As I watched the domestic workers in the movie get on and off their buses that were taking them 'across town' to the 'other side of the tracks,' I could not help but reflect on our weekly bus trips -- first on the old YMCA bus, then later, on our refurbished Greyhound bus.  But we didn't get on and off the bus as a segregated group.  Nor did our Black members ride on the 'back of the bus!'  We traveled together as an enthusiastic group of young people who were on a journey of falling in love with the Lord Jesus and with each other!  And most of those covenant interracial friendships exist to this very day and hour!

We musically invaded every venue that would open its doors to us from 'Maine to Miami!"  We traveled and ministered in all of the bastions of racial segregation from West Point, Mississippi…to Charleston…to Myrtle Beach…Lynchburg, Virginia.  We also penetrated the ghettos and inner cities of the North.  In most places we traveled and ministered, we were the very first integrated group to ever be in that town…church…school…prison…mall.  Frankly, it is a wonder that we did not get arrested or killed!   God was gracious beyond our comprehension -- even to this very day!

So as Patt and I watched 'The Help,' we did so with both pain and praise.  We still are pained by the lingering scars of those awful decades of prejudice and segregation.  In those earlier days, none of us fully realized just how radical and revolutionary we were!  We were definitely 'ahead of the times' we were living in.  As such, we often found ourselves out-of-step with parents, siblings, friends and church members -- Black and White.  But we were in-step with a great spiritual and cultural wave of the Holy Spirit!

So if you haven't seen 'The Help.' I hope you will do so.  And while the language is very raw at times, I would recommend that you take your teenage children to see it for their edification.  Sadly, their generation is almost totally ignorant of the horrible realities of that era in American history.  And as we often preached: "He who is not aware of his history is condemned to relive it."  Because millions of Americans today have still not honestly dealt with their racial prejudice, our nation still struggles with the legacy of latent racism -- always lurking just beneath the surface and ready to raise its ugly head of hate!  And it seems to especially do so during times of political activity leading toward congressional and presidential elections.

Finally, watching the movie only strengthened my desire and resolve to try and capture some of the history of our ministry.  It is not 'my story' -- but 'our story.'  Each of you wrote significant chapters through your months or years of involvement in the NDs.  So if you have not sent in your 'ND Memories,' please do so.  We have already received so many encouraging ones that have blessed our hearts.  And we want 'His Story' through 'your story' to be written down for others to read, be blessed by and learn from.

Thanksgiving Blessings to each of you for being on the 'cutting edge' of interracial reconciliation…JL & Patt

To graphically remind us of the high cost of freedom, many Memorial Day services are held in cemeteries where our fallen soldiers are buried.  And generally our President and Joint Chiefs of Staff lead our nation in special services at Arlington National Cemetery where a wreath is laid at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  It is always a sober experience for every patriotic American.  This annual Memorial Day is a somber “Celebration of Remembrance” so we and our children will never forget the bloody price that has been paid for the freedoms we so greatly enjoy – but so easily take for granted. 

The Bible teaches that is a “God of Remembrance.”  Since He knows how prone we are to forget all He has done for us, He gives us signposts as memorials to remind us of His love, mercy and grace.  So, He put the rainbow in the sky to remind us that He will never again judge the world through a flood.  He gave Abraham the sign of circumcision as a reminder of His sovereign grace to him and all of his descendents after him.  To keep the children of Israel from forgetting His miraculous deliverance of them from Egypt, followed by His protection and care of them in the wilderness for 40 years – and their final crossing of the Jordan into the Promised Land, He instructed them to make a monument of stones as a “…memorial to the sons of Israel forever.” 

Likewise, Jesus gave the broken bread and cup of wine of communion as a reminder of the price that He paid on the cross for us – and as a reminder of His certain coming again to receive us unto Himself.

How often we forget God’s goodness to us and His great sacrifice for us through the Lord Jesus that made it possible for us to be citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven.  And how often we also forget the sacrifice others have made for us so that we can be free citizens of the United States of America.  So, we need regular “Memorial Days” spiritually and nationally to keep us from forgetting and taking for granted – which is so natural for all of us!

