State of the Church!

Here we are just over 20 months after the nation’s worst natural disaster roared across the once-beautiful beaches and cities of south Mississippi. To call these months since the storm surreal would be something of an understatement! But that’s the first thing that comes to my mind.

I hope I will always remember the first Sunday that we worshiped together after the hurricane. There was not a dry eye among us, as many met their new pastor for the first time and saw one another for the first time since the storm. It was a living, breathing illustration of Psalm 84:10, “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere” (ESV, emphasis added). If you’ve ever wondered how anyone in their right mind could say the words of that psalm and actually mean them, you should have been worshiping with us on those first few Sundays after the hurricane. There was no place else we wanted to be than in Katrina-ravaged Gulfport, MS, side by side with one another, worshiping the Lord and singing “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow!” That’s a picture I hope I never forget.

Another thing that I hope I never forget is the love and support of so many of you, our brothers and sisters from around the world, who sacrificed your time and your resources to show us the love of Christ and to encourage us. Those of you who have faced tremendous loss and have had a brother or sister come along side, not like Job’s friends, but with the compassion of Christ, you will know what it has been like for us to have thousands of you come down and pray and give financially. I tell people the feeling is a lot like being abandoned in a desert (although I have to admit that I’ve never been abandoned in a desert—and really don’t want to be!) with no water and no prospect for any and, just when you are about to give up because you don’t know how you’re going to make it or what you’re going to do, a van pulls up with all the water you need! And, more than that, with company too, so you don’t have to spend your desert days and nights alone. Thank you! We have formed deep and lasting friendships with many of you. We miss you when you’re away and look forward to your return.

It is for those of you who have shouldered our burden that I write these words. I want you to know how much we appreciate your labors, sacrifices, and supplications on our behalf. But I also want you to know that our hour of need is not past. We need you now at least as much as ever. We need you to remain steadfast in partnering with us. We need your help, and here are a few of the ways that we do:

1. We currently have a contract to purchase a tract of land north of I-10. But there is a significant portion of wetlands on the proposed property and that is causing frustrating delays in our moving forward. Please pray for the Lord’s provision here.

2. Building costs on the Coast have skyrocketed! As of today, we have learned that the cost to build a multi-purpose building with office space and Sunday school rooms will be upwards of $315 per square foot, not including the land cost. At that cost, replacing the facility we had before the hurricane would cost over $10 million. And we have only $1.7 million in insurance proceeds (barely enough to build ½ a gymnasium with no office/classroom space at the current prices). Please pray that the Lord would raise up “cheerful givers” to help us build a facility of our own that will at least meet our immediate needs.

3. Pray for the work of the gospel both in our church and in our community. Pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit all along the Coast and throughout the nation.

4. Our Camp Hope ministry has been operating in the red for the last few months. It costs an average of $25,000-$30,000 per month to run this ministry (we pay for all the materials for the storm-damaged homes that we repair and all the food/camp costs to house the volunteers that come down). Please pray for the Lord’s provision here too.

5. If you are a retired minister and would be willing to move down here to help out, even if it is only for a portion of the year, let us know. We have plenty of work for you! Even if you are not a retired minister (just plain retired), and would be willing to move down to help out, please let us know. Pray that the Lord would raise up retired individuals, who would be willing to move here to help.

6. Camp Hope is booked solid through the summer months (thank you!). But we have many open weeks with no volunteers at all beginning in September through the end of the calendar year. Call Heather Carter at 228-697-7950 or email her at hcarter@fpcgulfport.org for more information on scheduling a group to come down.

7. If you would like a group from our church to come and speak to your church about the needs that we have and the ways in which you could be involved, please let us know. We would be happy to work with you and your church in this way. Please call or email Heather about this too.

Once again, let me assure you of our profound appreciation for the ways in which you have supported and encouraged us over the last 20 months. But please remember that we have a long way to go. Believe me, I know that the sheer volume of the need along the Coast is overwhelming. But I also know that our Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills…and much, much more! As Haggai reminds us, the silver is His and the gold is His (Hagg. 2:8). Surely our needs are as nothing to Him! Join with us in our 21st century rebuilding, as we trust the Lord to build His house.