Don Banks, then the pastor of a black independent Pentecostal church in West Monroe, La., needed help after his church’s building project stalled midway through construction. A few weeks later, nearby First Assembly of God, with a predominantly white congregation, offered to help.

Pastor Don Banks (pictured) partnered with Pastor Otis Moore to build Greater Realness Assembly of God. Greater Realness was an independent church at the time.

"First A/G approached me and said, ‘We want to do whatever we can to help you,’" Banks recalls. "Was this unusual and unbelievable? Yes. But God allowed our church and their church to be vulnerable to one another. They not only prayed, they put money out there for us until we could get a loan.

"I went there and was blessed by them and came to respect them," he says. "They took us in and adopted us. It’s nice to go through a situation like this and have someone there to help you."

First A/G also helped the independent church by sending volunteers to help finish construction on the half-completed sanctuary that weather threatened to destroy.

"Helping them just gave us a tremendous amount of life and excitement," says Otis Moore, pastor of First A/G. "It was very encouraging to our church. We believe the only way to reach a city is to be a part of it and to be committed to the welfare of it and other churches."

As members of the churches got to know one another through working on the building, worshiping and ministering together, individuals came to a better understanding of one another.

"Spiritually this has given us a broader view of Christianity," Banks says. "When you put Christian in front of ethnicity it changes everything. The relationship kicks in and you are not looking at who is black or white — you just know you are connected by the blood of Jesus."

Banks has since become a licensed A/G minister; his church is now known as Greater Realness Assembly of God and has grown to more than 165 worshipers.

"It began out of a simple relationship," Banks says. "Their help made a bold statement to our church and this community. We can all make a difference when we focus on Christ rather than on skin color."

Moore says the churches plan to continue partnering in ministry.

— Kirk Noonan