Rebuild Lakeshore

Random flowers on a vacant lot give a sobering reminder that a family home once thrived here. The bulbs have apparently sat dormant for the past six years, surviving the salt water of Katrina and the demolition bulldozers that cleared the site of debris. Now waking from their slumber the lilies stand alone among weeds. I plan to dig them up and transplant them into pots where the bulbs can multiply, bringing life and hope to a new home.

No Comments »

While we may not have set pilings or framed a house or tackled any major large scale projects this week, our 100+ volunteers whittled down a very long task list of small things that added up to a very productive week.

On the church property, we built custom shutters for the north windows of the office to match the ones on the front, moved the tank and pump into the pump shed, installed an attic fan in the kitchen, built an enclosure and gate around the bunk house lift, painted a caution step, organized a lot of material, and laid a water line with a spigot near the bunk house.

At the Mercy House we did the final round of touch up paint, built a garden box for the hose outside of the pump house, added trim around the shower, finished the grout on the brick pavers, replaced the pvc coming out of the water heater to meet code, diverted the condensation line away from the building to prevent puddlings, built shelving in the back storage room, moved all the scrap materials to the far back of the property, relocated the big black trailer from beside the kitchen to behind the Mercy House, and several other things.

Out in the community for local residence we added flood vents and tie downs to several sheds, to meet flood zone requirements. We also tiled a bathroom, hung doors, stained and set cabinets, installed outlets, switches, and lights, installed a water filtration system, laid wood floors and baseboards, hooked up sinks and a toilet, hung sheet rock, constructed two wheel chair ramps, and built three sheds

God has so richly blessed us with brothers and sisters in Christ from across the country, I also decided to share some of our help with a sister congregation, West Bay Community Church in Waveland. This week our volunteers repaired some rotting boards under their vestibule, fixed their front door, finished some sheet rock and painted a wall, build a sound board platform, got their air conditioner working again, and a few other miscellaneous things. Please pray for this new church plant in our area and their pastor, my good friend, Kirk Strawbridge. I pray that God will establish a strong church there as we partner together to reach Hancock County and the gulf coast for Christ.

Probably one of the most exciting things this week, we saw the Fellowship Hall footprint take shape as men laid out all the strings in preparation for ground breaking. Pray for us as the final details in the design phase get hammered out and we complete our construction drawings.

Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’”

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.

Zechariah 4:6-10

1 Comment »

This week marks our first week of summer groups. College students from across Georgia plan to work with us over the next week and a half. In addition to painting and other things associated with our various building projects, they have been preparing the camp site for the big summer of 2011. We have over 2 dozen teams on the calendar for the next 8 weeks. I’m excited to see all that God has in store for his glory on the gulf coast.

No Comments »

Lakeshore Baptist Church invites the entire community to celebrate the completion of their newest building, affectionately known as “The Mercy House.” The “Grand Opening” scheduled for 9:15 am Thursday May 19 will include an open house tour, refreshments, door prizes, and a Couponing Seminar led by Jeni Ward.

The Mercy House stands on the corner of Lakeshore Road and Third Street in Lakeshore. The 4,000 square foot structure, built almost entirely by volunteers will allow the church to expand her ministry to the community. A bricked pump house out front and a secondary storage building in the rear, complement the main facility along with a limestone parking lot. The church plans to landscape the property over the course of the summer.

The lower level, enclosed with flood resistant materials, serves as storage for the items distributed through the church’s benevolence ministry. The Distribution Center” operates Wednesday-Friday from 9:00 am - 3:00 PM weekly. Clothing and other donated items stock the shelves. The church also provides food for families experiencing emergency needs.

The upper level boasts a large meeting room, a kitchenette, and restroom facilaties. The space will host various church and community outreach functions. For example, the church sponsors a free monthly luncheon for senior adults in the community which includes various activities and special speakers.

“Its a beautiful yet practical building,” said Pastor Don Elbourne. “Now that we have completed the main construction of the facility, this building opens the door to a multitude of ministry possibilities as we continue to serve as a conduit of blessing to our community for the glory of God.”

In addition to the May 19th “Grand Opening,” the church will dedicate this new building with an old fashioned pot-luck dinner on the grounds following their 11:00 Sunday morning service on May 22, 2011. The congregation invites the entire community to these two open house events.

