“Mountain Hope is a Christ-centered initiative which seeks to offer hope with people in and around three of Kentucky’s poorest counties.”
Below is a link to the Extreme Build 2009 survey. Kentucky Baptist Fellowship would like for all participants to share their opinion and thoughts about the build. We value your views as we evaluate our time in McCreary County.
Daily updates from the McCreary County Extreme Build are available in our Email Archives section on the KBF website.
On Thursday, March 5, over 60 people gathered at the Nada mission for a community development workshop led by Father John Rausch (Click here for Bio Information). The night offered a wonderful meal, time for fellowship, and networking among leaders, residents and volunteers for Nada and Owsley County. Both groups dreamed of how they could impact their communities including what they would want from churches and individuals by way of partnership. Most of the evening was dedicated to breakout sessions; one group focused on Nada adults, one group focused on Nada youth, and one group focusd on Owsley County. During these breakouts Father Rausch encouraged the group to channel their energy on what they can do now and determine what small step can be accomplished soon. The evening ended with continued discussion on “Where does this community go from here?”; a wonderful question for all leaders to be asking. This conference was another step in a long journey as we continue to partner through Mountain Hope in McCreary County, Nada, and Owsley County. If you are interested in serving or would like more information about these areas in Eastern Kentucky, please email Joshua Speight
KENTUCKY BAPTIST FELLOWSHIP TO HOLD 2009 MOUNTAIN HOPE CONFERENCE
CAPTURING A DREAM IN THE MOUNTAINS: BOLD THINKING WITHIN THE BEAUTY OF CREATION
WITH FATHER JOHN RAUSCH
THURSDAY, MARCH 5 AND FRIDAY, MARCH 6
NADA BAPTIST MISSION, NADA, KENTUCKY
Thursday Dinner: 5-6 pm ($3)
Thursday Workshop: 6-9 pm
Friday Continental Breakfast: 8 am
Friday Orientation, Planning & Site Visits for Summer Teams: 9 am
*to register or for more info, contact the KBF office at 502-426-1931
PLEASE SEE ATTACHED FLYER FOR MORE INFORMATION!
Let’s Build a House for Paula & Travis in McCreary County!
ONLINE REGISTRATION FOR EXTREME BUILD 2009 HERE
OR DOWNLOAD, COMPLETE AND MAIL 2009 REGISTRATION FORM HERE
Kentucky Baptist Fellowship, in partnership with McCreary County Community Housing Development (McCHDO) and Kentucky Highlands Community Development Corporation (KHCDC), will build its fourth house. Approximatley 150 volunteers will gather June 3-13 in Whitley City of McCreary County to build a house from the ground up. We hope you will join us as we “Build Up Hope” for Paula and McCreary County.
EXTREME BUILD SCHEDULE
Wednesday-Friday, June 3-5: Pre-Build
On site preparation for Extreme Build. Floor trusses, load in CORE, build walls.
Friday, June 5, Kick-Off Celebration & Picnic, Sand Hill Camp
6:00 pm Registration
6:30 pm Cook-out/Kentucky Wind Concert
7:00 pm Extreme Build Rally
Saturday, June 6, Raise the Roof
Full work day on site to raise walls and roof.
Sunday, June 7, Worship and Community Celebration
Attend worship services at local churches.
Afternoon “Meet and Greet” with community on Main Street.
Monday-Friday, June 8-12, Extreme Build, Sharon Home Site
On site work will begin at 7:00 am until approximately 6:00 pm each day.
Lunch on site, breakfast and dinner at First Baptist Church of Whitley City.
