Methodist Volunteers to Waveland, MS

Waynesboro Men in Mississippi

Methodist Volunteers in Mississippi
During the last week of September, a group of eight Methodist Men from Waynesboro, Georgia traveled to Waveland, Mississippi to offer assistance with post-Katrina reconstruction. Coordinated by the Conference of the Methodist Church there, headquarters assigned the group to three different projects in the community based on the skills the men brought with them to the job site.
One contingent spent four days installing drywall on a house going up for a refugee family while another group spent their time installing plumbing fixtures on emergency showers at a church in the community and completing a dishwasher and ice machine installation at another church.
There are eight-work sites volunteers work from in Mississippi for the Methodist Church with Waveland being one of those. Located on the Gulf shore, the temporary US Navy barracks provided housing for the many work teams that schedule volunteer work. Groups from Alabama, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Florida and Missouri joined the Georgia group. For a small fee, food is supplied on site, but each team provided kitchen personnel. Formerly, the site was a resort conference center for Mississippi Methodists and was on one of the most attractive beach strips in the state before Hurricane Katrina’s forty feet storm surge washed ashore and completely demolished the popular area.
Much remains to be done there. Other churches may contact the Methodist Conference offices in Meridian for details.

John Hamilton
First United Methodist Church
Waynesboro, GA
johnhami@bellsouth.net