form a board of trustees who are helping to develop the resources for the effort. Lastly we are gathering a group of local and indigenous leaders who will provide primary governance to the local movement. We’re excited about these new developments. This three tiered approach will provide for adequate and solid pastoral oversight, needed fund-development assistance and local control and ownership.
Community Development
Rebirth was able to help forge a partnership between Faith Bible Church of Slidell, LA and CURE - a local alliance of churches in the 9th ward. Their goal is to build 5 new homes in the upper 9th Ward community within the next 18 months. Pray for this fledgling effort that it might expand into many more initiatives throughout our city!
Music
My recent release, Of Orphans and Kings, is receiving rave reviews by all. It is a gut-wrenching reality check of post-Katrina Mo Leverett. If you don’t have it, I hope you’ll get it. I also have a new hymn project mostly done. Depending on available resources I should be able to finish it by the Spring of this year.
Travel Schedule
I will be driving to Houston tomorrow morning, speaking in a church and performing a concert. I hope to stay on in Houston for a day or so to meet with a few potential donors. Let me know if you have any suggestions.
I will be performing a concert for a group of RUF students in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi the following weekend.
I will be at Yale University, some other colleges and churches in the Connecticut area between January 24th through the 27th.
I leave there directly to fly to Orlando, FL to teach a class at Reformed Theological Seminary the following week, Jan. 28-Feb 1.
That adjoining weekend I will be performing in the 5 different services at Northland Community Church from Feb. 2-4. As it turns out the week that follows is also the week for Mardis Gras in New Orleans. We’ve been thinking about what we might do during that week there in Orlando - maybe a little vacation at Disney or something.
The next weekend I will be speaking and performing at the missions conference in Gulf Shores, AL at Grace Fellowship.
I finish up my travels in February with a speaking engagement at my alma mater, Mercer University in Macon, Georgia.
Pray for us during this time that God would raise up the necessary resources for Rebirth and gather a new stable full of donors. Pray that we would have strength to endure the initial phases of giving birth to this new work.
Family
Our family is strong. We will be closing on property in a week and a half. We have a final meeting with our builder this next week. We have our current property on the market - but of course, there are many properties for sale in New Orleans at the moment. Again…pray.
Lindsay and Lacey have joined a little school called Life Without School. I know it sounds funny, but it’s been a Godsend. They are both registered as home-schoolers but the program has two professors from the University of New Orleans running it. Frankly, I wish that I could join the school - it’s just that cool.
Maggie and Manning are doing well at their school and we are all happy with life. We have much to celebrate this Christmas and have decided that instead of loading up on things that we would invest in creating memories through events like, Christmas in the Oaks, a day in the French Quarter, caroling, and other fun stuff.
Support
We are thankful to have had a productive first year of service. We are definitely feeling strong about the upcoming year. We have much work left to do though in laying a solid foundation. Were it not for the income from CD’s and concerts and such, I’d likely be working at the local Wal Mart. But I’m thankful to still be laboring in the harvest fields.
Please consider a year end gift to our work if you have not already planned to do so. It would mean so much to all of us here to be in the black and on solid footing for the next year as we continue to rebuild.
I hope you are all well. Please stay in touch!
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