I Found A Hidden Gem!
Yep...I found a truly hidden gem in the country on the outskirts of the small quiet town of Deridder, LA. At a time in my life when I felt everything in my life was completely hopeless due to a particular situation I had gotten myself into (to put it mildly, biting off WAYYY more than I could chew), I found this gem when I wasn't even looking for it.
What is this gem? It is the location in which a community like-minded people come together each week to learn about the Creator, share about their lives with one another, and break bread together. That is the simplest way I can put it, but please understand it is so much more than that.
Let me first tell you about the people in attendance there. These people, though few in numbers come from all over the state of Louisiana, and a few even travel from East Texas. The online reach actually extends internationally, including Israel and the United Kingdom! They come from all walks of life, occupations, and denominational/cultural backgrounds. I've met freelance handymen, chemical engineers, housewives, tour guides, doctors, soldiers, and much more. In truth, these have been the kindest people I have ever met. These people have created a real community together even though they are separated by miles...in some cases hundreds of miles. There is a true warmth from the greetings and smiles I receive from each one when we come together at the end of each week or when we see each other during the week. The kindness of the people who attend is a reflection of the leadership. More on them later.
The name of the fellowship is Out of Ashes Ministries. We meet every Saturday morning at 10am at 2790 LA Highway 3226, Deridder, La 70634. There is also a Wednesday teaching at 7pm in the same location.
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| Look For This Sign |
Click the picture above to visit their website.
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| Where we meet. |
There is much I could say about this particular fellowship (or church), but I think the best thing to do is direct you to their ABOUT section on their website here: https://www.outofashesministries.org/about/
Some personal words about the leadership of Out of Ashes Ministries (OAM)
Let me introduce you to Joe and Heather Aymond!
I first met these two in 2016. I received an invitation to attend one of their Shabbat meetings in Deridder, LA via a text message from my sister. Odd thing about it was that the invite was not intended for me, yet on my phone it arrived. The message was intended for my wife, not me as I had no intentions of going to a meeting that Saturday. I was busy cutting my grass! Long story short, I ended up going because of curiosity about these people.
I went with her. They did not have a regular meeting place at this time and were renting a room at a convention center in Deridder. Joe was teaching on the exodus as passover was coming up soon. I recall the teaching was incredibly in depth. He mentioned things I had never heard before, much less considered. Needless to say I was blown away by this fellas knowledge of the event and the scriptures.
After the teaching I managed to spend some time with him asking him questions about the Sabbath and other things. I have never been struck, before or since, by the level of kindness that Joe and Heather are able to offer perfect strangers. This is why I say, and I don't say this lightly, the community reflects the kindness of the leadership. You cannot hang out with Joe and Heather without their kindness rubbing off on you at least a little.
What exactly do Joe and Heather do for the Out of Ashes community? Well, if you take the time to listen to a few of Joe's teachings you will find that he obviously immerses himself in not only understanding the scriptures, but in communicating what he learns. He has an ability that I find to be rare in most teachers/preachers. The ability to learn in-depth and communicate in humility, knowing that some of us listening have a lack of ability to grasp certain things (myself included). Heather heads up the media team, plans the menu for each weekly Shabbat lunch, plans the annual feast day activities and gathering times/locations. The feast days I'm referring to are the ones listed in Leviticus 23. As a community of believers these are the celebrations we take part in because we have tied ourselves to a Jewish rabbi, Yeshua (Jesus). When in rome do as the Romans do, but when in Jerusalem do as the Jews do. Heather also heads up activities for the ladies to have special nights out together. I'm sure I am leaving out some things, but I believe those are the highlights. They also have 4 beautiful kids and a new one on the way, so their hands are full right now!
As a final note I want to direct you to some of Joe's teachings from his radio show. This will give you a really good idea of the in-depth and humble teaching Joe offers each week. Episodes 60, 61, and 62 are some of the Image Bearers Radio Podcasts that will help get you started in understanding who we are as a community.
They also have a YouTube channel with over 350 videos. There are playlists that will help you to navigate through specific teaching series. I personally recommend starting with the Genesis series. You won't regret it.
If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to me through my facebook page "The BigDaddyBigz Blog" or Joe and Heather through their facebook page "Out of Ashes Ministries".
And remember, if you are ever in or near Deridder, LA on a Saturday and need a Torah pursuant fellowship to attend on the Sabbath, come see us at Out of Ashes! Be a blessing to God and your neighbor!!
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