SEMINARY NEWS
Fred Luter, 'Pastor of New Orleans' BY MARILYN STEWART
Luter’s only pastorate – numbers a membership in the thousands with satellite campuses in Houston and in Baton Rouge. One of the seminary's most popular chapel speakers, Luter spoke to a full audience, drawing from Lamentations 3:22-23 to remind listeners of God’s faithfulness. Noting that life is unpredictable, Luter quoted a phrase from the movie “Forest Gump” that compared life to a box of chocolates meaning “you never know what you’re going to get.” The lingering impact of Covid and today’s shifting culture and can make it seem that life is “like a box of chocolates,” Luter explained. Jeremiah, the author of Lamentations, experienced the same discouragement and despair that many today feel, Luter said. “But for the child of God, despair never has the last word,” Luter said. “Despair is not an option for the child of God … God, and God alone, is our hope.”
Fred Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, New Orleans, was honored by New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and Leavell College Oct. 12, with the announcement that a commemorative brick paver would be placed in his honor in the seminary’s Legacy Plaza reading “Fred Luter, the pastor of New Orleans.” Jamie Dew, NOBTS and Leavell College president, pointed to Luter’s wide influence and the impact he has made for God’s kingdom. “[God’s] hand has been and is all over your life and your preaching and your ministry,” Dew said to Luter. “You are not just the pastor of Franklin Avenue, you are the pastor of New Orleans, and brother, we are grateful for you.”
Despair is not an option for the child of God … God, and God alone, is our hope. ~ FRED LUTER
God’s children should not despair because the God who raised Jesus from the tomb is the God who shows unfailing compassion to His people, Luter said. “One thing you never have to worry about is the faithfulness of God. One thing you can hold onto is the faithfulness of God,” Luter said. “Every day you wake up God gives us new mercies. They will never run out. They are never depleted. Great is His faithfulness.”
The presentation coincided with Luter’s 35th anniversary as pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, New Orleans, celebrated Sunday, Oct. 17. Commemorative brick pavers placed at Legacy Plaza, the courtyard at Leavell Chapel, honor friends and loved ones of NOBTS and Leavell College. Dew noted that Luter began as a street preacher on New Orleans streets, then stepped into the role of pastor for a “very small” congregation. Today, that congregation – Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, VISION MAGAZINE Fall 2021
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