Much of the work done by Disaster Ministries centers on rebuilding – specifically, rebuilding homes. When teams are working on a job site, they are repairing the damage done by the ravages of wind and rain. Making the house safe and livable is the goal so that we can help people return home and regain a sense of normalcy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what happens when the home cannot be repaired? What if the damage is too great? What happens if simply repairing the home won\u2019t be enough the next time a storm roars ashore? How then do we fulfill our mission to \u201crebuild homes, lives, and communities\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One answer might be to build a new house in place of the damaged property. In a recent story, we shared one such project, where Disaster Ministries built Miss Ada a new house on her property<\/a>. Two of our Disaster Ministries centers (Washington and Whiteville) were involved in that project. But behind the scenes, another group of people helped bring that project to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Len Van Staalduinen and Bill Hofler teach in the Architectural Technology program at Pitt Community College in Greenville; Len also chairs the department. Amy Stasuk and Reese Barkley are students in the program. Along with Disaster Ministries staff Rev. Cliff Harvell (Director of Interagency Collaboration and Assessment) and Tommy Gilbert (Construction Management Coordinator), these instructors and students worked to transform a handful of sketched plans into much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The initial conversations around the project started back in early 2018. Cliff Harvell was serving a church at the time; it so happened to be the church that Len Van Staalduinen attends. As the two men got to know one another, Cliff discovered Len’s profession and his connection to the school. And so, when the time came to upgrade the plans, Cliff approached Len with the idea to collaborate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n