News Stories

Bookmark and Share

'Project Christmas House' to be built March 31 through April 5

3/26/2012


Work begins this Saturday, March 31, on “Project Christmas House” in Dyersburg, TN.

Construction of “Project Christmas House” was to have taken place Dec. 26-31, but was postponed due to heavy rain and wet ground.
 
This mission opportunity is about building a whole house for a family in need - in the time span of one week.
 
Construction will take place Saturday, March 31, through Thursday, April 5.
 
Skilled and unskilled laborers of all ages will be supervised in building a 1,500-square foot, four-bedroom, three-bathroom, one-story house.
 
Overnight accommodations are being provided at Dyersburg First UMC. Food cost for the whole week is $35 per person.
 
Bill Carr of Reidland UMC in Paducah, KY, and David Norwood of Olive UMC in Hardin, KY are coordinating Project Christmas House. Carr is the Memphis Conference Director Disaster Relief Coordinator.
 
Project Christmas House was started in 2003 after Hurricane Ivan, explained Carr. A mission team from the Paducah District of the Memphis Conference traveled to the Mobile, AL area to assist in debris removal.
 
While there, the team found itself working at a home where a “huge tree’’ had fallen and totally destroyed a family's home.
 
Learning that it would likely be several years before the under-insured homeowners would be able to rebuild and return to their home, Carr got the idea of building a whole house over a Christmas break as a way to celebrate Christ's birthday.
 
Since 2003, eight houses have been built in four states by Carr, Norwood and many other volunteers. Three houses have been built in Alabama, one in Mississippi and two in Louisiana. The construction of this year's house in Dyersburg will bring to three the number of houses built in Tennessee.
 
For more information or to sign up to help build Project Christmas House in Dyersburg March 31-April 5, contact Carr at 270-556-5221 (cell)  or 270-816-4824 (cell) OR Norwood at 270-354-9251 (home) or 270-703-3736 (cell).
 
~By Lane Gardner Camp, Director of Communications, Memphis Conference