[StBernard] St. Bernard religious leaders share wishes for the new year: Keeping the Faith

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard religious leaders share wishes for the new year: Keeping the
Faith
Print Earl Hodges By Earl Hodges 
on December 19, 2013 at 7:34 AM, updated December 19, 2013 at 7:52 AM

As we begin thinking about the new year, I asked some of St. Bernard's
religous leaders to share their wishes for the coming year.

Rev. Lance Campo, pastor of Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church in
Chalmette, said: "We hope for the new year that our community will continue
to grow and prosper and seek a closer relationship with Christ. We pray that
more Catholics of our parish will get deeper involved in the life of the
ministries of our church so that we can serve one another better. We pray
for the children, the poor, the sick, and the lonely in our midst for God's
comfort and providence in their need. We pray for the morality of our youth
and the end of drug addition and violence in our neighborhoods and that God
wil guide us in all our activities and plans."

Rev. John Dee Jeffries, pastor of First Baptist Church of Chalmette, said:
"The hope and anticipation of this time of the year creates a sense of
expectation for God's church as we step toward and into yet another year. To
see lives changed, families strengthened and to know that we, as God's
church, can be used by God to reach people for Christ is an ongoing hope for
the coming new year."

"The good people of St. Bernard have steadily marched and continue to march
toward total recovery from Katrina, BP, Isaac and more," he said. "Much of
the recovery has come about through the efforts of God's church from
believers who have come from across the globe to help us. The church, in the
midst of our recovery, has moved forward as the strong body portrayed in the
Bible. Christ is the backbone of that body. My hope is that all of our
churches will continue to move gracefully in unity to create with God's help
a new St. Bernard, one that honors Christ and lives His virtues and values
while creating a special dignity that will be the hallmark of who we are as
a community."

Mark Lance, minister at Chalmette Church of Christ, said: "The coming of a
new year is a very refreshing time. It gives us the opportunity to put the
things of the past year behind us and make plans for the year to come. It is
my hope that the Chalmette Church of Christ will be a light shining in the
community. In November, we finished a 12 week course called Fishers of Men.
The course was designed to train members of the church to be better prepared
to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to others. We want 2014 to be a great
year for our congregation to reach the lost with the message of God's word."

"It is my prayer that St. Bernard Parish will continue to make progress in
rebuilding the community from the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina,"
he said. "The people of St. Bernard are to be commended for their
determination to not give up even under the most adverse circumstances.
Having living in St. Bernard Parish for nearly 13 years and also worked at
Nunez Community College for the past 12 years, I pray that the college will
continue to prosper so people will have an opportunity to better prepare
themselves to make our commuity the best it can be. May God bless this
community richly."

Rev. John Galley, pastor of Poydras Baptist Church, said: "My wish for the
new year is that all of St. Bernard Parish will experience spiritual growth.
I would like to see a spiritual transformation take place in the hearts and
lives of the people in our community."

Earl Hodges writes about people and events at houses of worship in St.
Bernard Parish. He can be contacted at earlhodges at msn.com or 504.887.4731.