Saturday, June 13, House Dedication, Sharon Home Site
12:00 pm Celebration Picnic
1:00 pm House Dedication Ceremony
DAILY SCHEDULE
6AM - Breakfast at First Baptist Church Whitley City
6:45AM - Shuttles depart for build site, Crew Leader Meeting on Build Site
7AM - Devotional & Morning Prayer on Build Sit, 1st Shift Begins Work
Noon - Lunch on Build Site, 2nd Shift Begins Work
6:30PM - Dinner at FBC Whitley City
8PM - Build Site Closed
REGISTRATION* & LODGING
$100 per person (Includes meals, t-shirt & donation to build)
*DEADLINE TO REGISTER - APRIL 15
ALL ROOMS AND RATES AVAILABLE UNTIL APRIL 15 (PLEASE CONFIRM RESERVATION BY THIS DEADLINE)
Best Western South Fork Inn
1116 N Highway 27
Whitley City, KY 42653
606-376-3788
$69 + tax (Breakfast bar included, pool)
Best Western Website
Parkland Motel
1950 S Hwy 27
Stearns, KY 42647
866-376-9277
$41 + tax Single/$45 + tax double (pool)
Parkland Motel Website
Big South Fork Motor Lodge
Bruce Street
Stearns, KY
606-376-3156
$45 + tax Single/$50 + tax double (pool)
Tools
Please bring along any of your own tools listed below for your use (label clearly with your name):
Hammer
Tool Belt
25′ Tape Measure
Utility Knife
Carpenter Pencil
Sturdy Work Shoes (no tennis shoes on site)
The jewelry-making co-op called GORGEous Gals is quickly making a reputation for crafting fine jewelry at an affordable price. Borrowing upon the name of the Red River Gorge located in their area, GORGEous Gals is a mentoring group for teenage girls and women and an Open Hand Enterprises economic development initiative led by Paula Settle who serves as CBF’s Together For Hope field personnel in Nada and Owsley County, part of CBF’s larger rural poverty initiative in 20 of the poorest counties in the United States.
Creating jobs is an essential aspect of Asset Based Community Development, which is the primary function of the Together For Hope movement. Through this co-op, the women of Nada can earn a decent living and begin to see things in a positive light instead of through the negativity often associated with poverty.
The business works like this: the women make the earrings that sell for $10 per pair. $3.40 of that covers expenses to make and sell the product. The women make a $6 profit, and then give 10 percent back to the community, whether it’s to support a local ministry or another community betterment project.
Two days a week the group meets to make earrings. An adult mentor starts the session with prayer and a devotional, and then the work begins. Using their own creativity, they combine different colored and textured beads - and they always sign their name on the back of the packaging that holds the finished product.
The idea for a jewelry-making co-op started in March 2008, when Wanda Kidd of North Carolina realized her jewelry-making skills could be used by a ministry. Through the efforts of Ben and Leonora Newell in Helena, Arkansas, she helped to organize Delta Jewels in May 2008, the pilot project for this economic development program.
In the co-op, Kidd’s not-for-profit business - Embracing Hope Design - operates as the wholesaler that finds materials at affordable prices. GORGEous Gals produces the product, and Open Hand Enterprises - an economic development nonprofit that birthed out of Together for Hope - helps with sales.
KBF has GORGEous Gals earrings available for purchase for the holidays. Please contact Joshua Speight for more information on how you can make a purchase (502-426-1931 or josh@kybf.org)
The Nada community is grateful for all the summer missionaries who followed God’s call to come to Nada. Here is a brief list of those groups and individuals who partnered with KBF, FBC Winchester, Paula Settle, and Emilee Causey:
May 11-18: Blacksburg Baptist Church, Blacksburg, Virginia
May 29-June 2: FBC Ashboro, North Carolina
June 2-3: Lexington Avenue Baptist Church, Danville, Kentucky
June 8-11: Hominy Baptist Church, Candler, North Carolina
June 16-17: International Students from Campbellsville University
June 17: Book Buddies from Providence Baptist Church, Charlotte, North Carolina
June 21-27: FBC Winchester, Virginia
June 29-July 4: New Hope Baptist Church, Raleigh, North Carolina
July 6-12: FBC Burlington & FBC Wilmington, North Carolina
July 14-18: FBC Four Oaks, North Carolina
July 18-20: FBC Madisonville, Kentucky
July 24: Wanda Kidd (CBF Consultant - Crafting Jewelry)
July 22-26: Providence Baptist Church, Charlotte, North Carolina
July 27-August 1: FBC Kannapolis, North Carolina
August 3-8: FBC Herndon & University Baptist Church, Charlottesville, Virginia
August 9-10: Melbourne Heights Baptist Church, Louisville (Distribute School Supplies)
The Third Annual Owsley County Repair Affair hosted by the Owsley County Action Team and Partnership Housing will be held Saturday, September 6th, 8am-3pm at the Emma Quire Mission Center.
