A man kneeled alongside U.S. Highway 90 last Wednesday in Boutte as cars whirred past, cars that undoubtedly held drivers and passengers who turned their heads to see the image he painted for them: dressed in red, from head to toe, and carrying a giant red cross to match.
Meet Obadiah Franklin, a longtime evangelist who regularly travels the country carrying his cross in an effort to reach people and spread his ministry.
“Eighty percent of people we see driving up and down our streets do not attend any church, anywhere,” Franklin said. “When you think about that, 90 percent of pastors in America are only preaching to 4 percent of the people in our nation. “When Jesus spoke of the great harvest, where is it? It’s not on the inside of any church in this nation. It’s the masses outside of its walls.”
Franklin said he’s been to all 48 states in the continental U.S. over the past 12 years. He strikes a recognizable pose once he finds the area he wishes to stay in, usually alongside the road of a busy intersection. He kneels, his hat covering his face, the latter a result of his intention to spotlight Jesus above himself. It’s something he began in 2002, when he believes he had a vision. An evangelist since the age of 14, he said 10 years after he began his work that God spoke to him days before he was to preach at a revival in Tennessee. “God told me he wanted me to be proactive,” Franklin said. “He wanted me to go to (the people) and not to wait for them to come into a church. I needed to put the three-piece suit and tie down and dress in all red. He gave me specific instructions on how to build the cross, the dimensions and material to use, just like he told Noah when it was time to build his arc. I was to go to Shelbyville a week early and walk into town.“Everything that happened there, it completely revolutionized the way I do this.”
He’s been doing this ever since. He has found a bit of fame over the years: Franklin has appeared on “The O’Reilly Factor”, Fox, ABC, CBS and NBC Nightly News over the years.
He said the red he wears is symbolic of a covering with the blood of Jesus. The personable preacher regularly speaks to those he encounters when spreading his ministry on what he affectionately calls “The Church of the Sidewalk,” or “The Church of the Highway,” some, he notes, asking to pray with him.“People will ask if I pray for people to heal,” he said. “I tell them I couldn’t heal a fly if it had a toothache, but I know how to ask (Jesus). He is the healer.”
Last week marked Franklin’s second trip to Louisiana and first into the River Parishes. He said he came to participate in a revival at the First Baptist Church of Luling. Franklin, who said he is not part of any official denomination or group, said he regularly speaks at revival events around the country.
Franklin has established a website for his ministry, mapjesus.com, and said anyone who would like to contact him may do so by calling (863) 258-8570.
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