History

Back Bay Mission is a dynamic, 87-year-old nonprofit agency in Biloxi, Mississippi, that is “a community ministry of the United Church of Christ, serving the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the wider church community by faithful witness for social justice and compassionate service to the poor and marginalized,” according to its mission statement.

It was born in 1922 as an outreach effort of the First Evangelical Church of Biloxi (later United Church of Christ) whose members responded with compassion and service to the needs of poor shrimpers living in deplorable conditions along Biloxi’s Back Bay. Since then, Back Bay Mission has continued to expand its ministries to those who have been put at risk by social injustice issues. Although by the early 1970s, virtually no UCC congregations remained in Biloxi or the state of Mississippi, Back Bay Mission has continued to offer a witness of the of the United Church of Christ through its commitment to be faithfully responsive to the emerging and critical needs of God’s people, ever seeking a day of greater justice and peace.

Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 left Back Bay Mission with no habitable facilities. Six of its seven buildings were destroyed and the lone surviving one required a complete interior rebuild. All ministries halted until the arrival several weeks later of one donated trailer from which the staff  were able to resume their jobs and begin shaping services to fit the workspace and the post-Katrina reality.

Within a short time, the Mission began receiving work teams from across the country to help the Mississippi Gulf Coast dig out and rebuild.

Two temporary mobile homes currently serve as housing for these inspired and inspiring groups as construction of a new dormitory on campus moves toward completion – projected for July 2009.

Because of the incredible outpouring of support from UCC churches, individuals and organizations, Back Bay Mission has recovered more quickly than many other locally-based service agencies. The staff of 12 full-time employees and one part-time person provide direct services to poor families while also working through advocacy and community organizing efforts to effect deeper change.