Update from Bayou La Batre

2008 has been a good - if challenging - year at the Hemley Rd. Church of Christ in Bayou La Batre, Alabama. We now have an average of 60 people in attendance and have had ten precious souls baptized this year. Our teens and children's classes have outgrown our classroom facilities but we give God the glory that the children love to come to church and learn more about Jesus.
Our summer intern, Tyler Cope, a student at Oklahoma Christian University, was a great leader for our kids. With the help of our dear friends and partner church in El Campo, Texas, our teens attended Camp Bandina in Bandera, Texas last summer. It was a time of great growth and fellowship with our friends from the congregations in El Campo and Lake Jackson, Texas, along with many other churches. Two of our young men were baptized at camp.
We had a great Vacation Bible School in July which was conducted by members from the White’s Ferry Rd. Church of Christ in West Monroe, La. Their Jr. High group taught our kids many new songs and activities. We have 3 new families in our church as a result of their children attending the VBS.
After Hurricanes Ike and Gustav, we were able to serve hundreds of hungry people through our Food Pantry. Our Hemley Rd. group has also coordinated activities with the local city council, the Local Lions Club, the Fire and Police Departments, and many relief organizations. This is a church that is known around the coast of South Alabama for its love and compassion for those in need. \
Church members recently participated in a day of Christmas time activities. We had Friday night Christmas banquet for team members and parents of children who are active in the Sunday school program. Saturday activities included Bayou Recovery Project workers involved in the Christmas toy Drive sponsored by the New York City Firefighters at the Bayou LaBatre Community Center. Over 2000 children received gifts and got to sit on Santa’s lap. Afternoon festivities in-cluded sponsoring a float in the annual Bayou La Batre Christ-mas parade, complete with “Mr. and Mrs. Claus” (aka Ken and Ann Bolden of the White’s Ferry Rd. where Ken is a direc-tor of the World Radio ministry)
Evening activities included a Christmas play involving over 50 children with more than 150 community and family members in attendance. For information about opportunities to participate in numerous volunteer service projects for 2009, please contact: Daphne German, at daphneger-man@hotmail.com or phone 251-609-0448.
Thank you for all your prayers and support of the Hem-ley Rd. Church and the Bayou Recovery Project. We give God the glory for all His blessings!