By Brian Blackwell, Baptist Message staff writer
ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – For the last five years, Mike Shumock has helped restore numerous Louisiana Baptist churches as Gospel mission centers by leading the rebuild or repair of their facilities.
Shumock is set to retire Feb. 28 as the mission builder strategist for Louisiana Baptists, but his calling to help churches with construction projects is far from over.
“I realize God gifts everyone,” Shumock told the Baptist Message. “God gifted me to build and use my hands and come alongside and work with people in need. It’s satisfying to know without a doubt people who needed help rebuilding were able to fulfill that through the efforts of myself and so many volunteers who had a common love and that is to help others in Jesus’ name.”
CALLED
Shumock’s journey began in 1974 at Wade Baptist Church, Moss Point, Mississippi, when he realized he was a sinner and needed to surrender his life to Jesus. A year later, he accepted the call to ministry and became the church’s youth minister.
For the next four decades, Shumock combined his passion for construction with a love for ministry.
Shumock worked for several construction companies in the early 1980s, before he pastored his first church, Valley View Church, Eagle River, Alaska (1984-1990). He also served as pastor of two other churches: Bellevue Baptist Church, Hattiesburg, Mississippi (1990-2002), and East Fork Baptist Church, Kentwood (2009-2016).
During his time at the three churches, Shumock oversaw their respective building projects: adding a worship center and education wing at Bellevue Baptist; remodeling the fellowship hall and kitchen at Bellevue Baptist; and renovating the worship center and fellowship hall at East Fork Baptist.
In August 2016, Shumock received a request from Louisiana Baptist Missions and Ministries Director John Hebert to recruit volunteers to rebuild churches and pastors’ homes that had sustained significant damage from a historic flood in southern Louisiana.
As much as two feet of rain fell within 48 hours on parts of East Baton Rouge, Livingston and St. Helena parishes during Aug. 12-13, 2016, in what was described as a “1,000-year” rain event in these areas according to the Low[1]er Mississippi River Forecast Center. Other parishes saw a two-day rainfall determined to be a “100-year” event — these included Tangipahoa, East Feliciana, Washington, Ascension, Lafayette, Iberville and St. Martin.
The result of the two-day inundation was historic flooding in southern Louisiana with tens of thousands of homes and hundreds of thousands of people impacted, including more than 60 Louisiana Baptist churches and the houses of at least 20 Louisiana Baptist pastors.
A year later, Shumock became the mission builder strategist and coordinated 16 projects while serving in that position.
APPRECIATED
Hebert said he is grateful for Shumock’s service.
“He has been a vital part of the missions team and has saved churches and missions hundreds of thousands of dollars during this time,” Hebert said. “He has worked to secure individuals and groups to help the Louisiana effort to reach this state with a Gospel witness. His work has stabilized our volunteer mobilization ministry within our state and elsewhere, and our program is in better shape than it’s been in years. Louisiana Baptist should be grateful for his ministry.”
Jeffery Friend, pastor of Suburban Baptist Church, New Orleans, formed a close friendship with Shumock during the rebuild of the church’s worship center and education building that had sustained heavy damage from an EF-3 tornado on Feb. 7, 2017.
“My friend had one rule on the job, which is, ‘There’s one boss — and it was him,’” Friend quipped. “We talk regularly, and friends are expected to do. The greatest joy I have from what took place five years ago is that we are still holding services because of what God did through Mike Shumock. God blessed me with a life-long friend and brother.”
In retirement, Shumock plans to still be active in preaching and church construction projects. He also will spend more time with his children and grandchildren, all who reside in Brandon, Mississippi.
“I appreciate all the volunteers and people I have met over the years who have come alongside us to work on the churches and projects,” Shumock said. “I have lifelong friends that I’ve made who will keep helping build the Kingdom through Mission Builders long after I am gone. For that, I am grateful to God.”
