Back Bay Mission - Biloxi, Mississippi

We arrived in Biloxi on Tuesday, and headed over to the United Church of Christ affiliated Back Bay Mission, to join up with Pastor Natalie's church group from Lenox, MA. They were off at a work site, mudding dry-wall in a home that BBM is slowly rebuilding with volunteer help. We were on support duty and set about fixing dinner (our "famous" Chicken Marbella receipe which we dragged in a cooler from Slidell) for a dozen or so people in the crew.

Back Bay Mission was founded in 1922 by the First Evangelical Church (later becomes UCC) to help the needs of poor "fisher folk" in the Biloxi area. In these last 80 years, it has grown to a staff of 7 FT and 4 PT employees who work with people who are impoverished and marginalized by poverty, race, lack of education, homelessness and (now) the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Over 65,000 homes in the greater area were destroyed and 64,000 severely damaged, and most of those affected in Biloxi have few resources available. BBM itself lost 6 out its 7 buildings, but was able to get up and running again only a few weeks after the storm, with donated work trailers and an onslaught of volunteers from faith-based groups all over the country.

The smiling fellow in the truck is John, who has been down here volunteering at BBM since December with his wife Pam (showing off her Tshirt). Hailing from a UCC church in Evansville, Indiania, they coordinate the work crews who come down to dig out and rebuild homes, and are an amazing example of what "creative retirement" can look like!

You also see Chris on the floor, assembling office furniture and accompanied by Don Morgan (UCC pastor described in previous post) who serves as the Volunteer Coordinator for the organization. Thursday was a happy day for the whole place, as they finally were able to move into their new office buildings and out of the trailers where the 11 staff members have been crammed since Katrina. Our group helped move furniture, then spent much of Friday dismantling a wooden ramp and deck that connected the trailers.

Be sure to go to the Back Bay Mission website (just search with that title) for more details on their amazing work. -Anne