First Baptist Church of Ludowici burned to the ground on October 28, 2001. The devastation wrought by the fire was due to faulty electrical wiring. Since the worship center and the educational building were completely destroyed, the church has been meeting in the fellowship hall, the only building untouched by the fire.

However, the future looks noonday bright for the Long County congregation. A brand new 33,000 square foot facility is under construction on 28 acres of prime real estate on Highway 301 just north of town. In recent weeks the building process that started months ago has accelerated due to several mission teams that have converged upon Ludowici to lend a helping hand.

In the spring of this year a group of 20 retired pastors and missionaries affiliated with Campers on Mission came to build the frame structure for the educational building and the pulpit area of the worship center. In July a team of bricklayers completed the masonry work on the church auditorium.

Sarah Farmer, from Southwestern Baptist Church in Johnson City, Tenn, coordinated this bricklaying effort. Harvey Feltman, from Canton, assimilated the 60 skilled masons from the various states and organized them into eight teams who worked together in perfect harmony. Bill Barnett, Ludowici’s interim pastor, said, “It looked like a colony of ants. Everyone knew what he was supposed to do; and when it was finished it looked like a beautiful mosaic of craftsmanship.”

Recently, the First Baptist Church of Barnwell, S.C. visited Ludowici with almost 200 people to help the church with its mammoth building project. Actually, there were 14 different churches represented in the team from South Carolina, but 155 were from the Barnwell church.

Coley Creech, of Barnwell church and owner of his own construction business, was the supervisor of the project. He and his wife, Donna, along with Frank and Rachel Mayfield, visited the Ludowici church months ago to see if the two congregations were a good fit to work together. “I knew immediately that this church was the one that God wanted us to help,” Creech said. “I felt the love and warmth of the people right away and went back to Barnwell prepared to recommend that we help the people in Ludowici.”

Steve Burnette, pastor of Barnwell for eight years, has led the church to triple their attendance through an emphasis on evangelism and missions. “I told the pastor search committee that if they wanted me to be their pastor, they would have to make a commitment to do whatever was necessary to grow,” he said. At first we had to kick the ice off the pews to sit down, but that quickly changed and the people began to catch the vision of what God could do in them and through them.”

Burnette was on the job, sweltering in the hot, humid south Georgia sun, swatting gnats, doing his part, and standing on a ladder to place some electrical wiring in the education building. He was demonstrating that the best way to get followers is to lead by example.

Creech had the whole crew operating like a well-oiled machine. Each one of the nearly 200 workers had a specific assignment. There were team leaders who received orders from those who were skilled construction professionals; and as each one carried out his/her assignment, significant progress was made.

To the visiting missionaries, Smiley Elementary School became their hostel; Long County High School became a sanctuary on Sunday as the Ludowici Church hosted their 200 guests in worship and the police force provided security for the unattended worksite each night.

Barnett said, “These people came to our town not only with a formidable work crew, but with their own shower unit, their own bedding, a tractor trailer truck full of groceries, their own construction crane and they put their tithes in our offering plates on Sunday.”

In addition to the construction crew the missionaries from the Palmetto state brought a Vacation Bible School Team and an evangelism team with a goal of knocking on every door in Ludowici before leaving town.

Lillian G. Simmons, tax commissioner for Long County, a Sunday School teacher and choir member at the Ludowici church, commented, “This has been an overwhelming experience for me. As we all worshiped together on Sunday I saw the love on the faces of those dear people from Barnwell and words couldn’t express how I felt. We are seeing something happen that only God can do.”

Bruce Welsh, a deacon at the Ludowici church remarked, “If anyone every doubted that God is in control let him spend one hour on this construction site and he will never doubt the power and providence of God again.”

Tommy Wingate, chairman of the deacons explained, “These people found out about our needs on the Internet; and now see how the body of Christ is working together. I am overwhelmed!”

Barnett echoed Wingate’s sentiments, “First I was doubtful, then surprised, then amazed, and now I am overwhelmed.”

Georgia Baptists often send mission teams to minister to other states and countries; but we are often the recipients of the goodness and graciousness of others who choose to minister to our people and our churches. It is good to see God’s people working together to accomplish His purpose.