June 1, 2006
God’s Kingdom Agenda
“With hurricane season beginning again, Alliance relief workers in Waveland, Mississippi, are looking for a church to move to,” says Don Young, pastor of Genesis (Alliance) Church in Foley, Alabama, who spearheaded the project in partnership with Pastor Rick Long from Christian Life Center in Foley. “It’s been nine months since Hurricane Katrina devastated this area,” says Young, “and we still have much to do.”
From meeting urgent needs immediately after the August 2005 hurricane to the clean-up of tons of debris to the current rebuilding stage, Young and his partners in ministry have lived up to their commitment to be there for “the long haul.” To date, more than 3,500 volunteers from across the country, mostly from Alliance churches, have given their time, strength, and love to the people of Waveland as well as New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have poured in to make the effort possible.
In anticipation of another summer of storms, Young says that it’s important to finish the current building projects before going on to the next. Volunteer teams from an average of 1,000 miles away are rebuilding ten homes a day. Gulf Coast residents are praying that they won’t get hit with another storm like Katrina but realize that even a miss could bring torrential rains and flooding. “We are weatherizing the homes, working to finish roofs to protect the work that’s been done.”
Many residents, amazed by the unsolicited commitment to help rebuild Waveland and the outpouring of love, have realized their need for Jesus and have accepted Him as their Savior. “We have a core group of about sixty people,” says Young. A couple who were missionaries in Kosovo are being considered to pastor the young congregation.
In conjunction with the church plant, a community center is planned. “The mayor told us there is a need for a gym that would provide an outlet for youth,” Young says. “With a generous donation of $85,000 from the C&MA in Canada, the need will be met.” The center will include the gym as well as occupational and educational resources. “This will be a tool for civic outreach.”
Out of the debris and rubble left in the wake of the storm, the Lord’s grace and provision are evident. “[It] all comes from God,” says Young. “Contributions have come from many sources, including Compassion and Mercy Associates, the C&MA’s relief arm, Alliance churches, World Relief, Willow Creek Church [Chicago], and people we don’t know.”
As the church plant is established and becomes self-sufficient and self-supporting, Young’s vision is to see it, in time, assume responsibility to continue the rebuilding efforts. “Our focus is to plant the church so the church can carry on the work that was started here.”
Young’s vision for future ministry has expanded beyond Waveland. “Although we’ll be in the background, still raising support and awareness,” Young believes God has called him and a committed team of volunteers to go to the next community that is hit by a hurricane. “We have decided that the Lord has called us to be first-responders,” says Young. “We are building a warehouse for equipment garnished during the past nine months so that when the next hurricane hits, we’ll be ready.” Young and his team will spend approximately forty-five days in affected areas, where they can meet immediate needs, identify a church to continue the work, and help to raise support as it does the job. “We learned well as [Alliance] missionaries, so we’re applying what we were taught on the home front,” he says. “It works when you let God have a Kingdom agenda.”