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Aug 28, 2012

Nacogdoches Church Parks Drilling Rig in Front of Door

Drilling Rig, Nacogdoches

The Rev. Howard Castleberry, stands in front of
the LS-300 drilling rig parked in the church parking lot.

During Lent this year, the Archbishop of Tanzania visited Christ Church in Nacogdoches as a speaker in the annual Lenten Lecture Series there. During that lecture, Archbishop Valentine Mokiwa related many compelling stories of women in poverty who walked up to three miles a day just to get fresh water.

 

The people of East Texas decided to do something about it.

 

Within days of the Archbishop's departure, The Tanzania Water Project was formed. Two months later, over $45,000 was raised by members of Christ Church and others to purchase an LS-300 drilling rig capable of drilling at least 300 feet deep through medium hardness rock. They also raised money for shipping the rig via container boat.  All that remains to be funded is the cost of a container ($2000), the cost of flying in a Tanzanian to be trained on the rig in Houston ($2,000) and PVC pipe for the first three wells ($1000). 

 

"I decided to park the drill rig right next to the front doors so that everyone would have to look at it when they entered or exited the church" said the Rev. Howard Castleberry, rector of Christ Church. "I wanted them to see and touch what they had donated money for, to transform writing a check into finding a purpose.  I wanted them to see what is important- to be externally focussed. I wanted them thinking about mission."

 

This is a five-year project that plans to drill one well a month for sixty months. The first twenty sites have been identified. With an average of 1,500 people per village, the project goal is to bring fresh water to 100,000 people within five years.  

 

"It is estimated that nearly half the world's population does not have access to reliable, clean drinking water" said Castleberry. "If you go to a website like Living Waters International or Advent Conspiracy, they estimate that $10 billion would solve this problem worldwide. We can help people, build relationships and get the opportunity to preach the Gospel-all in one project."

 

The project was funded in two tranches. To be a rig sponsor, one needed to contribute $5000. Five of those slots were made available, and the sponsor's name is to be placed on the rig. Well sponsorships are $1,500, and a brass plate with the sponsor's name will be set in the concrete wellhead at completion.

 

"The purpose of allowing naming rights to sponsorship was NOT to encourage more engraved nameplates" said Castleberry. "It is instead to develop prayer partner relationships. Everywhere the rig goes, or whenever a well is completed, the people of the village will be asked to pray for each person named on the drilling rig or on the wellhead plate. And everyone who sponsors the rig or a well will be given the name of the village and their leaders' names, and will be asked to pray for them."

 

"We will have East Texans praying for Tanzanians, and Tanzanians praying for East Texans." 

 

It is hoped that with the rig in a prominent place, people within the community will see it, visit the Christ Church website and contribute.

 

"People are driving by, stopping, pulling into the parking lot, and looking at the rig and the signs," said Castleberry. "The town of Nacogdoches is talking about getting fresh water to Africa in the name of Christ. I love it!"