Church
Hall, who has been making the trip for 14
years, said she usually calls ahead to local stores
to learn what food they carry and what she will
need to bring with her.
She said this year they had to bring turnip
greens and black-eyed peas.
The women are also responsible for keeping
the workers water supply filled with water, tea,
and Gatorade. Josey said typically the group will
drink over 50 gallons of liquid a day.
“This is a reality check for us,” Hall said. “We
learn here you don’t have to cross an ocean or
go to another country to do missionary work.
There’s work that needs to be done in our own
country.”
Although the workers will work hard for two
weeks, they generally return home with an added
five pounds Josey said.
Corley said he also has received more re
wards during his 16 years of working with the
project than he had originally expected.
“I don ’ t know these people well enough to be
able to give this much away,” Corley said. “That’s
not a judgement against them but I just can’t
give this much away. God called me to do it and
it’s something I have wanted to do.”
Corley said it was also God’s calling which
helped New Covenant get selected over six
other congregations to receive a church.
In October of 1995 25 members of
Brookwood’s congregation met at Corley’s
house to review the responses each congrega
tion gave in asking for a new church.
Corley said there were many penetrating
answers the congregation had to give based on
its “spiritual standpoint.”
“We’re not here just to build a building for
people to enjoy,” Corley said. “We want to build
a building that the congregation can use as a
‘Tool of Ministry”. If they can use this tool we
want to be sure they have it.”
Although Corley has never seen any of his
finished projects, he has kept in touch with the
people from the congregations he built churches.
A church Brookwood helped build in Cleve
land has doubled its congregation size after the
building project and is now adding a major
addition to the church.
And the congregation from last summer’s
project in Marlboro, Mass., has had a 40 percent
increase in congregation since January.
“All the churches we have built are self
sustaining at this point,” Corley said. “Plus
many of the congregations we have built
churches for have been part of the building
missionary the following summer.”
Brett Yohn, Director of UNL Christian Chal
lenge and an elder for New Covenant, said the
church is already making plans to work on a
building missionary next summer.
Yohn said JNew .Covenant’a congregation js
waiisanH con.?tr,ictio? *eam ™'s* an outside wall of the new church. The volunteers hopedto havethe
walls and roof done by the weekend so internal construction could beqin. p 10 nave Ine
mainly made up of college students and 30 to 40
year-old businessmen.
“There are no deep pockets in our congrega
tion,” Yohn said. “We could not continue what
is happening in Lincoln without their help. And
we really want to keep reaching out to people.”
Since New Covenant started in Lincoln in
1985 its congregation has grown from just 30
members to over400in worship attendance. Last
year 54 people were baptized in the church, most
of whom were adult conversions.
Yohn said the new church will provide New
Covenant with greater visibility and accessibil
ity. For the last six years the congregation has
been renting a Seventh-day Adventist church
for Sunday services.
It is a humbling experience, Yohn said for him
to watch the people work an building his congre
gation a church.
“This is inspiring because it makes you want
to do more and give more,” Yohn said. “It’s a
very inspirational effect.
“We had construction people out here on
Monday who said the volunteer’s work is ex
ceeding anything they have ever seen. I think
it’s because these people are working with their
hearts instead of just their hands:”-^ - -
™e?KS!?ith.’a nurse fr.om TamPa> F,a> gives Walter “Buck” Jon^shcteof
a retired fire chief from Eustes, Fla., received two stitches
^ftercutting-hishancfon apteceof metat....,