On a crisp fall day with blue skies and perfect weather, over 100 people attended the Heart of Georgia Developmental Disabilities Ministry's (DDM) groundbreaking ceremony. Thursday, September 25 marked a milestone in the history of the Heart of Georgia DDM. At 11 a.m. on the forested grounds of Central Baptist Church, the ministry group broke ground on a house that eight adults with special needs in our community will call home.

The Heart of Georgia DDM's brochure shows an artist's rendering of the attractive red brick home that will be constructed in the next few months. The 4, 000 square foot group home will be built on two acres of land on Central Baptist's property.

What cannot be pictured will be the extraordinary love and care the future residents of DDM's group home will receive. Those who attended the groundbreaking ceremony on September 25 caught a glimpse of God's vision that Hulda Cook and a diligent group of volunteers have been working steadily towards these last five years.

"This groundbreaking is one of the most exciting things to happen in our community in a long time. It shows what can be accomplished when we work together in faith and obedience to our Lord. This day begins the actualization of a vision to minister to those in our community with developmental disabilities. May this ministry's obedience to God's Word fill our community with love," said Rev. Tim Millwood, associational minister for the Rehoboth Association, as he welcomed all participants.

Rev. Andy Cook, pastor of Shirley Hills Baptist Church, opened the ceremony with prayer. Rev. Cook pointed out that many people have worked diligently for years to reach this point and thanked God for their gifts of time and talents. He thanked God for the miracle of the land and for Central Baptist Church, a church family that is part of a larger vision.

"Today's prayer is that in the years to come God's blessing will be magnified in this place," Rev. Cook said.

Dr. Owen Bozeman, pastor of Central Baptist Church, addressed the group by saying, "Every work starts with a vision, and God put it into our hearts to partner with our community by providing land for a ministry village. Heart of Georgia DDM expresses the kind of cooperative care that the community should be offering. We are growing in our community, and we also need to be growing in our compassion. This is a great step forward in that direction for our community. The group homes will provide housing and loving care for productive, contributing individuals in our community. We invite our neighborhood to fully embrace the people with special needs who will live in these homes. Congratulations on this groundbreaking—this demonstrates what real community is all about."

Hulda Cook, God's engine behind the efforts of the Heart of Georgia's DDM, outlined a brief history of the ministry for the participants.

"The Heart of Georgia DDM started in December 2003, with a meeting of 16 people who shared a similar concern about the future welfare of all children who are mentally challenged in our community. The first meeting took place at Shirley Hills Baptist Church. In December of 2005, Central Baptist voted to lease two acres of land to DDM, and in August of 2007, the ministry received its 501c3 non-profit status.

"Today I want to thank my family, my wonderful husband and sons, our Sunday School class, friends, and those in the community who have joined in our efforts. I think it's awesome that we have such wonderful community support. This has truly been a grassroots effort with community fundraisers, yard sales, plant sales, a Bowl-A-Thon, a celebration dinner, concerts, and civic club involvement. As we share DDM's story in our community, we have received memorials, honorariums, as well as a few grants. Our first goal has been to educate the community. We want to spread the message that we're more alike than we are different. Our special needs kids teach us compassion. Our fundraisers have been our marketing strategy, and we'll be having future fundraisers Construction will start within the next few weeks, and we have the best team of people working with us to build these group homes," Hulda Cook said.

Dr. Jimmy Asbell, pastor of First United Methodist Church, provided the groundbreaking prayer.

"We're standing on hallowed ground as we celebrate this landmark, from the first turning of the shovel to the last picture on the wall. Help us persevere to make a difference," Dr. Asbell said.

As the DDM board members moved toward the shovels for the official groundbreaking, the crowd edged forward to get a good view of history in the making. Afterward, the celebratory mood continued with cake and congratulations.

While the groundbreaking marks significant progress towards the completion of the homes, much work still needs to be accomplished. The program for the groundbreaking ceremony listed ways to help the Heart of Georgia DDM carry out its purpose.

Additional funds are needed for the land grading and for the construction of the two group homes. If you would like to help, you can

• Pray for the Heart of Georgia DDM
• Give a gift to DDM in honor or memory of someone
• Be a volunteer
• Ask for a needs list to furnish the homes
• Participate in future fundraisers
• Participate in the 2nd Bowl-AThon January 9, 2009
• Buy a ticket to Macon Civic Club's Performance "Opry at the Grand" on February 4-7, 2009. Tickets will be available in November. Transportation to the performance is provided.
• Place orders for homemade bread and jelly. Call Hulda Cook at 953-2992.
• Attend March 28, 2009 concert at Central Baptist Church

The Heart of Georgia DDM's board of directors include Hulda Cook, Carol Sapp, Judy Youmans, John Bodenhamer, Audrey Clance, Napp Granade, Helaine Landon, and Shirley Randall.

For more information, go to www.heartofgeorgiaddm.org.