The Power of Partnership

Two weeks ago 46 Disciples women from 27 congregations in 17 regions came together in Beaumont, TX, for the first ever Disciples Women Build, partnering with Habitat for Humanity of Jefferson County. The Office of Disciples Women, the Office of Disciples Volunteering, and Week of Compassion worked together to make it happen. Clergy and lay persons; women from the Coastal Plains Area, home to the Disciples churches in Beaumont and Port Arthur, and women from as far away as Canada; the three administrative assistants from the two entities of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) most directly involved with hurricane recovery in the Gulf South; eight total from the national office, including Sharon Watkins, General Minister and President, and Amber Dixson, a seminary student at CTS and chief organizer of the event -- 46 Disciples women spanning six decades in age working with Crenetta Searles to construct her home.

Northwood Christian Church in Beaumont served as base camp. In addition to the warm hospitality we received there, we were graced by the generosity of the congregations of FCC, Beaumont; FCC, Port Arthur; and FCC, Nacogdoches.

In a mere two days of feverish activity, we transformed a slab of concrete into a maze of walls and studs and the outlines for windows, doors and a porch. Every time an outer wall was raised, cheers arose from every being and spirits soared. The work we began will be continued by other groups of women from other organizations. In God’s time a home will stand that contains a piece of sheathing with the names of all 46 women and words of blessing and hope. A cross made of shards collected from bits of broken pottery found in the aftermath of Katrina will eventually hang on the wall of Crenetta’s home. The cross was made by a woman from Grace Disciples of Christ Church in Covington, LA.

And in the end, all of this was made possible by the gifts & prayers & work of the members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). It is through such partnerships as all these mentioned that Week of Compassion shares in “a remarkable network of service and caring that is efficient, effective and faithful.” The power of partnership – it is a beautiful thing.