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VIM team helps Katrina-destroyed church

COLESVILLE - Ten VIM members returned in June from a mission to Pass Christian, Miss., where they helped on the restoration of St. Paul UMC. The team included the Revs. Victor Sawyer and Charles Harrell and members from Colesville, Faith, Fairhaven and Rockville UMCs. They were led by Raymond E. Brown from Colesville UMC.

'We felt called to this mission like Nehemiah was called to build the walls of the city,' Sawyer said.

The church had been gutted after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

The group built a scaffold then completed a ceiling and installed wallboard and insulation. They built porch steps and a railing and worked on a water pipe installation.

The volunteers put in 448 hours of work, Brown reported.

The VIM group stayed at Mt. Zion UMC, where the Rev. Rose Mary Williams, who led Bible study at the annual conference session, is pastor.