WOODWORTH – Allen Clark remembers all too well the havoc Hurricane Katrina caused to South Louisiana.
By Brian Blackwell
Staff Writer
WOODWORTH – Allen Clark remembers all too well the havoc Hurricane Katrina caused to South Louisiana.
Clark’s New Orleans home was left seven feet underwater when the storm
flooded the city Aug. 29, leaving him without many necessities.
On April 1 at Tall Timbers Conference Center in Woodworth, Clark joined
300 other students from Louisiana’s 25 Baptist Collegiate Ministries as
they brought hope to Hurricane Katrina victims. The students
constructed ten 8 by 10 ft. storage sheds for victims of Katrina in New
Orleans as part of a two-day Collegiate Leadership Conference.
“This not only was a way to develop and strengthen our leadership
qualities, but a way to help Katrina victims like myself,” said Tracy,
a senior at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux. “And this was a way
to show the love of Christ to those in need.”
State BCM Director John Moore said the project was different from
previous years, which normally included guest speakers and seminars.
This year, Moore said the students participated in a hands-on missions
project and put their leadership skills into action for people in need.
“Each year, we give these students lots of principles about Chrisitian
leadership,” Moore explained. “But to be forced into a situation where
they put their principles into action is when they really learn.
“So much about leadership is problem solving,” he continued. “We
created a good problem and they had to solve it.”
When the students first arrived at Tall Timbers
March 31, Moore said the collegians were unaware of the task at hand.
“Once we told the students what they would be doing, some of them were
shocked and surprised,” Moore said. “Some of them had never used a
hammer before, but by the end of the weekend the students were
comfortable doing construction work.”
The weekend presented challenges for the collegians. Students not only
had to finish building the storage sheds by 2 p.m. on April 1 but
worked mostly with people they had never met beforehand on one of 10
teams.
“By working with strangers, the students faced such questions as ‘how
can each person on my team use my spiritual gifts to help us achieve
our task’ and ‘how can I involve others on my team who may not have
been as skilled to accomplish the needed tasks,’” Moore explained.
Students worked on the project from 8:30 p.m. March 31 and the last
team put finishing touches on their shed April 1 by 2:30 p.m. The
Louisiana Baptist Builders then transported the sheds to New Orleans
churches, who will distribute the buildings to Katrina victims.
Moore said the most beneficial part of the weekend
for students was working with team members they had not previously met.
“Our theme was Romans 12:1,” he explained. “Many of our students talked
about how they were out of their comfort zone but presented a living
sacrifice to Christ.”
Steven Blaney echoed the thought.
“The hardest part was not knowing people on my team,” said Blaney, a
junior at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston. “I had to get to know
them and find what each team member was good at so we could all
contribute effectively.”
“This project reminded me that leadership isn’t about us,” added Stacy
Rains, a sophomore at McNeese State University in Lake Charles. “It’s
about working for Christ and not just sitting in seminars and taking
notes.”
Amidst the hammering of nails and sawing of wood, students such as
Becky Wallace were able to reflect on the impact the collegians’ work
will have.
“God does so much for us and we do so little for him,” said Wallace, a
senior at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond. “So giving up
our time is not a tough thing to do.
“These people really need this,” she continued. “And
it’s exciting because we know we’re doing something that people will
use.”