St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church’s “Joshua” Leads Congregation to New Heights

ST. LUKE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH’S “JOSHUA” LEADS CONGREGATION TO NEW HEIGHTS DURING COVID-19

To Dianne Smith-Foster, COVID-19 is a “Red Sea” moment that requires spiritual leadership. And St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Rev. Renard D. Allen, Jr. is the Joshua leading the church’s congregation through these turbulent times. “COVID-19 was no surprise to God because he has already made provisions to help us to get through this,” said Smith-Foster, a member of St. Luke. “But we have got to trust and be obedient….our faith-based leaders who are our shepherds are leading us through this Red Sea we are going through, and we want to look to them for direction and God will help us, and the community, get through.” The health threat caused by COVID-19 and the restrictions associated with Ohio’s stay at home order has caused all religious congregations to alter normal practices and find new ways to feed people spiritually. Assembling in the sanctuary has temporarily been replaced by people assembling online and in other ways. But Pastor Joshua D. Ward, Pastor of Omega Baptist Church, said Christians are still connecting with God and it is a pastor’s job to think creatively about ways for God to speak. “Preachers are always saying that God is omnipresent…as a result of this, I am really seeing that come to fruition” Pastor Ward said. “Wherever we are, God can meet us,” he said. “However we are connecting, if we are intentional in creating that space for God to speak, he will.” At St. Luke, Pastor Allen has implemented five new online preaching, teaching and engagement efforts to reach the Daytonbased congregation. But the signature event is Sunday morning’s Worship on Wheels – a 10:45 a.m. service where the congregation stays in their vehicles and Pastor Allen and the church’s band guide the worship service in the parking lot. People can attend in person or they can listen on their radios because the service is broadcast live on WDAO 1210 AM and 102.3 FM.

“The whole Worship on Wheels means so much to me,” said St. Luke member Sharri Golson. “It is so super important to me to have this time to come together with everyone. That is my touchstone.” In St. Luke’s parking lot, you can tell when the spirit is high. People honk their horns or wave their hand out their vehicle’s window. Sunday March 29 marked the first Sunday the congregation went from the pews to the parking lot. The church’s Worship on Wheels has gained popularity and garnered media coverage. Each Sunday, between 200 to 225 cars – most with two to three people - crowd the church’s parking lot at 2262 N. Gettysburg Ave. Before COVID-19, St. Luke’s Sunday morning service and weekly Bible study combined reached about 500 people. These days, Pastor Allen said he is reaching between 1,500 to a high of 5,000 people through various outreach efforts. Since Ohio’s stay at home order was announced on March 22, Pastor Allen has implemented:

Pastor Renard D. Allen, Jr. and Pastor Pat Murray - Living Word Church (middle photo), St. Luke’s “Worship on Wheels”

• Worship on Wheels, including giving communion in the parking lot • Video Bible Study each week that is broadcast on the church’s Facebook page • Thirty days of daily devotionals, called “Quarantined with God” posted on Facebook. His Holy Week series paid homage to the late Bill Withers with topics like, “Ain’t No Sunshine When He’s Gone.” • “Let’s Get LIT (Lost in Truth) with Pastor A”- an interactive show featuring live interviews. The first topic was “Understanding COVID-19.” • A Good Friday Seven Last Words service streamed live and an Easter Sunrise parking lot service

Pastor Allen said the pandemic represents a challenge and an opportunity for the church. “These desperate times require a level of creativity and innovation that has proven to be rewarding to me personally and that has renewed and reinvigorated my pastoral energies and enthusiasm,” Pastor Allen said. “People’s lives are being changed, people are finding hope and people are being freed from being controlled by their anxiety and being saved from the grips of depression because we are able to provide them with the spiritual nourishment and spiritual inspiration in this unique way that also does not put their health at greater risk,” he said. Jim Johnson, President and General Manager of WDAO Radio, said, “When I was asked about WDAO Radio broadcasting St. Luke Baptist Church Sunday services live from the church parking lot, immediately I thought it was great idea…While talking with Pastor Allen about the live radio broadcast, Proverbs 29:18 visited my mind: “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.”

Twenty-First Century Pastor

On Easter Sunday night, Pastor Allen held his first “Worship Talk Back,” which allowed members to dialogue with him, via Facebook Live, about the Sunday morning experience. It’s another new way to engage. “I think the world needs to know that the church can sometimes lead the way in innovation and not always be behind the curve when it comes to embracing new methods of providing services to people,” Pastor Allen said.

Rev. Eric E. Dudley, Assistant to the Pastor and Campus and Ministry Manager at St. Luke, called Pastor Allen a “forward thinker.” “People are starting to recognize the potential in our shepherd and they are excited that we are still being connected through a gospel while we have to be separate…He has been able to tap in and keep the foundation of the gospel but use social media to just reach the people,” he said.

Pastor Allen has used the connecting opportunities to accomplish several other goals. During his show, he interviewed Dr. Francis Ogbolu, a physician with Kettering Health Network, to allow St. Luke members to ask questions about the coronavirus. The Easter sunrise fellowship with Pastor Pat Murray and Living Word Church allowed St. Luke to worship with a predominantly white congregation, which furthers Pastor Allen’s goal for St. Luke to participate in more interdenominational and interracial worship experiences.

Pastor Ward said he and his father, Rev. Darryl Ward, the retired pastor of Omega Baptist Church, attended St. Luke’s Easter Sunrise Service. Pastor Joshua Ward also preached during St. Luke’s livestreamed Seven Last Words service.

“I just love the way that Pastor Allen has been innovative and creative in figuring out how to feed his flock,” Ward said.

Rev. Dudley said Easter Sunday services, particularly the worship service with Living Word Church, felt like “an exclamation point” for all the initiatives leading up to that. “Easter Sunday was a sign of togetherness and showed that we all share the same faith, we’re all servants and it gives us an opportunity to know what we are capable

of,” he said. Smith-Foster, of St. Luke, said she “thanks God that we have a 21st Century pastor who has some knowledge of technologies and what he doesn’t know he is willing to reach out to others to ensure that we will make it through this wilderness.” “He’s not a slothful pastor. He’s energetic. He’s ready. He is up to the challenge and he submits himself to God,” Smith-Foster said.