Goodwill and charity have become frequent visitors to the Eden community, most recently with the new pavilion being built as a school bus stop in front of the Children's Outreach Mission.
John Gallagher, former Mayor of Eden, and pastor of Children's Outreach Mission, has come together with other members from the community and from the surrounding county to provide shelter for children waiting for the school bus.
"One morning, I was talking to the Father, and as I looked out the window of the parsonage, I saw the children standing in the pouring down rain getting soaked while waiting on the school bus," said Gallagher.
Gallagher felt led to provide those children with shelter to keep them out of the elements. However, he soon realized the difficulty in getting materials together to complete such a project.
"God told me that I was his laborer and that He would supply all the needs to build it," he said.
The original purpose of the Children's Outreach Mission was to provide a safe place for children of the community to come and play and relax and hear the Word of God, rather than be out in the streets.
With the help of generous donations from a variety of sources, Gallagher built a church next door to his home in Eden.
The Outreach Mission became very popular with the local children, from toddlers to teenagers, and has made a positive impact on the area since its founding.
Gallagher said the same type of generosity seen when the church was getting built, is what they are experiencing now while they construct the pavilion.
"God supplied all the materials we needed, day after day, from the posts and concrete, to the tin and the lumber," he said.
Gallagher explained that he got the posts and concrete from good friends and neighbors, but found the next obstacle to overcome would be getting lumber to complete the roof.
"I posted a prayer on Facebook about our needs in building this pavilion, and one of God's children way up in Illinois answered the call," he said.
Gallagher said this Good Samaritan contacted Gilbert's Lumber Supply in Yazoo City on their behalf and paid for the lumber and screws needed to start the roof on the pavilion.
They have encountered few problems in this building process, apart from the wind and the rain.
"Everything gets built in God's time," said Gallagher.
He expects the project to be fully completed in about three to four weeks.
"All we need now is a concrete slab, and we have gotten estimates from a place that could come and do it for a certain amount, but we also have local members of the community who have offered to lay the rebar if we can just get the concrete and bisqueen wrap," said Gallagher.
Picnic tables have also been donated for public use at the mission that will enable the pavilion to be used for birthday parties, family reunions, and other functions.
Gallagher mentions that for their next project, they plan to find grants to help improve the living conditions of some members of the Eden community that will allow them to tear down and recycle old dilapidated houses and turn them into small cottages.
Gallagher feels that God's presence can be felt in all the members of the Yazoo County community and thanks everyone involved for their support.
For more information on the pavilion or the Children's Outreach Mission, contact Pastor John Gallagher at 662-571-8716.
