Heading Home

The Youth Group of First United Methodist Church is heading home today after five days of building a house in Joplin, MO. They have worked hard, and accomplished what they set out to accomplish. The house is not complete, but will be visited and worked on by other groups throughout the summer.

Here are some pictures of the progress:

This progress is a testament to the commitment of these young people to help those in need. This project, however couldn't be done with only the tenacity of the youth, we need to thank all of our donors for their support; we couldn't have made it this far without all of your help. We still, however, are trying to fund the rest of the house to insure that it is, in fact, able to be finished by the end of the summer, so any further donations will definitely be appreciated. To donate, visit the church website: fumcelgin.org.

Keep checking for more follow up-posts, video interviews, and pictures!

On Site News Coverage

Today is day 3 of FUMC building in Joplin. So far the exterior and interior walls are up, and and the roof, and they are working on siding it.

This is an email from Mark Johnson, a leader with First United Methodist Church Youth Group, and a corespondent from the build site:

"Laura said you would like an update. The kids have been working hard Monday
and Tuesday.  We got the exterior and interior up on Monday. We had the
joplin globe out to do a story on us. We made the front page on Tuesday. We
had Liz Holiday with KOAMTV interview several people  that was on the news
that night. We also had a local chamber association do a story

Tuesday we got the roof rafters up and starter sheathing the roof.  Emily
and rebuild joplin had a pizza party for us Tuesday night. Emily's mom was
also there thanking us for helping Emily and the city of joplin.

Today we should start the siding and roofing. Monday night Debbie Potts went
to the hospital from heat exhaustion. She was busy making sure everyone was
hydrated except herself. Yesterday about 15kids went back to the church to
cool off.

A lot of people have stopped and thanked us for what we are doing.

-Mark"

Enjoy these News Videos:

KOAM 7 News

http://www.koamtv.com/story/22145939/new-joplin-home-being-constructed-in-basement-of-an-illinois-church

The Joplin Globe

Following the Progress

The crew arrived in Joplin, MO this Sunday, and began construction on the home yesterday. They will be working all week to frame a house on this foundation.

We will be following their progress as they work this week, so please keep checking in, and donations are still appreciated.

In the meantime, please enjoy this interview that we did with Different Drummers, a faith oriented Web-show that highlights local churches.

Next Stop: Joplin, MO

The crew is loading out and hitting the road this weekend. Leaving right after church on Sunday, they are headed down to Joplin Missouri to assemble the house that they have been building in the basement of the First United Methodist Church of Elgin for the last 3 months. It has been no small task, but the youth and adults have come together to help someone in need, and spread hope. They will have one week to complete as much as they can, then other groups, throughout the summer, will come and help finish what these inspired individuals started one modest March Sunday.

This single act of compassion and humanity is not enough, however, there are still people who need homes, now more than ever after the recent destruction in Oklahoma. They still need your help. This blog is designed to spread the story of one house being built out of love, but furthermore, its central purpose is to inspire other groups; let the world know that this can be done - it has been done! What started out as one church can turn into two - one home into two, but not just two, more, as many as there are a need for. With the right direction, churches and organizations across the country and the world can give what they can to help people in need. Regardless of the grandeur; if even one other church is inspired to help one other person by this heart-warming story, this blog's purpose will be complete.

Though our journey is nearing its final stage, we still need your support. Funding has been the most difficult aspect of this project, and we are still under-funded. Donating any amount that you can/ feel compelled to will help tremendously. To donate, click on the link at the top of the blog.

Please keep checking this blog for more updates, news, and photos from the Joplin Build Site.