Teams and Crew Leaders are forming now, so register to receive your t-shirt and for Owsley County to plan for materials and food. For more information, contact Joshua Speight at 502-426-1931 or email Josh
To register for Repair Affair, click here, print and return the sheet to:
Partnership Housing, Inc
PO Box 997, Booneville, KY 41314
Last weekend, 12 teenagers, 3 adults from Nada and one intern, loaded up and drove to Blacksburg, VA, where we held a retreat courtesy of the members of Blacksburg Baptist Church. This was the culmination of discussions about having a “reverse mission trip.” Groups from the Nada community travel to the towns of those giving their time and resources to further build on the connections between Nada and that particular church. In the winter, some of the Nada women visited the group from Hominy Baptist Church in Asheville, NC, and now the youth visited Blacksburg, VA.
The enthusiasm for this trip to happen was overwhelming at times. At first, we thought there might be 6 or 7 teenagers who would go. But as we discussed it more and the possibility of going became more reality, more people wanted to be involved, both in Nada and in Blacksburg. Everything from our gas to where we stayed to our food to our fun was completely provided for, without which this trip would never have been possible in such a short time span.
The kids had a great time with all the activities we planned, even the ones we didn’t plan, like Twister. The most surprising of all the activities was being on the campus of Virginia Tech; it brought to life the places they had seen on television - they were there. It also spawned some really thought provoking conversations about accepting people, anger and future consequences of present actions. I enjoy any opportunity to hear out loud what my teenagers think about.
I hope this becomes a trend for future trips; it being new, we have the flexibility to explore the possiblities. This trip, the teenagers were able to take the time to look inside themselves, while experiencing an outside world different from their usual one. The members of Blacksburg Baptist Church were able to see the importance of their bonds with the Nada community. In all, the trip was an amazing opportunity to see God at work.
2008 begins my second year in Nada (I am starting to feel like a professional intern) and with this perspective I can look back and see some of the differences from last year. I won’t lie, I get lots of help from the Nada teenagers, who like to reminisce about previous summers and how much fun they were. The thing is, they are older now. Most of them will be in high school this coming year and that changes their perspective on the present because, “it’s just not as fun as it used to be.”
I will say, we anticipated this change and began to encorporate life skills classes in with the regular summer activities. This may be part of the difference the teenagers notice. Mostly, I think they are becoming more aware of themselves, and paying attention to who they are and want to be in this world. And when you’re not quite ready to move forward, you tend to wax a little poetic about the past. They are climbing up their ladders, approaching the diving board, and while that is a tough place to be, I am excited to watch them jump.
The ongoing efforts in Nada continue to inspire hope among the people of the community and those who come seeking partnership with Nada and other Christian communities. The Kentucky Baptist Fellowship, through the local guidance of Paula Settle (Together For Hope - CBF), and the efforts of First Baptist Church Winchester and Dr. John Owen (Pastor) continue to impact Nada. The Helton’s are one family who are benefiting from the ongoing partnerships of many churches coming to Nada to offer volunteer hours and assistance to this community. Recently (May 11-18th), Blacksburg Baptist Church (Blacksburg, Virginia) and Dublin Baptist Church (Dublin, Virginia) spent a week in Nada beginning the construction of a bathroom/shower/bedroom building for the Helton family, indoor facilities the family has never had while in Nada. Due to structural issues with the Helton’s home, the new construction needed to be unattached for possible future construction. What follows is the words of Clark Lentz from Blacksburg Baptist Church:
I was amazed at the work our team was able to accomplish with God’s help this past week!
The framing and roof are complete, the siding is complete except for the top piece of siding on three walls, and except for the top triangle of siding on the wall toward the house. The roof over the stoop needs to be framed up and bolted to the structure before this wall can be covered with siding. The entry door is in place with lock and deadbolt.
I will forward more photos and information in the future. PLUS, I wanted to brag a bit on our team’s accomplishment 
The 1 x 8 fascia and rake boards are primed and backprimed and are stored in the building, ready for installation. The siding is set up with a 3/8″ gap at the top for soffit plywood, which Bill’s group can install. The porch roof, exterior fascia trim, soffits, remaining siding, and the pickets on the porch will just about finish up the exterior. Underpinning will need to be installed after the plumbing drains, electrical wiring, and floor insulation are installed.
The tub/shower unit is stored in the building. We left two studs out of the 2 x 6 wall, so that this unit can be moved from the bedroom into the bathroom when you are ready for final installation. The water line and sewer line are in place. The tap has been made to the sewer line, and it is stubbed up in the crawlspace (you can see it dimly in the photo). The water line is in place to the existing water line at the corner of the house, but it is not connected. It is stubbed up into the plumbing wall in the building, near the water heater.
Please share photos with us as the work progresses. We are looking forward to seeing the finished product!
In Christ’s Love,
Clark