The Lakeshore Baptist Church Mercy House is located at 6077 Lakeshore Road, Bay St. Louis MS 39520. For more information call the church office at (228) 469-0110 or visit their web site at www.lakeshorebaptist.net.

1 Comment »

Over the last eight weeks we have had roughly 400 volunteers make mission trips to Lakeshore for the glory of God. Each team worked hard and pushed forward in our ongoing relief, recovery, and rebuilding efforts. I can not thank you enough. Folks from the following churches and groups were represented:

• Andrew College BCM - Cuthbert, GA
• Columbus State University BCM - Columbus, GA
• Dalton College BCM - Dalton, GA
• First Baptist Church - Tullahoma, TN
• Georgia State BCM - Atlanta, GA
• Georgia Tech BCM - Atlanta, GA
• Grace Covenant Church - Laurel, MS
• Great Bridge Baptist Church - Chesapeake, VA
• Heavenly Helpers - Sumneytown, PA
• LaGrange College BCM - LaGrange, GA
• North Augusta Baptists - Augusta, GA
• Oakdale Baptist Church - Brandon, MS
• Redemption Church - Olathe, KS
• Seneca United Methodist Church - Seneca, PA
• Slippery Rock University - Slippery Rock, PA
• St. Michael Church - Louisville, KY
• Stepping Stone Ministry - Lansing, MI
• Trinity Baptist Church - Mentor, OH
• Valleydale Baptist Church - Birmingham, AL
• Vanderbilt University - Nashville, TN

  No Comments »

When we show mercy, God gives us grace and builds up our faith in seven ways:

1. We gain a Kingdom perspective. When we see such poverty, suffering and sorrow, we become discontent with sin (in us, in the church and in the world) and begin to long for the coming of the kingdom of God when all things will be made new (and are further motivated to do kingdom work today by warring against the forces of sin). (Revelation 21:1-5)

2. We gain humility. In recognizing need and sin in others, we recognize both our own needs and our inability to meet those needs for ourselves or for others. We recognize that we need Christ. In serving others we humble ourselves and are made low, while others and Christ are exalted. (Philippians 2-3)

3. We grow in faith. When we see people struggling for their daily needs, we recognize that it is only by God’s grace that we have anything in this world or the world to come. We begin to build our foundation on the Rock that is Christ and on nothing else. (2 Samuel 22:3-4)

4. We become a faithful witness. When we love the unlovely, we testify that the gospel is true and the world can’t help but recognize this manifestation of the love of Christ. (Matthew 5:16)

5. We are sustained by God’s grace. When we pour ourselves out in costly service to the poor, God promises to strengthen us and provide abundantly for our every need. (Isaiah 58:10-11)

6. We gain an understanding of unity in Christ. When we reach out to those different than we are, we see the Lord at work binding us together- we see the unity of the church. (Galatians 3:26-28)

7. We begin to worship God. When we serve and love others as Christ loves us we not only have a better appreciation for and gratitude to God (which enhances our public and personal worship) but as we serve we are worshipping. (Romans 12:1-2, James 1:27)

*Redeemer Presbyterian Church Austin TX

No Comments »

Hurricane Katrina hit over 5 1/2 years ago and our community still suffers with reminders of devastation littering the landscape. Last week an energetic team of volunteers attacked a neighboring abandoned property and collected this pile of debris.

Up until recently, most of the clean-up work assignments have come from local folks requesting our assistance. We would like to begin a more pro-active campaign by tracking down the owners of debris strewn properties and offer to do a final sweep.

This project will focus on a few different reasons for the remaining debris including properties of people who have moved out of the area, properties of elderly, the handicap, or people otherwise unable to do the clean-up themselves, and those who have been so psychologically and emotionally scarred by the disaster that they find it difficult to grasp onto the hope of a better day.

Many Hancock County families moved away after the storm and have been unable to return to clean their property. FEMA and the Corp of Engineers may have bulldozed what remained of their home for the bulk of the debris removal, but that sweep didn’t catch everything. The folks now live far away and for various reasons have been unable to return to the area. We would like to go in with volunteers and beautify their property, if not for them, for the folks still living in the area faced with reminders of devastation on a daily basis.

