You have probably heard about First Baptist Church’s annual spring break mission trip to Marks, MS. You may have even heard the words “Reclaimed Project” in reference to this trip, but never really knew much about what they do?

Over spring break, just before the COVID-19 quarantine, my husband and I drove down to Marks, MS to meet up with FBC’s mission team for some photos. While we were there, we met Daniel and Kendall Myrick to learn more about the Reclaimed Project and FBC’s involvement. Daniel is a science teacher at the local high school and his wife, Kendall, is the Marks Ministry Director for Reclaimed Project.

Reclaimed Project didn’t originate in Marks. It was started by Brett and Allison Barnhill in Africa in 2012. The goal of Reclaimed was to teach the pastors of the local churches how to sustainably care for the orphans within their village. These projects include orphan care centers, community-based orphan care, sustainability projects, and skills training.

After people got involved with Reclaimed mission projects in Africa, they began asking, “Can we get something like this in the United States?” The previous executive director of Reclaimed looked for a location stateside and several people mentioned looking into the Mississippi Delta, specifically Marks, MS.

But why this little town in the Delta? As someone who loves history, I wanted to know why, of all the places in the world to run an operation like this, someone suggested a town with an area of one square mile and a population of fewer than 1,800 people. Yes, you read that right, 1.28 square miles to be exact. What was so special about this one little plot of land?

On March 18th, 1968 Marks, MS was the starting point for Martin Luther King Jr’s Poor People Campaign, his effort to bring economic justice to the poor people of the United States. King watched teachers feed their students a lunch that basically consisted of an apple slice and a few crackers. At the time, Quitman County, where Marks is located, was the poorest county in the United States. Quitman County is no longer the poorest county in the United States, but in 2017 the estimated household income was still $28,511 for the year.

This county needed some love and the people from Reclaimed Project were the ones who wanted to show that love.

The previous executive director of Reclaimed met with Quitman County’s Superintendent and asked what they needed most from Reclaimed. Her response was: “Teachers, places for teachers to live, and Jesus.” Reclaimed said, “We can do that.”

They are currently recruiting certified teachers for their Village Teacher Fellowship Program. These teachers are Christians who have agreed to live in the community, teach in the school district, and form relationships with the people of Marks. Since Mississippi is in high demand for teachers, Reclaimed is helping meet that need, which helps develop trust between the organization and the district. The teachers in this program receive their salary and benefits through the state of Mississippi.

“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.”

— James 1:27

Reclaimed Project has also purchased an 8,000 square foot building in the middle of town they refer to as “The Village.” Upstairs there are seven single bedroom apartments that the teacher can rent for $250 a month, with a shared kitchen, living room, and laundry room. The idea is that each teacher has their own space for privacy, but can also form a community with one another. In these shared spaces, they can come together, lean on each other for support, help with lesson plans, and be a prayer partner for each other when needed.

Providing teachers for the school isn’t the only way Reclaimed is helping this community. The Village holds regular outreach opportunities and events in the downstairs community center. The building has a small consignment shop downstairs where teenagers come in for shifts while the store is open. There are tables laid out with labeled and incredibly low-priced items. Daniel told us that initially Reclaimed tried giving away these items, but people looked at this as a handout and weren’t interested. However, what better way to teach a life skill than to open a store? This consignment shop gives those who want to help a place to donate items, provides a small job and life skills to teenagers, and provides items to families in need who may not be able to afford them from a regular store.

The downstairs community center also hosts the Men of Quitman County, also known as “Gents”, and provides a place for the older men in the community to mentor and pray for the younger boys. Every Tuesday, they meet together for what they call Barbershop Talk. They have a donated barbershop chair in The Village, and when they get together, they take five minutes to reflect on anything and everything. At the end of the five minutes, each boy, one by one, has to go sit in the chair and talk about something.

The goal is to teach the boys how to speak in front of a group of people. “It’s really neat to see how the kids want to do this.” Daniel says, “They want to wear ties, they want to show up, they want to be held accountable, they want to be given structure, as long as we have that for them.”

Other community outreach taking place at The Village includes a Ladies Prayer group and an after school program where kids can come to get tutoring and learn life skills.

First Baptist Starkville has partnered with Reclaimed Project for the last four years to host a spring break camp to the children and youth of Marks, MS. One week a year, our Children’s Director, Blaire Johnston, gathers a group of families and college students from Starkville to travel to Marks and build relationships. During the day, they have camp activities like arts and crafts, Bible study, games, and outdoor recreation. After camp each day, our Marks team goes door to door in the community to see how they can help and what needs they can meet.

Kendall Myrick sums up Reclaimed Project’s mission this way: “The Village mission is to restore the youth in their community through the power of the Gospel.

The church needs the youth and the youth need the church.” They look to Isaiah 1:17 for their inspiration:

“Learn to do good.
Seek justice.
Help the oppressed.
Defend the cause of orphans.
Fight for the rights of widows.”

We are so thankful for the partnership that exists between FBC Starkville and Reclaimed project. This relationship gives our church an opportunity to serve those in need in our state. You can support Reclaimed Project’s mission by praying for their ministry or serving on the annual Marks mission trip. Finally, if you are a teacher or pursuing a degree in education and you’d like to be a part of Reclaimed Project’s mission, click here to contact Reclaimed Project. They wouldn’t exist without prayer, the countless hours of service from volunteers, and the teachers that devote their time to “reclaiming” Marks, MS.