Church project 'Reclaims' Gulf Coast
copied from the Evansville Courier & Press
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2008/mar/23/church-project-reclaims-gulf-coast/
By Susan Orr (Contact)
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Lots of Tri-State churches have traveled to help rebuild the Gulf Coast from Hurricane Katrina. American Baptist East has helped so much that its tools are worn out.
Lots of churches have helped rebuild the Gulf Coast since Hurricane Katrina.
But how many have established a continuous presence there, including a fully-equipped volunteer camp that's been used by more than 8,000 volunteers from 32 states?
American Baptist East, for one.
The East Side Evansville congregation is the driving force behind Project Reclaim, a group formed to rebuild Pass Christian, Miss.
To date, American Baptist East's 800 members have given $200,000 to the cause. Their pastor, the Rev. Jeff Stratton, has traveled to the Gulf Coast 28 times.
Youth from the church are traveling there this week.
"Project Reclaim has been very instrumental in supplying us with material, manpower, equipment, money," said Lou Rizzardi, a Pass Christian town alderman.
"Upon request, he (Stratton) seems to send whatever is needed."
Among the volunteer groups that have come to town since the storm, Rizzardi said, Project Reclaim is one of five that still has a continuous presence in the area.
Reclaiming Pass Christian has been a huge job.
Before the storm, Pass Christian had about 6,800 residents, including many retirees. Because of the town's low elevation and location — the west end of town is surrounded on three sides by water — Katrina hit it hard.
"About 75 percent of our town was either completely destroyed or rendered completely uninhabitable," Rizzardi said.
Within the city limits alone, 25 people died.
Project taken from example
What motivated Stratton and his congregation to involve themselves so deeply in helping this little town?
Answers to the question can be traced back to 1990, when a tornado ripped through Petersburg, Ind.
Stratton, who lived there at the time, was appointed as the local disaster recovery chairman.
In this role, he worked with many volunteer groups. While other groups came and went, Stratton recalled, the Mennonites stayed.
In all, it took the town four or five years to rebuild.
Fast-forward to 2005.
Right after Hurricane Katrina hit, Stratton drove to the Salvation Army in Gulfport, Miss., to deliver a load of bottled water.
Seeing the extent of the damage, Stratton had a thought: "We need to do something like the Mennonites did in Petersburg."
He talked to American Baptist denominational officials, who agreed to support such a project. Then Stratton met some officials from Pass Christian, who were receptive to Stratton's offer of long-term help.
"We knew New Orleans, because the national media was there, would get all sorts of attention and Mississippi probably wouldn't," Stratton said.
During the first month after the storm, Stratton and some others from the church drove to Pass Christian every week to deliver emergency supplies and scout out a volunteer work camp site.
Meanwhile, American Baptist East held a tool drive to collect supplies.
In October 2005, Project Reclaim's camp consisted of two camping trailers with a carport between them.
Since then, the site has grown to include apartment-style housing, tents, restroom and shower facilities, a commercial kitchen and a 150-seat dining hall, washers and dryers, a tool storage building and a recreational vehicle area with 12 camp sites for RVs. The camp also has a variety of heavy equipment.
Money for the project has come from various sources, including American Baptist East, the American Baptist denomination, the Salvation Army and corporate donations.
The camp and its equipment are available for use by people who volunteer through Project Reclaim, but also by other groups who need it.
"We've had Methodists, Presbyterians, Mennonites, agnostics, nonchurch people, Southern Baptists," Stratton said.
On the first volunteer trip in October 2005, workers were limited in what they could do because conditions were rough.
"We were just able to do cleanup and some minor repair work," said Chris Campbell of Newburgh, an American Baptist East member who was on that trip.
"A big part of what we did that first week is listen to people's stories."
Other Project Reclaim efforts included providing meals to residents and doing home repair.
Stratton said his group stopped these services once local restaurants and contractors re-established themselves, so as not to compete with them.
The volunteer group's current focus is on housing construction.
Stratton said Project Reclaim will continue to operate until this time next year, or until it finishes with the homes it has left to build — eight under construction now, and 10 more in the pipeline.
Project Reclaim has been so active, Stratton said, that it's worn out its tools.
"We've gotten to the place that all of the tools that we purchased ... now after 2 1/2 years, what isn't worn out or stolen is in pretty difficult repair," he said.
And grant money is harder to come by now than it was earlier on, he said.
The list of what's needed is extensive, from measuring tapes and wheelbarrows to extension cords and sledgehammers.
American Baptist East is accepting donations directly and through Lowe's stores.
Though its tools are worn out, congregation members say Project Reclaim has energized their spirit.
"It definitely breathes life into a church. Not only does it encourage people at the local church level, it supports and grows missions programs in other areas," Campbell said.
Campbell, who is also a volunteer missionary through her denomination nationally, said Project Reclaim has inspired fellow church members to do mission work of their own, whether in Pass Christian or elsewhere.
Church member Lester Steinmetz of Evansville, who was part of the initial volunteer trip with Campbell and others, credits Stratton with keeping Project Reclaim going for so long.
Jeff knows how to get things done," Steinmetz said. "He doesn't push anything on anybody. He asks for help, and he gets it."
Being part of the effort is immensely rewarding, Steinmetz said.
"It's just a heartwarming and a wonderful thing to be able to do to help people."
