Through growth and change, we’ve continued in our mission to serve others in the name of Christ. Over the five years since we began, we have had over 7,000 youth and adults volunteer through our ministry, served over 2,000 families, and seen countless lives changed.

Today also marks the sixth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina slamming into the Gulf coast, causing flooding and damage affecting millions of people. While we’ve come along way, there is still work to be done to rebuild. Also today we’ve come to get a better glimpse into the path of destruction another hurricane (Irene) has caused. Yesterday, I joined a team of volunteers through REACH Clemson to served in our own community where there are needs of repair and rebuilding to be done.

There will always be a need for Christian brothers and sisters to reach out – whether that be with a hand, shovel, hammer, cup of soup, or pair of jeans – to serve our brothers and sisters in need. As ReWiGo embarks on our sixth year of ministry, we will continue to provide opportunities to serve with the love of Jesus Christ, teach of the importance of Christian service, and develop servant-hearted leaders to continue in ministry for generations to come.

From the bottom of my heart: thank you for your prayers, your gifts, your support, your presence, and your grace over these five years. May God continue to bless this ministry and use it as a means of showing His everlasting love to those who need it most.

Grace and peace,
Chris

As the end of the summer nears, I’ve been taking time to look back over these past two months and see how that decision was a blessing in disguise. First – we still hosted two groups of youth and adults down in New Orleans. With many thanks to John Cannavan, Brooks Manley, my wife Ashley, St. Matthew’s UMC, and the folks at Rebuilding Together, we had 51 youth and adults come to serve families still struggling to rebuild following Katrina.

Second – we’ve had a good bit of time to step back, take a deep breath, and have fruitful conversations about the future of our ministry. As we plan for IMPACT in summer 2012, we know it will be an entirely different thing from Camp Collide. It’s not just a ‘work week’. It’s not just a mission trip. IMPACT will be an experience that teaches and inspires youth (and adults!) to be Christian servant leaders through word and deed.

Third – we’ve had time to move! Our office up through May was located in downtown Clemson. It was a cool spot, but when we got word that a local church was willing to donate free office space, we said, “Sure – that’d be great!” As of June 1, we’re now housed in the old NeedToBreathe rehearsal space at United Assembly of God between Clemson and Seneca. Not only do we have more space here, but the money we will save thanks to UAG’s generosity will help us serve an extra thirty families each year.

This summer has been really different. It’s been quiet. It’s been restful. It has been a summer that God has blessed us with.

Even as I write, we’re already gearing up for REACH workdays this fall and to announce plans for IMPACT 2012. Keep ReWiGo in your prayers over these next few weeks. We’re excited to get back into the swing of things come August!

Grace and peace,
Chris

As soon as dawn broke on Tuesday, I knew I could not be still.  My restless heart would not be confined.  I did not know where.  I did not know what.  But I knew one thing: soon.

It took seven weeks of prayer, planning, and persistance before I returned to New Orleans, many years after I first experienced the city as an eight year old.  For four days, I toured the city, assisted teams of volunteers, recorded their experiences, and documented the devestation in every corner of a city drained of life and spirit.  At the end of those four days, I celebrated my 21st birthday, realizing that my life would never be the same.

I look back on that time having spent the past five years dedicating a big part of my life to bringing hope and life to the Crescent City.  My first day back was October 14, late at night, as we drove through darkness for miles into the city that eerily welcomed us into the unknown.  As light began to shine the following morning, it was absorbed by the gray dust that covered the entire landscape, as if a volcano erupted and covered the entire city with its ash.  Now, there is again light to be found.  But it is not everywhere.  The gray dust may be gone in places, but I still gaze out onto patches of the city that still are dark as the day I first saw them after the floods receeded.

In five years, I’ve spent over thirty weeks in New Orleans.  My poor Honda has over 200k miles on it now, thanks to dozens of trips up and down the Southern interstates from SC to La.  My wife and I have met people we call family, who celebrated our marriage with us, and who will soon be able to introduce our first child to.  Just as it was for me seventeen years ago, it again is my second home.

The ministry we formed on the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall has facilitated over 5,000 people’s journey to the city to help rebuild, recover, and bring rebirth.  Together, we have served over 1,000 families throughout the metro area.  At first, we were just Clemson Tigers heading to the land of LSU Tigers, with many locals thinking we should be called “Tigers Geaux”.  It very quickly became so much more than a Clemson thing.  In fact, over three-fourths of those 5,000 volunteers were not Clemson Tigers, though some were Memphis, Princeton, Auburn, and Tuskegee Tigers – and a few LSU alum too.  But we’ve always been Ready, Willing, and Going – hence our new, long overdue name of “ReWiGo Ministries”, that we hope will welcome thousands of more people to serve others in need with a hopeful Christian spirit.

New Orleans is a city of rebirth.  I’ve witnessed a revival in the city over the past five years.  I’ve been inspired by churches embracing missional, Christian service to their brothers and sisters in need.  I’ve heard story after story of people witnessing the hands and feet of Jesus exhibited in the actions of others – more so than I’ve seen or heard back home!

Believe it or not, there is still more growth to come.  There are still families in need – many of whom are still suffering the effects of Katrina.  The disaster we have witnessed along the Gulf Coast is the worst our generation has ever seen.  Nobody was prepared for it.  Likewise, we’ve never had the opportunity to respond to a catastrophe of this caliber in a place so close to home.

May we continue to pray for those living in need of hope.  May we continue to reach out and love our brothers and sisters no matter how much we may be tempted to forget events of the past.  I pray that God will use the experiences of serving and loving people in New Orleans continues to open the eyes of His children to the poverty in their own hometowns.  May we use this horrible disaster as an opportunity for rebirth – not just of homes, but as a time of rebirth in our own hearts to be the hands and feet of a risen savior in our own world, bringing the hope, love, and joy of God Almighty to the least of these, our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Grace and peace to you,
Chris