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<\/p>\nWhen Shane and Jessica Booker first considered planting a church in New Orleans, they knew that this unique city would require a creative approach to sustainable church planting.<\/p>\n
Poverty, a painful history and spiritual brokenness make church planting in the city challenging. \u201cBuilding relationships is the only way to break through the pain and brokenness,\u201d says Shane.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why the Bookers\u2019 first step after moving to New Orleans in August 2020 was to serve with local nonprofits. Consistent volunteering has helped them and their core team form relationships within the community, setting the stage for Garden City Church.<\/p>\n
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A unique model to impact a needy community <\/strong><\/p>\n After several months in the city, the Bookers identified the Lower Ninth Ward as Garden City Church\u2019s first missional focus. What started out as a runaway slave community in the 1800s still suffers from the absence of essential services like banks, pharmacies and grocery stores following Hurricane Katrina.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a place that Shane describes has always been \u201cfull of pain, brokenness and rejection.\u201d The cumulative pain from the past creates barriers to trusting relationships \u2013 something only more time to show Christ-like love can break.<\/p>\n Using an entrepreneurial church plant model, Garden City Church aims to engage people through the marketplace and then utilize those relationships to disciple people and start a church gathering. \u201cThe marketplace gives us the ability to love people well and to stay there long enough for them to realize it,\u201d says Shane.<\/p>\n Starting a business will not only help the church buy time to grow relationships but will also allow them to bless the community.<\/p>\n Telltale Coffee and Creams <\/strong><\/p>\n During neighborhood canvasing, the Bookers were surprised to discover one common desire among their neighbors \u2014 a coffee shop. These conversations sparked the idea for Telltale Coffee & Creams, a neighborhood coffee and ice cream caf\u00e9 where people can share their stories. \u201cYou want to tell us your tale, and we want to hear your story and share ours. But ultimately, we want to tell you the greatest story ever told\u201d says Shane.<\/p>\n The idea for a mobile caf\u00e9 was born when a partner church donated their minibus to the Bookers\u2019 ministry. Through their community relationships, the Bookers secured an outdoor space for the future mobile caf\u00e9 at the TEP Interpretive Center \u2013 one of New Orleans’s first integrated schools that\u2019s been turned into a community center.<\/p>\n Ministry teams have already helped create a welcoming outdoor area, complete with seating, greenery, and a pergola for the long-awaited mobile caf\u00e9. Local artist Kalli Padgett painted the first of what will be a continuing cycle of murals on the coffee truck. Her design intertwines coffee and New Orleans culture by depicting a coffee plant growing from New Orleans musicians\u2019 musical instruments. Every six months, a new artist will be hired to redesign the coffee truck, giving them an opportunity to showcase their artwork.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re excited for this vehicle for conversation and relationships that will sustain the way to share the gospel,\u201d Shane says.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/send-network\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/11\/Coffe-truck.jpg\")
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