Area church heading off to help Iowa
By JEFFREY SAULTON, jsaulton@newsandsentinel.comLUBECK - More help from Parkersburg, W.Va., is heading off to help Parkersburg, Iowa, which was devastated by a tornado in May.
On July 11, about 30 members, half of them adults and half from the church youth, from the Lubeck Community Baptist Church will help Calvary Baptist Church in Parkersburg, Iowa, rebuild its parsonage.
Roger Ledbetter, church member, said the members of the church in Iowa are working on pouring the footers and building the foundation for the new church.
"We had originally planned to go to Louisiana, but that fell through," he said. "Our youth group wanted to go on a mission trip so we are going to help Parkersburg, Iowa."
In addition to rebuilding the parsonage, some of the youth will run the Calvary Baptist Church vacation bible school from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and then will help as needed with other projects in the community.
Ledbetter said they were put in touch with the church through the North American Baptist Conference.
"I contacted them and told them we wanted to help," he said. "The next day we heard back from them and we were in touch with the Rev. Ryan Zurbriggen, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church."
Ledbetter said the church parsonage was in the mile-wide path of destruction left when the F5 tornado swept through the town, which is about half the size of Parkersburg, W.Va.
"The devastation is unbelievable and it flattened the town," he said. "More than 200 homes were destroyed."
Ledbetter said the Lubeck volunteers will be responsible for putting up the walls and roof of the one-floor parsonage.
Bill Packard, church member, said the parsonage they will rebuild is about 2,000 square feet. He said as soon as they leave, another church group will come in and put up the drywall in the house.
Packard said the pastor, his wife and their three children have a temporary place to live until October.
"One of the church members lived a block away and they left for Florida. The owners turned the house over to them rent-free until October," he said. "They will be out well before then."
Packard said they plan to leave Lubeck at 6 a.m. July 12 and arrive at their destination around 9:30 p.m., take Sunday to rest and start work on the project at 5:30 a.m. July 14.
Packard said the situation in Parkersburg, Iowa, is unique compared to other disaster areas.
"There they are taking care of their own," he said. "There are no FEMA trailers in the town and they are not having the problems faced after Hurricane Katrina."
Packard said the whole town looks like the construction of a subdivision with building and rebuilding taking place everywhere.
Kayla Ayers, of Parkersburg, and a 2008 graduate of Parkersburg South High School, is one of the youth going on the trip. She said this will be her first mission trip and she is looking forward to vacation bible school and the painting and cleaning and raking yards in the area. She said she was one of members who had been asking to go on a mission trip.
"Going to Iowa will be an amazing experience," she said. "I'm looking forward most to helping rebuild their community."
Stacy Houser, of Washington, W.Va., graduated from Parkersburg South High School in 2006, and is a student at the University of Maryland.
"We will be working with vacation bible school and help with cleaning and painting and other projects," she said. "We're also putting together backpacks and stuffed animals for kids."
She said they will also help with getting children in the area get ready to go back to school supplies.
Houser said she has spoken with the pastor of the Iowa church to set up some of the projects they will work on during the week.
"I thought it was a great idea, the connection of Parkersburg to Parkersburg, it's going to be a fantastic experience," she said.
Ledbetter said the church has raised about $1,600 for the trip and those going will pay their own way. He said they estimate the total cost will be $5,000 to $6,000. He said donations from the community will be welcome and can be mailed to Lubeck Community Baptist Church, 154 Homewood Road, Lubeck, WV 26101.
