From site preparation to the completion of the church’s $900,000
building, the volunteers’ gift of an estimated $300,000 in labor
made possible a much-needed facility.
Bailey says, "We did not have the resources and funds for our
dream to become a reality. MAPS volunteers helped us complete the project."
One of the goals of the 1,670 RV Volunteers and the 270 MAPS church
construction teams is to help fulfill dreams.
All across America, Home Missions MAPS volunteers are making a difference.
They work at inner-city churches, Teen Challenge centers, and on Assemblies
of God college and university campuses.
The congregation of First Assembly of God in Marlinton, W.Va., was
without a place to worship following a devastating flood. Worshipping
in an RV park, which was closing for the season on November 1, someone
advised them to contact the MAPS office.
In October 2000, Duane Atkinson, MAPS missionary for the Northeast
Region, presented their need for volunteers at the National RV Convention
in Carlinville, Ill. Seven RV couples were on site by October 7.
On Sunday, October 29, the congregation and RV volunteers held the
first service in the finished basement of the new church. The whole
church building was enclosed and roofed.
At Centro Cristiano Hispano (Hispanic Christian Center) Assembly of
God in Rogers, Ark., RV Volunteers and a MAPS construction team from
Christian Center in Lenexa, Kan., completed the fellowship hall, kitchen,
Sunday school rooms, nursery and four offices. Pastor Armando Rodriguez
was not skilled in construction, so the volunteers gave him needed direction
and help. The building – valued at $200,000 – cost only $80,000.
The dedication of these volunteers inspired Pastor Rodriguez’s
congregation to catch a vision for missions. The church now supports
32 missionaries, including the MAPS Department.
"MAPS volunteers are invaluable," says Rodriguez. "They
are an example of dedication and Christian character."
"MAPS workers are making a difference in this church," says
Thomas E. Trask, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God. "For
many churches, it means the difference between having a building to
worship in. For others, it has taken them from a rented facility to
a place of their own. The Assemblies of God owes a great debt of love
and appreciation to MAPS volunteers."
