Following the extraordinary outpouring of generosity by CFBC members to help Katrina and Rita victims, the staff council formed a committee to research additional ministry opportunities for those churches and families affected by the storms. A number of projects have been identified, as summarized below.

Pass Christian Updates

Commitments

Mississippi Gulf Coast
FBC Pass Christian: Construct children's building, FBC Pass Christian	$350,000 $473,715
FBC Gulfport: Replace sound equipment	35,704
Texas Gulf Coast
Nehemiah's Vision: Volunteer coordinator salaries	75,000
Nehemiah's Vision: Purchase fork lift	14,000
Nehemiah's Vision: Church repair materials	3,000
Texas Baptist Men: Purchase disaster relief tilt-bed truck	75,607
Houston-Area Katrina Evacuee Assistance
After-school Programs for Middle Schoolers	40,000
TOTAL TO-DATE	$717,027

Mississippi Gulf Coast

We are working with the First Baptist Church of Pass Christian, Mississippi on plans to construct a children's building suitable to serve as a day care facility. We have reviewed the requirements of the Mississippi Dept. of Health governing construction and operation of such a facility and are working with an architectural firm, PolyEngineering of Dothan, Alabama, on preliminary design schemes. A master plan for the property, including location of the replacement building for the worship center, is near completion. The children's building will be approximately 3,200 square feet and will accommodate up to 50 pre-schoolers. Preliminary drawings are nearing completion with detailed plans to follow.

Texas Gulf Coast

CFBC has partnered with a non-profit organization named "Nehemiah's Vision" to help repair homes and rebuild communities in Beaumont-Orange-Port Arthur area including Vidor and other towns throughout East Texas. Funds have been provided by CFBC for the employment of several experienced construction foremen to coordinate the large number of housing repair requests. This will cost $ 35,000 for the balance of the year, with CFBC reimbursing Nehemiah's Vision for these costs. We also recently provided $3000 to Nehemiah's Vision to meet a short-term priority need to purchase badly needed materials.

Volunteer teams from Baptist churches throughout the country work with Nehemiah's Vision to help cleanup debris, re-roof homes, and provide a variety of other repairs. CFBC is partnering with Nehemiah's Vision to rehabilitate a donated nursing home facility that was damaged in the hurricane. The facility will then be used to house and feed volunteer teams for the next two to three years that will be needed to meet the large backlog of requests for assistance. Title to the nursing home was transferred to FBC, Vidor on Sunday, June 11. A work list of rehab projects will be developed suitable for volunteer teams to accomplish. This will provide opportunities for volunteer work teams from CFBC to participate in the work.

See www.nehemiahsvision.com for additional information.

Other Initiatives

The committee is continuing efforts to identify other needs and opportunities to minister.

We are funding the purchase of a heavy-duty tilt-bed truck for the Texas Baptist Men's disaster relief organization. Texas Baptist Men have operated a disaster relief fleet since 1967. The truck will be designed to quickly load and transport containers full of emergency supplies and equipment to disaster sites. It will become part of a large existing fleet of emergency equipment that has been used all over the country for hurricanes and other similar disasters to which the Texas Baptist Men and their volunteers respond. The truck, costing $ 75,706, will be ready for service about August 15. Watch this website for photos, coming soon.

On the local level, CFBC recently agreed to join the PEACE organization (Parents and Educators Advocating Child Enrichment). This is a joint project of local churches and school districts to provide after-school programs for Middle School “latch-key” kids, many of whom are Katrina evacuees still attending schools in our area. We will provide scholarships for evacuee middle-schoolers of $1000 each for 40 kids. This will pay for a YMCA-administered program for the upcoming school year. Our involvement in PEACE will also offer opportunities for volunteers who want to work with these kids.

For more information, please visit peaceprojectonline.org.