We also have those in the community for one reason or another unable to do the work themselves or have been so overwhelmed by the task, they have all but have given up. We want to minister help and hope to these people by offering a team of energetic Christians to lend a neighborly hand as the gospel takes root in our community.

Pray for Lakeshore Baptist Church as we enter into this phase of the recovery. Collecting names and securing permission will require sensitivity to the needs around us as we continue to infuse our mercy ministry with evangelistic opportunities for the glory of God.

We have a big summer planned, but we still have several open dates on the calendar, so feel free to give us a call and plan your summer mission trip asap. We could use more able hands and willing hearts for this and other ongoing projects for the spread of Christ’s fame on the gulf coast.. If you can’t make it yourself, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the cause so that this work can continue. This incredible ministry that God has seen fit to bless us with, relies on your generous gifts. I can not thank you enough for your continued support.

No Comments »

Lakeshore Baptist Church, on the gulf coast of Mississippi, recently hosted an Introduction to Biblical Counseling Seminar led by Pastor Darrell Gustafson and his wife Janet. Seven students participated in the week long training session and received an overview of the biblically based Nouthetic counseling method.

We minister in a community devastated by Hurricane Katrina, swamped by the BP oil spill, and hit hard by the nation-wide economic recession. As we minister in an environment of hopelessness and despair, Lakeshore Baptist Church desires to continue providing help and hope in the name of Jesus Christ to our storm ravaged community and to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ as we seek the spread of his fame across the gulf coast. To that end, we jumped at the chance to extend our counseling skills with the training offered by the Gustafsons of the Grace Covenant Counseling Center in Gilbert AZ.

In the week long crash course, we were encouraged to follow the biblical mandate to all believers to trust in the sufficiency of scripture and the power of the Holy Spirit as we “council one another with all wisdom.” We learned how to help those in need by first listening for a person’s “presentation problem,” then how to dig deeper to determine particular sinful actions and attitudes that require biblical, measurable and practical repentance and change. We dealt with issues such as anger, depression, fear, worry, and sexual sins.

We want to thank the Gustafsons for sharing their ministry with us and allowing us to glean from their expertise and experience. We stand confident the training we received will enhance our ability to minister to believers and unbelievers as they deal with various difficulties, sinful patterns of behavior, and take concrete steps toward biblical repentance and change. We pray that God will glorify himself on the gulf coast as he continues to bring all things under subjection to Christ for the praise of his name.

No Comments »

No Comments »

A Prayer:

Father in heaven, you are the absolute Sovereign over the shaking of the earth, the rising of the sea, and the raging of the waves. We tremble at your power and bow before your unsearchable judgments and inscrutable ways. We cover our faces and kiss your omnipotent hand. We fall helpless to the floor in prayer and feel how fragile the very ground is beneath our knees.

O God, we humble ourselves under your holy majesty and repent. In a moment—in the twinkling of an eye—we too could be swept away. We are not more deserving of firm ground than our fellowmen in Japan. We too are flesh. We have bodies and homes and cars and family and precious places. We know that if we were treated according to our sins, who could stand? All of it would be gone in a moment. So in this dark hour we turn against our sins, not against you.

And we cry for mercy for Japan. Mercy, Father. Not for what they or we deserve. But mercy.

Have you not encouraged us in this? Have we not heard a hundred times in your Word the riches of your kindness, forbearance, and patience? Do you not a thousand times withhold your judgments, leading your rebellious world toward repentance? Yes, Lord. For your ways are not our ways, and your thoughts are not our thoughts.

Grant, O God, that the wicked will forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Grant us, your sinful creatures, to return to you, that you may have compassion. For surely you will abundantly pardon. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus, your beloved Son, will be saved.

May every heart-breaking loss—millions upon millions of losses—be healed by the wounded hands of the risen Christ. You are not unacquainted with your creatures’ pain. You did not spare your own Son, but gave him up for us all.

In Jesus you tasted loss. In Jesus you shared the overwhelming flood of our sorrows and suffering. In Jesus you are a sympathetic Priest in the midst of our pain.

Deal tenderly now, Father, with this fragile people. Woo them. Win them. Save them.

And may the floods they so much dread make blessings break upon their head.

O let them not judge you with feeble sense, but trust you for your grace. And so behind this providence, soon find a smiling face.

In Jesus’ merciful name, Amen.

by John Piper

No Comments »