Rebuild Lakeshore

Brenda Williams lives in one of the homes built from the ground-up by our volunteers who continue to grace Lakeshore and the gulf coast with their dedication, hard work, and support. The picture above shows me presenting her “Certificate of Occupancy” after her home was completed. Yesterday she shared this note of appreciation and I wanted to pass it along to all of you.

Thank you Lord, and to the Body of Christ, thank you!

Thank you for this beautiful home, it is the most wonderful solid built house I have ever seen. Let me never take it for granted. I am not even a little bit worthy of all of this, and yet here I am, over joyed with your love, and the love of your people who don’t even know me.

Sitting here I feel your presence Lord, your love, and all the love that went into every part of this house. Looking around I think of all those who took part in this wonderful work. Those who did all the planning, the paper work, phone calls, the grounds clearing, all those who worked in this hot, steaming, bug infested beautiful place we love and call home. They suffered all and sometimes more than we did, the lack of comforts, being away from their loved ones and homes. Hands bruised and cut, holding hammers, nails, saws and paint brushes. Backs and legs hurting and yet they worked on, plumbing, wiring, electrical fixtures and so much more. Not for a pay check, not for my little Thank- You! But for you Lord. In obedience to you Lord. Lord, I pray that this work brings Glory to you. Let your blessings be upon this beautiful place an upon your children, who brought it into being from the thoughts of it, to the completion of it all and more. Bless each and every one, who took part in all of this. And Lord let not one of them or their children ever go hungry or homeless. Lord, we were hungry and they fed us, we were without clothes and they clothed us, comfortless and they gave us comfort.

Lord, I think you for Lakeshore Baptist Church, Pastor Don, and all the beautiful workers who so faithfully served and continue to serve those in need. For those who understand this devastation and the need for sometimes a hug and a prayer.

My heart is so filled with thankfulness and love for you all.

Love, Brenda Williams

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This morning I met a lady who told me her story of living in a camper for nearly four years after losing her home to Hurricane Katrina. She had just recently moved into her new house. When I introduced myself as the pastor of Lakeshore Baptist Church, tears welled up in her eyes as she thanked me over and over again for the aid she and her family had received. She explained how almost all of her furniture, kitchen table, chairs, beds, pots, pans, dishes, glasses, and even curtains had come from mismatched donations she picked up in our distribution center to furnish her modest home. She said, “I do not know how I could have seen my life put back together without the help from your ministry.” She could not stop saying thank-you.

I could tell you hundreds of stories of similar families and individuals who continue on their long road of recovery. We praise God for his sustaining grace as he upholds us through the support we receive from our partners like you. Without your donations and financial support we could not continue serving our community in this large way.

In the calendar year of 2009, we have felt the financial crunch of our nations economic downturn. Monetary gifts have dwindled to the point that we face 2010 with the danger of falling short of funds to cover just our basic operating expenses. Please consider making a year end tax deductible donation to see the work continue. Even a small gift, multiplied by the number of friends and partners from across the country, will go a long way as we look to what God will do in the coming year. You can make checks payable to “Lakeshore Baptist Church” and send to:

Lakeshore Baptist Church
PO BOX 293
Lakeshore MS 39558

Please continue to pray for us as we extend help and hope, in the name of Jesus Christ, to our storm ravaged community. With your partnership and support we faithfully can move forward in the relief, recovery, and rebuilding efforts here on the gulf coast as we seek to make Christ known through the mercy ministry of Lakeshore Baptist Church.

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The Lakeshore Bunk House now has power and looks great lit up at night. I’m really looking forward to finishing up a few more details, which includes screening in the lower level to create a bug-free common area that will enhance the functionality of the facility.

I am pleased with the success of our fund raising for this project so far. As a testimony to the scope of involvement by God’s people, we have received contributions from Michigan, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee, Maryland, Florida, Mississippi, Illinois, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Maine, and Texas - 14 different states represented.

To date, 21 of the 38 beds have sponsors. For a donation of $200 or more you can sponsor one of the beds. When complete, a plaque with all the donors names will hang in the finished bunk house. Only 12 more beds remain available for sponsorship. A big thank-you goes out to:

1. Andrea Deeb – Ann Arbor, MI
2. Jayme Deeb – Ann Arbor, MI
3. Nancy Deeb – Ann Arbor, MI
4. Jamie Dunbar – Platteville, WI
5. Eagle Brook Church – Minocqua, WI
6. Don & Myra Elbourne – Baton Rouge, LA
7. First Baptist Church Tullahoma – Tullahoma, TN
8. John Allen Fritchey
9. Grace Immanuel Reformed Baptist Church – Grand Rapids, MI
10. Barry & Paula Hamilton – Edgewood, MD
11. Jerry & Ruth Hoogerheide – Merritt Island, FL
12. Mary Lou Johnson & Melody Guy – Choctaw, MS
13. Beth Jordan & Kevin Kroll – Lake Zurich, IL
14. Boyd & Bonnie Manning – Tazewell, TN
15. Caroline Miller – Bucksport, ME
16. Jim Oaks – Huntsville, AL
17. RA’s of East Highland Baptist Church – Hartselle, AL
18. SonShiners of Concord Baptist Church – Cleremont, GA
19. Larry Springer – Carlisle, PA
20. John & Wendy Sternitzky – Universal City, TX
21. Dan Webster – Hartselle, AL

