MDS and United Church of Christ Volunteers Share Hammers as they Rebuild Homes in Little Woods, New Orleans

BY: BRIAN PIPKIN

New Orleans, La. - “Sharing the hammer at project sites is kingdom work at its best,” says Scott Sundberg, MDS Director of Communications when describing the partnership between Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) and Church World Service (CWS).

Unity has too easily become a scarce virtue in a polarized culture, such as the United States, for religious and political reasons. For some, ecumenical cooperation is the boogeyman in disguise. Although some groups and denominations are cautious of ecumenical partnerships for reasons of fear, other groups are setting aside peripheral beliefs to better humanity by tangibly being the hands and feet of Jesus.

MDS is currently partnering with CWS in a faith based blitz that is aimed at rebuilding 13 homes in the Little Woods neighborhood in New Orleans. CWS has organized ten organizations, including MDS, from April 20 to May 15, to repair damaged homes from Hurricane Katrina. 

MDS not only committed volunteers for this project, but financial support as well. 

The Little Woods community was picked for a few reasons. First, the neighborhood is diverse. Second, it has received very little attention. Third, the neighborhood has the unique potential for the ecumenical community to make a large and lasting impact. In other words, aside from returning families home, the hope is that ecumenical partnership will generate enough attention to inspire other groups to re-invest their time and money into communities that have been economically unable to return home.  

The night before the first week of the partnership build, David Wiebe, MDS Project Director in New Orleans, told volunteers who just arrived, mostly from Manitoba, Canada, “If you look around, you will notice that many neighborhoods still have yet to be rebuilt.” He continued, “While many middle to upper class communities are up and running, families are still without their homes in lower income communities.”

Wiebe concluded the orientation with a heartfelt appeal. “Remember, you’re not just here to work, but to listen to homeowners. That, too, is a major part of their recovery.”

The building blitz kicked off the first day with a morning gathering hosted by CWS. During that time, CWS had each participating group symbolically hammer ten nails in one plank of wood, symbolizing their unity and commitment to helping people return home. It was a moving testimony.    

Following the orientation, six MDS and six United Church of Christ (UCC) volunteers began work at a house that MDS supervised.  

Wayne Stucky, MDS crew leader who has been with MDS for four years, supervised one of the MDS houses that partnered with CWS. Stucky was pleasantly astonished at how quickly a group of strangers came together in a matter of minutes, laughing, telling construction stories and giving each other a helping hand. “This is going much better than I thought,” said Stucky while watching the crew finish installing the last section of insulation. “It is amazing to see how fast work is getting done.” The group of 12 insulated the entire house by late afternoon.   

Disaster recovery is always about partnering, not just with other denominations, but with survivors, sharing their vision of returning home and trying to make their journey a reality. Building relationships, many MDS volunteers will say, is one of their most valuable experiences during a service project.

The next evening, Tuesday, CWS hosted a dinner for volunteers at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church, located in the Little Woods community. During the meal (jambalaya, red beans, rice and bread pudding), MDS volunteers were able to sit with one homeowner, Gloria, in which some volunteers helped fix her house. Over dinner, Gloria’s most famous statement when describing how she felt after receiving the news that her house will be repaired said only two words “abundantly blessed.” She repeated this three times, the last with tears in her eyes. The same expression of gratitude that MDS volunteers hear when serving at projects was repeated whether you are in Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma or California; “if it were not for volunteers like you, I wouldn’t be home.”

Overall, Stucky was more than just happy from the partnership build, he was delighted. “Aside from the obvious challenges that arise from a partnership build like this, it is a wonderful witness,” he said.

Repaired houses give hope, for obvious reasons. If your neighbor could do it with very little resources, coupled with visibly watching volunteers build with no labor costs, then it makes room for a dream to transform into a reality. Rebuilt houses serve as symbols of restoration – they inspire others to return home despite economic obstacles. The most expensive journey for disaster survivors returning home is the cost of labor, and that is what these volunteers are providing – free labor.

As the second week of the ecumenical build began, MDS volunteers had the opportunity to share hammers, not only with UCC but with Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC).

“There is no benefit to being Lone Rangers out there,” says Scott Sundberg. “MDS could not do what it does if it wasn’t partnering with other organizations.”