Servant Ministries Louis and Mary Neely

Louis Neely sensed the call of God on his life when he was a boy of only twelve years old. But at the time, he refused to listen and respond to that call. In fact, the refusal was so strong the day it came that he received a quick whack on the back of his head for bursting out with a loud "No!" in the middle of the church service. He had grown up in the home of a preacher, and had determined early on in his life that if there was one thing he was not going to be, it was a preacher! His sights were set on being a night club singer and stand-up comedian. Louis felt he had won the battle that day in church, minus a little pain at the back of his cranium. But time was on God's side. He had plans for Louis, and was not going to give up that easily. Louis would learn later that in the end God always wins.

Louis spent his teenage years doing what most healthy young Texas boys did at the time--play football, race cars, and act tough. He had a bent toward pushing the limits of permissibility with his parents and the law though, which kept his father diligently praying for him during those days. There was never an early morning when Louis did not hear his father's prayers echoing through the heater vents of the house: "Lord, I thank you for the wonderful children you have blessed us with, but I'm concerned about Louis, and I know you are too." Louis would bury his head under his pillow trying to drown out the reverberating voice.

One night, shortly after graduating from high school, as Louis was driving home late from a date, he received a wake-up call. Unable to stop in time, because of excessive speed and youthful arrogance, he rammed his automobile into the back of another car. The impact of the collision plunged the steering column of his car into the driver's seat, missing his chest by inches. As he sat in his car contemplating the nearly fatal experience he had just survived, the voice of the Lord quietly began to intrude upon his other thoughts. This time Louis said "yes" and from that day on dedicated himself to serving Jesus Christ with all of his heart and strength.



His first assignment as a "minister" came when he told his father a couple of days after the car accident that he was called to the ministry. His father answered, "Great! Here is a mop and a bucket. The restrooms of the church need to be cleaned." Although Louis did not recognize the full significance of this first lesson in the ministry at the time, it turned out to be one of the most important. The word "minister" means "servant" and so, being called to the ministry literally means to be called to full-time servanthood to God and his people.

God placed a red-hot fire in Louis' heart to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the world. Fortunately, Louis was a preacher without an audience those first few weeks. God would have to temper his servant before he was sent out, but what the young Louis lacked in wisdom, he made up for with enthusiasm and passion. One day while his father was out of town, a couple came to the church looking for some help with a bitter dispute they were having. Louis naively took it upon himself to give them some marriage counseling. At the end of the session the man and woman were so united in their anger toward Louis that they forgot about why they had been fighting.

As time went on the Lord began to provide opportunities for Louis to share with others what burned in his heart. And in just a couple of years, Louis found himself traveling all over the south western United States speaking as an evangelist at literally any church that would have him. At the peak of this period of his life, he spoke over 320 separate times in a single year.

It was during this time that Louis met his wife Mary. She was a woman blessed with tremendous vision and faith. In fact, she agreed to marry Louis after only two dates! Together, Louis and Mary became an effective team used by God to carry his message of hope and salvation to the world.

God expanded Louis and Mary's ministry to include not only the southern and western states, but the world. They travelled extensively throughout Africa, India, the Middle East, and Brazil, preaching the Gospel. While traveling around the world, meeting and working with people from all kinds of different cultures and backgrounds, the Lord instilled in them a global Christian perspective. The "church" is not simply the building at the end of the street in our neighborhood. It is the Body of Christ throughout the world. Denominational divisions are products of human beings. The unifying and pervading truths of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ are from God.

Mary was seven months pregnant with their only child, Julissa, when they felt it necessary to find a place to settle, at least for a few months. Through the generosity of a friend a small apartment was provided for them in Sacramento, California. Shortly after Julissa was born, Louis, Mary, and the baby were off again. The call to worldwide evangelism was as strong as ever. They had no idea at the time that one day soon God was going to call them back to Sacramento to begin a work that would become Warehouse Christian Ministries.
http://www.warehouseministries.org