Virginia Baptists conclude two-year recovery effort in south Louisiana

PORT SULPHUR, La. — Virginia Baptists concluded their more than two-year assistance to south Louisiana’s victims of Hurricane Katrina with a Sept. 26-27 celebration at Port Sulphur Baptist Church — one of the congreations hardest hit and the focus of dozens of Virginia Baptist mission teams.

Representatives from the Virginia Baptist Mission Board and the local Committee for Plaquemines Recovery (CPR) gathered on Saturday, Sept. 26, at Port Sulphur Baptist Church with congregational leaders to celebrate the success and conclusion of the two-year partnership between the VBMB and the CPR.

The relationship began in June 2007, almost two years after Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc along the Gulf Coast. Many communities still had not recovered from the deadly storm.

The CPR contacted Terry Raines, the VBMB’s mobile mission and disaster relief coordinator, and asked for volunteers to help with construction of houses in lower Plaquemines Parish.  At the time, the CPR had funding for construction materials, but needed volunteers to provide labor. Unfortunately, the CPR did not have an infrastructure in place to facilitate construction activities or to organize volunteers, so Raines was unable immediately to commit volunteers as requested.

That was not the end of the story, however. Recognizing the significant need for recovery in Plaquemines Parish, Raines suggested that the VBMB help the CPR develop the infrastructure needed to oversee the construction and organize volunteer teams. In October 2007, four Venturers — Virginia Baptists’ short-term mission workers — were assigned to serve as the rebuild coordination staff for CPR. By late December and early January 2008, plans for construction and the facilities to host volunteers were in place and mission teams from Virginia began pouring into the region.

During the two-year partnership, the VBMB provided approximately $350,000 for the volunteer base camp, operating budget needs and other infrastructural expenses to keep volunteers efficiently at work building houses. While the funding was necessary to support the recovery efforts, the most significant contribution towards the recovery of Plaquemines Parish came from the hearts, minds and bodies of over 1,300 Virginia Baptist volunteers.

Throughout 2008 and 2009, there were few open weeks when Virginia Baptists were not working somewhere in the parish. These volunteers, working as part of CPR, gutted and rebuilt six houses and completely built 24 houses from the ground up.

In remarks during the Sept. 26-27 celebration, Pastor Lynn Rodrigue of Port Sulphur Baptist Church recalled his thoughts when he first returned after Katrina. “When I drove in, I said, ‘It’s over with in this parish.’ It was destroyed — I mean, nothing was left.”

He recognized the importance of the work done by volunteers through the CPR, saying, “Where would these homeowners be if it wasn’t for CPR? I want to thank CPR for what they did to restore hope for the people of this parish.”

In 2007, a Virginia Baptist Mission Board team assessed damage in a church destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. (Photo by Alice Rusher)

As part of the September celebration, the CPR gave special recognition to the VBMB Venturers who had served as part of the CPR staff for two years. Rick Kesterson served as construction manager, coordinating building plans, permits and materials; his wife, Melissa, provided administrative support. Bruce LePoint served as volunteer coordinator, overseeing the activities and facilities necessary for hosting the many teams coming to work throughout the year; his wife, Erin, provided administrative support.

While recognizing the work of the four Venturers, Bishop Wilfret Johnson, chair of the CPR executive committee, said, “All the work in our parish, our rebuild organization, would not have been what it is if it had not been for the group that you see here today. ”

Each Venturer was presented with a plaque recognizing their dedication and contributions to the recovery efforts in Plaquemines Parish.

The Venturers have concluded their terms of service with the CPR and the formal partnership has ended, but throughout the state of Virginia, there are hundreds of people who will always have a special connection with the residents of Plaquemines Parish.

After serving on a mission team from Lynchburg Baptist Association, Kaci Ann Hall said, “As I was working on Mr. VanDo’s home, I had a sense of God’s servant hood that I have never felt before .…  Thank God I had a chance to make someone’s dream come true!” Plaquemines resident Leona Bartholomew, whose house was built by Virginia Baptist volunteers, said, “Thank God for those people that came and helped — very, very grateful for them.”

The CPR is continuing to seek funding to carry on with their construction efforts and, according to Raines, if they begin construction again and request volunteers, Virginia Baptists will once more make the thousand mile trek to help their neighbors in Plaquemines Parish.

Tidbits about Virginia Baptists’ Katrina relief and recovery efforts:

• The week Katrina hit Louisiana in August of 2005 was the first week Terry Raines and Nichole Bulls began their work supporting disaster relief for the Virginia Baptist Mission Board.
• When Raines met with the mayor of Picayune, Miss., shortly after Katrina hit, the mayor said, “You all are the first people from the outside who have been here to come and help us.  We prayed this morning that someone would come and here you are.  We thank God for you.”
• When the VBMB team arrived in Hattiesburg, Miss., to purchase food to restock the disaster relief feeding unit operating in Picayune, the Sam’s Club was closing because of the storm-related curfew. Compassion ruled the day, however, when a local police officer along with the Sam’s Club manager decided it was important to remain open to help those in need.
• Virginia Baptists have sent over 1,300 volunteers to the CPR since October 2007. Counting an average of eight hours worked each day and five days worked each week, these Virginia Baptist volunteers have given more than 52,000 hours of service to the CPR’s rebuild effort.
• For additional information and photos about Virginia Baptists' relief efforts on the Gulf Coast, go here.

Carol Seeley is a staff member of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board.