Late in March, Jason Luby & I took a trip to Webster Springs, WV to check out the Mountain Marketplace Mission. A few weeks prior, Gary, the pastor, died, and the board of directors of the mission is looking for help to get organized and rebuilt.

The mission has the following onsite:

• House for pastor & family with 2-3 bedrooms, office, living room, and kitchen

• An active food distribution that serves upward of 200 people each week

• An active clothing and furniture distribution

• A new building that is in the process of being built that includes

  • Chapel/Dining area for up to 70

  • 9 potential bedroooms that each could sleep 8

  • 1 handicapped accessible bedroom

  • 1 bedroom for a husband/wife leadership team

  • Laundry facility with 2 washers/dryers

  • Full service kitchen

The area is incredibly depressed. People are living in homes and conditions that we would consider dangerous or unhealthy. There are several burned out houses that occurred as they burned coal as the wood in the area is owned by private industry (logging). The coal the causes cracks in the chimneys and the embers go into the attics and burn the houses down. The area was affected by a massive flood in 2016 that destroyed hundreds of houses and left people living in conditions that are not safe. Because of the economy, the retail areas have been shuttered and there is no clear source of income for the locals as much of it was driven by the coal industry.

Below are some pictures from the trip.

The mission exists to support this area. Below are the pictures of the mission itself.

There are several ways we can come to assist this mission.

1. Work on helping to build or remodel.

   1. The new building needs to be finished. Drywall, painting, flooring, heating, sewer, water, and electrical.

   2. The existing buildings

      1. The existing buildings need external repair work and the parsonage needs to be renovated for the modern day.

2. Help the board of directors find a new pastor/counselor/family to lead the ministry.

   1. Work with NAMB

   2. Call other mission and church planting agencies

3. Help them set up transitional housing and skill-based training.

   1. One of the things we heard a lot was that using the main building for transitional housing.

      1. Provide low income housing.

      2. Provide skill training like welding, electrical, auto repair, etc.

      3. Create an environment for learning online.

      4. Utilize the transitional housing people as volunteers for the mission, which would provide younger people to help the mission.