First responders from around Winston County gathered behind the Louisville City Hall this past Friday to enjoy a pulled-pork barbecue meal, compliments of the First Baptist Church of Navasoto, Texas, as their Barbecue Baptist Church rolled into town. When asked about the origins of the Barbecue Baptist Church, Chad McMillan, Pastor of Students, Evangelism and Missions, stated that it all began with the coronavirus pandemic. As with most places there was a shortage of toilet paper in Navasoto, but the First Baptist Church saw this as an outreach opportunity. Some of the church youth developed a pneumatic toilet paper air gun which was used to launch rolls of toilet paper, wrapped with Scriptures verses, into neighborhoods. To further assist, McMillan stated that the church began serving barbecue dinners to families in need, sometimes receiving as many as four calls a day. Then McMillan suggested a road trip. With a church member’s trailer in tow, nine teenagers, some parents and other church members hit the road, heading east and making several stops along the way. When asked how Louisville got on the list, McMillan stated, “It was on the map. I called the Chief (Police Chief Sean Holdiness) and he was very enthusiastic. We had actually tried to go to another town, but that didn’t work out, so God opened this door for us.” The Barbecue Baptist Church had several other stops before returning to Texas, on June 17. Before the meal, church members shared praise and worship music and McMillan preached a short message of hope and encouragement, stating that in this time of pandemic many people have lost hope. First responders and community members greatly enjoyed the time of fellowship with one another and the ministry of the Barbecue Baptist Church.
