NAILBENDERS visit Meades Branch Church…

If you have traveled US 23 from Paintsville to Louisa since May, you have witnessed the miraculous efforts of the Mississippi Nailbenders, Inc.as they build a new church for Meades Branch Freewill Baptist Church.

On April 6, the last service was held in the former church. Today, a new church is almost under roof where the former church was originally built in the 1940s.

Last fall, Pastor Michael Marcum felt called to go to Tennessee and North Carolina in order to help families rebuild. Meades Branch Freewill Baptist committed to building three homes for three families who had their homes destroyed by the floods.

Later, when floods hit Martin, Johnson and Lawrence counties, Pastor Marcum was determined to commit to helping those at home rebuild and committed to assisting families build or locate mobile homes.

“We have been blessed to be able to help three families in Hampton, Tennessee get brand new homes! God is also allowing us to help in Warfield, Kentucky by helping five additional families here get back in homes as well”, says Marcum.

“It truly reminds me of the scripture in Matthew 14:19. In this story the people were in need of a miracle that day and that is exactly what they got. Jesus put “His Hands” on the two fish & five loaves of bread, looked to Heaven & blessed it! Then the disciples were able to feed about five thousand men not counting all the women and children.”

The church made the decision to postpone the new church being built until 2026, to support the families who needed homes and continue to hold service in the new youth center.

It was during a meeting at a coffee shop in Tennessee when a local business owner stated she had the Nailbenders scheduled to assist her but would not be ready and encouraged Pastor Marcum to allow them to begin the new church.

Committed to rebuilding homes and postponing the church build until 2026, Pastor Marcum stated he would wait but then received a call from Jack Honea, President of the Nailbenders, stating they would come and build the church free of charge with the church providing materials.

It was an offer Pastor Marcum could not refuse and the plan was put in place in a short three weeks to be prepared for the Nailbenders arrival to frame the new church on May 26.

Founded by Jack Honea and his twin brother, Mack, the Mississippi Nailbenders have been building churches worldwide since 1984.

The idea to work in five weeks began at a family reunion with Mack and Jack talking to their first cousin, Don Griffin, who was going on a mission trip to build a church in Louisiana. During the preceding years when the men had done the typical one-week trips, they were always asked by the churches if they could find other groups to finish the job.

Currently five teams follow each other starting Memorial Day weekend and through the month of June. Crews today run from 45 to 110 people per week.

Nailbenders’ crews grew organically. Every church they built sent a few of their members to help the next year. There is a place for anyone who wants to serve — men, women and teens — and they are trained for the jobs needed except for framing the building the first week.

The crews building Meades Branch Freewill Baptist have come from all over, including Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky and Alabama.

“Each person pays their own expenses and volunteers include people from churches, businesses and those who the Nail Benders have helped in previous years. Jack says, “We tell local churches that we need certain skills — framers, electricians, drywall, mudding, painting, — and God will bring them forth.”

“The church was in need of a miracle to help all these families get back in a home like they needed and that is exactly what He did for us!JESUS has surely put “His Hands” on all of our work and God has blessed it beyond anything we could have ever imagined!”, says Pastor Marcum. “I give ALL THE PRAISE, GLORY & HONOR to JESUS for allowing us to be a part of HIS WORK!”

Along with a new building, Mississippi Nailbenders always leave something special behind.

Under the stage where the pastor stands is a box with a Bible in it so that the pastor is always standing on the Word of God when he is preaching.

“Starting the Mississippi Nailbenders in 1994 and advancing it to a well-connected five team unit has been the highlight of my Christian ministries, ” says Jack Honea. It is exciting to get involved in building a church and seeing them become involved with what we do is exhilarating. Honea says, “It is always so good to meet fellow Christians from other parts of the country.”

“God has ‘shown up’ and ‘shown out’ in so many ways that it has left everyone involved in awe of His Greatness, “ says Pastor Marcum. “Our church is closer and stronger now and my own personal faith has grown immensely as well.”