For a gift of $1,500 or more, you can have your church name placed on one of the 33 pilings. So far, we have seven:

1. East Highland Baptist Church – Hartselle, AL
2. First Baptist Church Batesville – Batesville, MS
3. First Baptist Church Tullahoma – Tullahoma, TN
4. Hopewell Reformed Church – Hopewell Junction, NY
5. Limestone Baptist Association – Athens, AL
6. Morgan County Baptist Association – Hartselle, AL
7. St. Luke Lutheran Church – Ann Arbor, MI

Download and print this Sponsorship Form (pdf) to send in your contribution or pledge.

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August 29, 2005 changed everything on the gulf coast. From landscape to language, and everything in between; you see and hear the effects in the everyday way people interact and live down to the smallest details. I guess its what they call “the new normal.” Obvious changes include new buildings, vacant lots, and remaining rubble. But even the way people think and talk has changed. “Before the storm” and “since the storm” has become the commonly accepted way to reference time.

Katrina stands as a watershed in the world-view of the gulf coast. This past Sunday I distributed a pamphlet which included William Bradford’s 1723 Thanksgiving Day proclamation. Before the service, I mentioned to one of our church members that I had a tract about the “First Thanksgiving.” They automatically assumed I meant Thanksgiving 2005 and began to discuss that day.

For nine weeks we had been sorting through water logged remains and mountains of destruction. Living in tents and vehicles, and campers; military style MREs (meals ready to eat) provided the main source of food along with the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief and American Red Cross. Third world country living conditions slowed the progress and we probably had not yet realized how long of a road we had ahead of us. We were still trying to locate family members and friends to discover whether they had survived the storm.

Then, like a Hollywood Thanksgiving miracle, new friends from across the country flooded into the area with turkey and dressing, cranberry sauce and vegetables, dinner rolls, pumpkin pies, and every thanksgiving fixing imaginable. A large event tent erected in a freshly cleared field of devastation provided a place of worship amid the ruins. Even an inflatable playground graced the property for the children, who for the last nine weeks, had not had a safe place to play. For a few hours we knew what it must have been like for the pilgrims in a new world as they celebrated their “First Thanksgiving.”

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Betsy Serral first traveled to Lakeshore in the summer of 2006 with her church, Providence Presbyterian of Hilton Head, South Carolina. She quickly fell in love with Lakeshore and has become one of our most valued partners and closest friends. She has made her way to Lakeshore over a half dozen times since then. In her most recent trip, an extended stay in the summer of 2009, she noticed that our very old utility van, used to transport building materials to the work sites, had been pushed well beyond its time of usefulness. On her return home, she took the initiative and raised the money necessary to purchase a new vehicle for the rebuilding ministry here. We now have a 2004 Chevrolet Express utility van. Thanks Bets! We love you.

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In the four plus years of the Rebuild Lakeshore ministry we have had literally thousands and thousands of folks make mission trips to work along side of us on the gulf coast. Contractors and construction workers to teenagers and college students, soccer moms and business men to senior adult groups, and everyone in-between have pitched in and accomplished their part of the efforts God continues to do in our community for his glory.

Helen Cox, a college student from Georgia made a mission trip to Lakeshore this past spring break. She shares her experience below. The child pictured with her at the block party belongs to the family her group helped bring shingles to the dump. I praise God for everyone, like Helen, willing to come minister help and hope, in the name of Jesus Christ, to folks in our area. She writes:

This is a story about a mission trip I took with Baptist Collegiate Ministries (BCM) over Spring Break. It made such an impact on my life that I want to share it. When I signed up for the trip, I thought I knew what I was signing up for having already been to New Orleans on several previous mission trips. God got my attention from the moment we arrived. This trip to rebuild Lakeshore, Mississippi was unlike any previous hurricane relief trip I had experienced. God showed me and taught me many things.

On March 14, 2009, I boarded the bus along with 21 other students from Berry College and Georgia Highlands College. Previous volunteers had warned our team of the biting gnats. When we arrived, the bus began to fill with gnats, and as we stepped out to get our luggage, we found them everywhere. Unpacking the luggage from the back of the bus, I began to wonder if I was going to regret coming to Lakeshore. When I got to the site of where I would be living, an old military quanza hut, and found I would be sleeping on an old military cot with my sleeping bag; I began to question myself again.

The host church, Lakeshore Baptist Church, was itself in as much need as some of the homeowners who they were helping. This church was destroyed by the hurricane. The fact that there was not even much of a building did not stop “church” from happening. Here God showed me how a truly faithful congregation looks. The members of the church were devoted and maybe the most welcoming group I have ever met. Each week they open their doors to hundreds of volunteers who are visitors to their church.

