Rebuild Lakeshore

The month of January flew by. With 42 churches and teams represented, we made great progress on about 17 houses.. Twenty nine of these groups came from Ohio, a trip organized by the Buckeye Baptist Builders. We praise God for these folks and can not thank them enough.

• Antrim Brethren in Christ - Chambersburg, PA
• Augusta Baptist Association Disaster Relief team - Augusta, GA
• Central Baptist Church - Corbin, KY
• Ellison Ridge Baptist church - Winston, MS
• First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs - Crystal Springs, MS
• Grace Evangelical Congregational - PA
• Hebron Baptist Church - Lawrenceville, GA
• Mt. Harmony Baptist Church - Riceville, TN
• Rolling Hills Church - Platteville, WI
• South Coast Community Church - Scarborough, ME
• Sovereign Grace Church (God centered ministries) - Chippewa Falls, WI
• Trinity Baptist - Baton Rouge, LA
• UC Davis - Davis, CA

Buckeye Baptist Builders - OH

• Ashville First Baptist - Ashville, OH
• Bluffton Baptist Church - Bluffton, OH
• By Faith Ministries - Middletown, OH
• Calvary Baptist - Piketon, OH
• Cross Roads Baptist - Farmerville, LA
• Dayton Ave. Baptist - Dayton, OH
• Emmanuel Baptist - Sidney, OH
• Fairborn First Baptist - Fairborn, OH
• First Baptist of Amelia - Amelia, OH
• First Baptist Church - East Carrollton, OH
• First Baptist - West Carrollton, OH
• First Baptist Church Trenton - Trenton, OH
• First Baptist Aurora - Aurora, OH
• Grace Baptist - Oak Harbor, OH
• Hope Community Church - OH
• Jersey Baptist - Pataskala, OH
• Koitios Chritian Fellowship - Troy, OH
• Landmark - Dayton, OH
• Miami Shores Baptist Church - Miamisburg, OH
• New Covenant C.C.C.U. - Waverly, OH
• New Life Mission - Hamilton, OH
• Our Lady of Good Hope Catholic Church - Miamisburg, OH
• Reynoldsburg Baptist Church - Reynoldsburg, OH
• Riverview Baptist Church - Franklin, OH
• Rolling Hills Baptist Church - Fairfield, OH
• Talawanda Baptist - Oxford, OH
• University Baptist - Beavercreek
• Vandalia Baptist - Vandalia, OH
• Waverly First Baptist - Waverly, OH

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Long time resident of Lakeshore, Mr. Horace “Howee” Garcia looks forward to moving from his FEMA trailer back into his home. Soon he will be telling old cowboy stories from his wheel chair on the porch once again. In 1946 Mr. Howee built his home from salvaged lumber from an old plantation and other places. He and his wife, Nita, sought refuge in their attic to escape Katrina’s storm surge. Flood waters rendered the house almost a total loss. Volunteers have worked hard to grant the Garcia’s their wish to come home. Last week teams from Ohio hung the siding, tiled the bathroom, and built a wheel chair ramp. This week a team from Kentucky plans to set the kitchen cabinets.

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Hebron Baptist Church of Jones County MS number among the hundreds of generous churches contributing to the relief, recovery, and rebuilding efforts in Lakeshore. They made their local newspaper with the help they have sent our way.

From the Hattiesburg American:

Hearn, a member of Hebron Baptist Church in the Hebron community in Jones County, said when she saw the open space of what once was the Lakeshore church she knew she needed to find a way to help.

“We went down the street looking and there was a white steeple standing out along the side of the road. That caught my eye,” Hearn said.

That prompted her and her husband, Mitch Hearn, to approach the church’s minister, Tommy Davis, and Richard Thames, director of missions, about how they could help the church. The idea was unanimously voted in favor of by the church.

What followed was an outpouring from one community to another.

Read full story: Hebron Baptist helps rebuild Coast church, community

Let me also encourage anyone visiting Lakeshore on a mission trip to contact their local papers. News outlets seem willing to highlight humanitarian efforts. Stories of your involvement in ongoing Katrina relief will give your church positive local exposure and help us keep the continuing need in the public eye.

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If you sent a donation to Lakeshore Baptist Church during the 2006 calendar year, you should expect to receive an annual tax receipt in the next couple of weeks. We hope to have them all printed and in the mail soon. We can not thank you enough for your generous support as we continue ministering to our storm ravaged community.

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We set pilings for another new house this week. The Johnson’s get help from volunteers from Ohio Buckeye Baptist Builders.

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We spent months sending volunteer teams to hundreds of homes in our area, gutting the houses down to the studs to prepare for rehab. Most homes have been cleaned out by now, but every so often we find a house still needing demolition work. Last week a strong college group from California helped a young couple, Jennifer and Kyle, finish pulling nails from studs, ripping out ceiling sheet rock, removing insulation, and getting the house ready for this week’s electrical crew from Pennsylvania.

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Don Loftus, of Lacrosse Baptist Church (Lacrosse, FL), took some great pictures while they were here with us a few weeks ago. I particularly like the panoramic shots. Check them out at his Lakeshore MS Mission Trip Gallery.

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As we wrapped up 2006, God saw fit to send us 17 teams from 11 different states in the month of December. We praise God for the contributions they made to the ongoing rebuilding efforts and the encouragement they brought during the holiday season.

1. Calhoun Baptist Association – Calhoun City, MS
2. Church of Pembroke Pines – Pembroke Pines, FL
3. Decatur Baptist Church – Decatur, AL
4. Edgewater Christian Fellowship – Grants Pass, OR
5. First Baptist Church Crystal Springs – Crystal Springs, MS
6. First Baptist Church North Augusta – North Augusta, SC
7. Grace Bible Church – Canton, GA
8. Grace Evangelical Congregational Church – PA
9. Harvest Community Church – Charlotte, NC
10. Immanuel Baptist Church - Louisville, KY
11. James Sanders’ group - Madisonville, TX
12. La Crosse Baptist Church – La Crosse, FL
13. Midway Baptist Church - Meridian, MS
14. Pleasant Hill Baptist Church – Bogue Chitto, MS
15. Sierra First Baptist Church – Alta, CA
16. UC Davis – Davis, CA
17. Yalobusha Baptist Association – Coffeville, MS

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Lakeshore Baptist Church buildings, before and after hurricane Katrina.

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