Church blessing overflows to the community
Published 6:17 pm Friday, January 26, 2018
- Memorial Baptist Church in Port Arthur was chosen by Samaritan’s Purse for a $300,000 grant. The church will buy the material and pay for the labor to rebuild and the organization will reimburse the church.
Like many Port Arthurans, Tropical Storm Harvey did a number on Memorial Baptist Church at Memorial Boulevard and 39th Street.
A blessing, however, is coming to the church.
The Rev. Bill Brazell, pastor of the church, said Samaritan’s Purse, (Franklin Graham’s organization) selected the church for a $300,000 grant. The church will buy the material and pay for the labor to rebuild and the organization will reimburse the church.
“We didn’t have flood insurance. This is a blessing for us,” Brazell said.
The church already gutted four feet up from the floor a 27,000 square-feet in area. All of their furniture and equipment were lost. However, they’re back in their worship center on bare concrete floors.
Christian Aid Ministries is assisting the church, partially restoring two-thirds of the building, but there’s still many things left to do.
Christian Aid Ministries’ website described themselves as striving to be a trustworthy and efficient channel for Amish, Mennonite, and other conservative Anabaptist groups and individuals to minister to physical and spiritual needs around the world. This is in response to the command, “. . . do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). Their goal is to connect people who want to help with people who need help. One of those ministries is to clean up and rebuild for survivors of natural disasters in the United States.
“Christian Aid Ministries is staying in our church, volunteering their labor and repairing homes in Port Arthur. They’re from Kentucky,” he said. “They’ll be here until the end of April. They’ll be back in the fall to do it again.”
Brazell said they’re trying to get names of families who need help who didn’t have flood insurance or not enough insurance. They also met with Derrick Freeman, mayor of Port Arthur, to let him know about the ministry.
“They want to reach out and show God’s love,” he said.
Additionally, the Henry family from Bossier City, Louisiana raised $3,800 for Harvey victims.
Their children made Kleenex box covers and sold them to donate to the church.