On our first day of work we were split into two groups. My group did many small, oddball jobs. Some of the things we did included helping around the church, completely demolishing an old RV and sorting its scraps. Then on the third day, our group was sent to a house. The homeowner had been gathering up shingles and taking them to the dump to dispose of them. When we arrived, four of us got in his car and took a road trip to the dump. During this time, we learned a lot about the homeowner. Once at the dump, we put on our gloves and climbed in the trailer and began throwing shingles in the dumpster. It was a small task, but it saved the homeowner almost an entire day because of our help. At the end we were not sure if we would see him again so we said our goodbyes took a picture with him just in case. I really enjoyed being able to go and help him. Two days later, we were told that after lunch we were going back to the house. This time we learned to fire caulk, and use caulk guns.

One of the groups there that week planned a block party for the end of the week. We went out in the community with some other groups and went house to house handing out flyers and spreading the word. I will never forget how we had hesitated at this one house because the couple looked somewhat rough. We went ahead and not only were they interested in coming to the block party, they had previously donated some clothes and stuff to the church. One of the neatest things was seeing how everyone wanted Lakeshore to thrive again.

Together we reached out to the community, rebuilt houses, and did small tasks for those still struggling to come back from the hurricane. I will never forget this trip. Oh and incase you are wondering, despite all the gnats I still would go back to Lakeshore in a heartbeat. I have no regrets.

Helen, thank you so much for your faithfulness and your willingness to share your experience. And btw, we don’t always have gnats.

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Our friends from Trinity Community Church of Trinity, FL made this great video of their mission trip to Lakeshore. For those planning a trip, it gives a great glimpse into a week in the mercy ministry efforts here and what God has been doing in the lives of those who come.

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In just about 8 short weeks we will ring in the new year. Between now and then we have 8 mission trip teams schedule to be in Lakeshore. For those familiar with the relief, recovery, and rebuilding efforts here, you know that sometimes we have 8 teams in one week. This slow down during the holiday season allows us to project a bit into January where we will have hundreds of hands eager to continue the progress.

If you promise to realize that all plans remain tentative, I’ll post a run down of our hopes as to particular projects on the church property.

The Bunk House

Today the bunk house sits ready for Coast Electric to connect temporary power. Once we have juice we can test all systems, including the geothermal HV/AC and prepare for occupancy. I posted a long punch list a couple months or so ago. September and October teams completed most of that work. The remaining tasks include:

• Hang vinyl soffit
• Pour concrete slab for walkway
• Caulk porch ceiling
• Box in top of posts and inside of porch ceiling
• Stain wrap-around porch, railing, and exposed wood.
• Screen in lower level

The soffit, which hangs about 20′ above the ground will require some sort of scaffolding to install. We also need some folks not afraid of heights for this job.

We have a slab under the 30′ X 50′ main house, but now we need to build concrete forms and pour a slab under the 8′ wrap around porch and sidewalks out to the stairs.

Having this concrete work complete will open up the next project on the agenda - screening in the lower level. Actually, since the green plate for the screened in area will sit on the existing concrete, we may be able to tackle both these tasks simultaneously.

The Mercy House

I have been so pleased watching the Mercy House come together. I have great hopes for this facility as our church continues to grow in its mercy ministry to the glory of God.

In the next few weeks we hope to have the back porch built which will also serve as a platform for the air conditioning compressor. We also hope to have the slab poured, the electrical, plumbing, HV/AC, and insulation complete. Having these things in place will open the project up for a great amount of work in January including:

• Framing in the lower level
• Wiring the lower level
• Sheet rocking the upper level
• Siding the entire structure
• Laying the tongue and groove flooring on the front porch
• Boxing in the columns
• Installing the balcony railing

The Warehouse

Behind the Mercy House we plan to erect a 30 X 40 metal quonset hut, similar (but smaller) to the one we currently use for worship and other things. The materials for this building were donated a while back but we never had a place in the master plan for it. We do now. This structure will serve as storage for the Mercy House ministry. In January we will need to prepare the site and pour the slab.

The Pump House

The well for the Mercy House sits in the front yard. In order to present an esthetically pleasing front to the Lakeshore Road traffic, we have designed a small 10 X 10 pump house that will match the look and feel of the Mercy House.

Parking Lots

We plan to have crushed limestone parking for the mercy house off of third street, parking for the church property along second street, and parking in front of the bunk house. We will need this property graded for proper drainage and the limestone spread. Having this done will greatly enhance our property for everyone.

The Fellowship Hall

We do not plan to begin the Fellowship Hall until the completion of the Mercy House. Once the distribution center relocates to the new facility, site prep for the new fellowship hall can begin in that space. Please join us in prayer as we continue making plans for this building.

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Dana Madison has pictures up on his web site from a January 2007 trip. He looks to return to Lakeshore with Grace E.C. Church, Knox, PA in January 2010. Thanks for the pictures Dana.

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