Title: Vision Builders combines hands-on mission and new church establishment
Date: July 15, 1998
Disciples News Service
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Contact: news@cm.disciples.org
98b-42
INDIANAPOLIS (DNS) -- How does one combine passions for establishing new
congregations and giving people hands-on volunteer mission experience while traveling the
country?
The Rev. Charles M. (Chuck) Babcock succeeded in putting his two passions together, June 1, when he became part-time volunteer and construction coordinator of Vision Builders Construction. He recently retired as the Bluebonnet area minister for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Southwest.
For the next 18 months Babcock will oversee arrangements, coordinate volunteers, and provide site management for the denomination's first "church raising." This volunteer project is the first denomination-wide effort by Disciples to erect a "new-church" facility in more than 50 years.
"Chuck has spent years organizing the church to act out its faith through mission projects and to support new congregation establishment," said the Rev. James L. Powell, president of Board of Church Extension. "Now he gets to combine those two passions and his considerable expertise to coordinate volunteers who will construct first units for congregations that would not otherwise be able to build. And he is doing all this basically as a volunteer."
Vision Builders is the promotional and development arm of New Congregation Establishment and includes the volunteer construction program. Vision Builders and the New Congregation Establishment program are churchwide ministries with administrative oversight provided by Board of Church Extension, the Disciples' building and financing unit.
The plan is to construct the first unit for a newly established congregation during a two-month period in mid 1999. The church site will be selected late this summer. The volunteer construction program is expected to expand in succeeding years.
"We all learn so much from each other and by being part of work/study experiences," Babcock explained. "Vision Builders Construction will make it possible for Disciples with construction skills to experience first-hand the sense of mission and giving by helping build that new worship space for a new congregation."
"My hope," said Babcock, "is that we will develop a cadre of people with construction skills to be building missionaries. Our hope is to tap into a whole gamut of building skills that will be needed but that the church doesn't usually ask to use."
Babcock's first task is to recruit Disciples members with construction skills to become volunteer church builders. "We are looking for people who will be available for at least one week during the spring or summer of 1999. But we need their names for future projects also, even if the 1999 dates are not possible," he said.
In the meantime, Babcock and his wife, Burnell, are adjusting to life in their new home, a fifth-wheeler recreational vehicle. The Babcocks plan to travel, visit churches and families while preparing for the building of the new church unit next spring.
Burnell Babcock will be food coordinator during the building phase of the new church construction project.
The greatest need at the moment is developing a database of prospective volunteers to help with future projects. The 1999 pilot project will take at least 200 volunteers over the two-month period to do framing, excavating, cement pouring, plumbing, electrical and heating work, plastering, finishing, and painting. Volunteers will also be needed for food preparation and other support services.
Vision Builders Construction volunteers will pay a registration fee of $100 to help defray the cost of meals, supplementary insurance and other incidentals while working on the project.
To become a Vision Builders Construction volunteer contact the Vision Builders office, PO Box 7030, Indianapolis, IN 46207, phone (317) 635-6500. The E-mail address is vb@bce.disciples.org. Babcock may be reached via E-mail at cbabcock@bce.disciples.org.
Requests for information may also be sent to Volunteers in Mission (VIM), 620 Coleraine Rd., Baltimore, MD 21229, phone (410) 788-6309. The VBC volunteer database is being maintained by Homeland Ministries' Volunteers in Mission program directed by the Rev. Jayna Powell. She may be reached via E-mail at jpowell@dhm.disciples.org.
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