Brown's second sermon of the day was about 30 minutes away in Tallulah, La. They arrived just in time for the 3 p.m. service at the Pleasant Grove #2 Church.
Tallulah (population about 9,000) is one of the poorest towns in a poverty-stricken state. A shotgun shack was falling down in disrepair, yet a huge sport utility vehicle with shiny chrome rims sat parked in the driveway -- a symbol, Brown said, of misplaced priorities. Shopping arcades were boarded up. Dogs ran loose in the street.
Inside the small, musty chapel, about 25 people sat waiting. Many were grateful Brown still came.
"Sometimes we have only five people here," said Diane Kyle, 46, the church usher. "But Rev. Brown will come in here and preach like there's 500."
Some, however, questioned whether a traveling preacher still made sense for a town with so many social problems.
"This is what we have. It may not be what we are totally satisfied with," said Tommy Watson, 45, the church pianist. He argued that if Tallulah's small churches came together, they could get federal funding for faith-based groups and help people better themselves by offering counseling and other community services.
A sheriff's deputy took to the altar to introduce a visiting choir but failed to mention that the guests were prisoners doing time for drug crimes. The choir launched into a halfhearted rendition of "Stand by Me," substituting "darling" with "Jesus" in the chorus. The churchgoers watched passively.
Brown took to the pulpit, and his sermon, about the true meaning of being born again, seemed listless at first. Then Brown made it personal, tailoring it to what he saw as the temptations threatening his audience. He revealed he had a weakness for cheap wine as a young man before he found redemption in Jesus.
"You can get to heaven without a Rolls Royce or a 10-carat diamond ring. Uh-huh, yes you can ... but you can't get to heaven without being born again," he said.
His speech gained rhythm. His sentences turned into song.
"You've got to be able to walk away from that old life," he sang, "and into that new life."
The churchgoers stood to clap and wave their arms. They lined up for communion, wine and bread prepackaged in cellophane-covered containers. Many were smiling.
"You see what our preacher brings us?" Kyle said afterward.
