Camp Biloxi History
Camp Biloxi is a ministry of RAI Ministries and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Biloxi, MS. The people of Good Shepherd started the camp in Fall 2005 with the help of Southern District Disaster Relief Coordinator Rev.Dave Lewis and District President Kurtis Schultz.
Good Shepherd elder John Coyle has directed the operations of Camp Biloxi from its inception; his wife, Rava, has been the sole volunteer coordinator for Camp Biloxi and now manages all volunteer coordination for both Camp Biloxi and Camp Restore in New Orleans.
Camp Biloxi began as a “Tent City” and housed thousands of people eager to help out after Katrina. During its first two years of operations, Camp Biloxi was managed by Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR). It housed over 15,000 volunteers, gutted nearly 500 houses, repaired almost 600 roofs, and helped to rebuild over 2,300 homes.
In September of 2007, RAI Ministries assumed management of the volunteer hospitality operations at Camp Biloxi, followed by the construction and case management operations in April of 2008. At about the same time the Mississippi Case Management Consortium contracted with RAI Ministries at Camp Biloxi to offer case management to a share of the 5,000 people still residing in FEMA-supported housing in Mississippi.
Camp Biloxi was named the “Biloxi Non-Profit Organization of the Year” in both 2006 and 2008.
According to Coyle, thanks to Camp Biloxi’s accomplishments, “Before the storm, nobody in Biloxi knew what a Lutheran was; now everybody does!”
Camp Biloxi can house up to 150 volunteers a week in portable air-conditioned dormitories and hygiene facilities constructed by Orphan Grain Train of Norfolk, Nebraska.
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church continues to be an active partner in this powerful ministry.