The church was small, with about sixty-five in attendance, but they were very receptive. We felt the presence of the Holy Spirit as I spent time with them.
The next day, they called to invite me to be their pastor. I thanked them, told them I was honored, and told them I would pray about it. I called Tim LaFleur shortly after.
“What do you think, Brother Tim?” I asked. “Be honest. In many ways, I’m still a new believer—even a new husband. Am I ready to be a pastor?”
“Well, you’re a new believer, but you’ve had your share of experiences,” he said. “You’ve shown a lot of growth, you’ve managed adversity well, and God is really moving in your life. I feel this is probably the right time for you to pastor a group of people, but also to be shepherded by them.”
He made a great point. I knew I would need them as much as they needed me. In Spartanburg, one of the things I realized is that ministry is a two-way street, if it’s going to be real.
“God blesses you as he blesses people through you,” Tim said. “And you and Kandi have gone through a lot over the past four months. Settling down in one place will be good for you and her.”
As Kandi and I prayed, I sensed God directing me to accept the call at Morgan City. She had a good feeling about it as well. We called the committee at Morgan City and told them we were ready to talk about my being the pastor of Immanuel.
In Houston, my parents were glad to see us. We had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, Gallaty-style. But during the cooking, Dad was given the assignment of going out to find some groceries. I told him I’d drive him there.
We jumped in the car and backed down the driveway. As we were riding along, I leaned over and said, “Dad, let me ask you a question. This storm has been one of the worst we’ve ever been through. We both lost our homes. But we could have lost our lives, like thousands did. Have you ever thought about that? What would have happened if you’d died in the storm? Do you know for sure that you would have spent eternity in heaven with Christ?”
“Well, I don’t know . . .”
“You don’t know where you would spend eternity?”
“No,” he said, “I don’t.”
He was silent, but he wasn’t changing the subject. I could tell he was struggling within himself—that this was part of a long-time struggle as God had pursued him. I would never have raised this subject unless I felt moved by the Spirit that the timing was right.
I continued, “It’s not a matter of what church you go to, Dad—what denomination, what kind of water they sprinkle you with. It’s something between you and God, and it’s a free gift. That’s the incredible thing about it. He offers this to you, the gift of salvation, and you need only say yes. And I think you know, just from our talks, you receive a whole lot more than a ticket to heaven. This is a daily relationship with Christ. He fills you with his Holy Spirit today to live in the kingdom. It’s the peace and purpose that has completely turned my life around.”
He nodded thoughtfully, and I could see the emotion he was feeling.
“Dad, do you think you’d like to pray to Jesus today, ask him to forgive your sins, and put your complete trust in him? You don’t need a priest, or even me. It’s between you and God, your decision to follow him and to have new life and assurance of your salvation.”
He nodded, and his eyes met mine. “I don’t know what to say,” he said. “I’ve never prayed like that.”
“I can help you with that,” I said. And as we parked the car, we sat, my hand on his shoulder, and I led him in a prayer of commitment to Christ. When it was over, I gave him a big hug and clung to him for a few seconds. We just sat silently for a while; then we picked up those groceries and headed home for a truly special Thanksgiving.
During the next year, I began my ministry as a pastor. Morgan City was a friendly town, and I came to love those people very quickly. The town is diverse, with French, Spanish, Italian, German, Dutch, Native American, and African American heritages mingling together—a microcosm of our world today. I got acquainted with those who were our members and those who weren’t.
As I mentioned, the church had gotten down to sixty-five people for Sunday morning worship. This could be the reason they took a chance on a first-time pastor who had been sober for only three years. The Immanuel folks wanted to reach new believers and see their church grow; they just needed someone to lead them in that direction.
My basic strategy was 2 Timothy 2:2, which says, “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”
These words were written from the apostle Paul to Timothy, whom he had already discipled. Now Paul was challenging his younger protégé to pass on what he had learned—the biblical model of disciple-making.
I chose a handful of our men to pour my life into; Kandi did the same with a group of women. We knew this was the best possible investment of our time as church leaders. We taught, trained, and challenged those in our group to look toward multiplying their growth by starting new groups. During our first year, we saw more people make decisions for Christ than were attending when we arrived. More than once I heard people say, “It feels like we’re living the book of Acts.” There was an electric intensity
