VBMB Ministries Related to Hurricane Katrina Recovery

It has been a year since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and caused great devastation. Below is a summary of the ministries that the Virginia Baptist Mission Board has sponsored using the funds that generous Virginia Baptists sent to aid disaster response and recovery:

• During the initial disaster relief response, Virginia Baptists involved their two feeding units, one in Picayune, MS and the other in Slidell, LA.  These kitchens combined to prepare nearly 500,000 meals.  Crisis Care Chaplains and debris clean up/home cover up teams also responded.
• In recovery operations since the initial relief response, Virginia Baptists have partnered with First Baptist Church, Gautier, MS, Crosspoint Church, Gulfport, MS, Pearl River Baptist Association (MS), Grace Memorial Baptist Church, Slidell, LA and Port Sulphur Baptist Church, Port Sulphur, LA in involving volunteers to recover/repair/rebuild homes and in distribution of relief items such as food and water.  More than 75 teams made up of more than 1500 volunteers have traveled or are scheduled to travel to the Gulf Coast to assist in these ministries.
• Virginia Baptists are partnering with Habitat for Humanity International and with their Jackson County, MS affiliate in funding ($300,000) and building four new houses for Katrina victims.
• Approximately $200,000 have been provided to the Port Sulphur Baptist Church to purchase modular buildings to replace their sanctuary, fellowship/education building and pastor’s home.
• Approximately $250,000 have been provided to First Baptist Church, Gautier to assist with expenses of repairs to their church facilities and to purchase construction materials for volunteers’ use in home repair ministries based from FBC,G.
• $100,000 were provided to Broadmore Baptist Church in Gulfport, MS to assist with repairs to their church’s facilities.
• $200,000 were provided to Crosspoint Church in Gulfport to fund materials for home repair ministry based from that church and to assist with their church facilities.
• Approximately $110,000 were provided to the Jackson County (MS) Baptist Association to assist with expenses related to materials for the home repair ministries based from their association and with expenses related to replacing their Seafarers’ Ministries facilities and repairs to their Collegiate Ministries facility.
• $25,000 was provided to Grace Memorial Baptist Church in Slidell to purchase materials for home repair ministries based from that church.