When I was in church this past Memorial Day weekend, I also reflected over those ND Alumni who have already died before us.  And I rejoiced over their lives of service to the Lord Jesus – especially through the ND’s.  So I am sharing the following pictures of our “fallen comrades” who are now with the Lord.  If there are others I am not aware of who have died, I hope you will let me know.  Their pictures in order of their deaths are:

•Drew Love
•Paul Smith
•Delbert Spruill (no picture available at time of posting)
•Charles Alston

Finally, I also want to give thanks to the ND Alumni who have served, or are serving in the military – along with their children.  Some, like Chaplain David Morrow, have chosen a career in the military as their place of service for their God and country.  Some of the children are Mike and (soon) Jon Rogers (Sarah Lea), Jonathan Lamm (Woody and Nancy) and (soon) David Fraser (John and Jane). 

So, as you look at the pictures of those who are already with the Lord, let’s not forget them.  Let’s remember them and the lives they lived among us.  And as we do, may each of our lives be a memorial of faith and fidelity to both God and Country…

In His Love,

J.L.

There is a leadership principle that says: “You teach what you know but your attract and reproduce who you are.” I believe that’s true.  So because God called me first and foremost to be a proclaimer of the Gospel, many young men and women emerged in the NDs with the same spiritual gifts.  It was in the NDs that they discovered, developed and deployed their spiritual gifts in the area of preaching.  As a result, the NDs became a training ground not only for a lot of Christian musicians but also for a lot of preachers.  To the best of my count, several dozen young men and women went on to become preachers in their days after leaving our ministry.  Some were led into the local church as pastors…others went into youth work…some ministered through para church organizations…others went into evangelism…yet others went to the foreign mission field.

In addition, we always believed and taught that every Christian worth his or her salt and light was a minister.  That’s because Christ called all of us to be “full time Christian workers.”  It matters not whether one was a teacher, doctor, lawyer, computer technicians, carpenter, media person or stay-at-home moms—all authentic Christians are to be ministers.  So we rejoice in all of the vocations that NDs have gone into to flesh out their faith!

However, it has been fun this past year to be with several of our alumni who are “vocational Christian workers.”  As Patt and I got to go hear them preach and minister, it brought us great joy and satisfaction.  They have become great preachers, teachers, pastors, evangelists and writers who have gone on from “strength to strength in the Lord” (Ps. 84:7).

So enjoy these few pictures of some of our pastors and preachers we have had the joy of sitting under this past year (there are many others but I did not have my camera handy!).  And in our next ND Alumni update we will focus on some of the musicians—so be watching and listening!

Finally, thanks so much to those of you who are interacting with us on this site.  Also for the assistance some of you are giving us to find the location and contact information on some of our “missing members.”  Keep it coming.  We love hearing from you…


Rev. Kirk Reid (black robe), JL and Rev. Jamie Reid when Kirk preached the anniversary at his home church in Burlington.  Both he and his brother, “Jamie,” were two of the earliest members of the ND’s back in the late 1960’s.  Kirk now pastors a United Methodist Church in Charlotte and Jamie preaches locally.

JL between Dr. Tony Torain (right) and his brother, Rev. Scotty Torain (left), when they recently “team preached” at their home church near Mebane,  Lattisville Grove Missionary Baptist Church.  Tony was in the ND’s for a number of years and pastors a Church of God in Christ in Maryland.  Scotty is the Missions and Evangelism pastor at Mt. Zion Baptist in Greensboro.

JL with Maggie & Duffy Robbins at the National Youth Worker’s Convention in Indianapolis where we team taught on mentoring.  Maggie also did a seminar around her book, Enjoy the Silence, on Christian Meditation.

Chaplain David Morrow and his wife Vicky after he preached the 100th Anniversary of his home church near Chapel Hill.

It was a joy to have several of our other alumni present when David preached (left to right): David, Sam Burnett, J.L., Joe LeCompte, John ‘bassman’ Fraser, Herbert Spruill (center).

J.L. and Pastor Scotty Smith from Christ Community Church in Franklin, Tennessee, when he made an unexpected visit to our home.

In His Faithful Love,



PS:  Don’t forget to hold the first weekend of August on your calendar for our BIG “40th Anniversary Celebration” in Burlington at our International Headquarters!