Easter 2009

The Easter morning worship service concluded with the singing of the Hallelujah. This was the finale to a service that was filled with joyful music and baptism of five high school youth. During the Sunday school hour the children enjoyed an Easter egg hunt. Since the rain prevented the outdoor hunt, children searched the sanctuary for eggs. See photos from the day below.

Eden sends delegation to work with Mennonite Disaster Service

On Saturday, March 14 an MDS van filled with Eden and other community members left for the Gulf coast to work with Mennonite Disaster Service for the week. They were headed to the New Iberia, Louisiana MDS site. During the week they worked on three houses in the city of Franklin. These homes were owned by people who experienced a double whammy, first being hit by Hurricane Rita, then two years later, by Hurricane Gustav. The Eden group worked with other MDS volunteers from Canada, Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Ohio.

For more information about the storms that hit this area and what MDS is doing and has done go to http://mds.mennonite.net/projects/new_iberia_la/  See pictures from the week Eden members were there below.

Christian Home Builders S.S. Class Supports Church in New Orleans

After Hurricane Katrina went through the Gulf Coast many churches not only lost their buildings, but their members were scattered. The CHB class heard about Churches Supporting Churches, a group initiated by six denominations and three ecumenical movements working to recreate a network of communities from the ground up. They contacted Mennonite Church USA who is working with the CSC program and were teamed up with the Mercy Seat Baptist Church. Mercy Seat was one of the churches completed destroyed in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans.

When several members of the class went to the Gulf Coast to work with Mennonite Disaster Service, (March 15-21), they took the opportunity to meet with Pastor Malcolm Collins, pastor of Mercy Seat Baptist Church. He took them to the Lower 9th Ward and showed them where the church had been, describing the community prior to Katrina and the barriers that are keeping people from returning. With a regular Sunday morning attendance of 250 people at the Mercy Seat Baptist Church prior to Katrina, only 12 families have returned. The schools in the Lower 9th Ward have not been rebuilt, stores haven't reopened, and other roadblocks to rebuilding, are just a few of the barriers that have kept families from coming back. Pastor Malcolm is just one of the pastors working to replace the structures and support systems that make it possible for more families to return home. He has aided families of the congregation by mowing their now empty lots to keep the city from taking the lots by eminent domain.

The Mercy Seat Baptist Church had two additional buildings that were not completely destroyed by the flooding that devastated their community. Both of these buildings were heavily damaged, and need rehabilitation. One building, located directly behind the church was used as a community center. Pastor Malcolm shared that the building had been used for various activities of the church, including an after-school program for children. Several blocks from the church stands a house, also owned by the church, that if renovated, could be made into 4 apartments. Renovating the house would enable 4 families to return to the community. Pastor Malcolm has many dreams for rebuilding the community, but is realistic when talking about the current roadblocks.

With the support from Churches Supporting Churches, perhaps some of those dreams and goals for his community can be attained. Below are pictures from Mercy Seat.