NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A few months ago, a Norfolk church reached out to 10 On Your Side after paying $18,000 for a brick job that was never finished. A former brick mason saw our stories and got involved.
It’s been more than a year since the Friendship Baptist Church started the process of updating the brick on their building.
They first reached out to 10 On Your Side because the original contractor didn’t finish the job and what was complete had to be redone. Since then, local brick masons have stepped up and are working on getting the job done.
Brick by brick, Friendship Baptist Church is getting rebuilt.
“The good Lord send me some good brick masons,” said Eddie Britt. “I am so happy to see this last course go on.”
Eddie Britt was the first brick mason to volunteer to fix Friendship Baptist Church, but he was alone. He was worried about materials and hoped to finish the job by November.
That’s when George Nugent saw our stories and started making calls.
“It was in my heart to contact these guys as a call to action and they just came together to make it happen,” said volunteer George Nugent.
He’s a former brick mason and showed up Saturday with a team of volunteers.
Nugent said, “You still can’t believe it until you see all these guys strung all the way down this 130-some-foot wall.”
The team got right to work. Nugent said, “Heck, we probably laid over 5,000 bricks just the other day.”
The project is coming together faster than Pastor Gregory Norris had hoped. “I was overjoyed, overjoyed,” he said. “Just didn’t know who was going to show up.”
Norris says he’s encouraged by the community’s support. “You guys have just done something that I could’ve never done. You’ve reached so many people and I believe this is going to be the beginning of something great,” he said.
As the work continues, he’s reflecting on the moment: a group of strangers coming together, working until every last brick is laid.
Norris said, “I’m really touched by the generosity of so many people to help, want to help.”
According to Norris, Batchelder & Collins has donated all of the brick and the Home Depot is also pitching in. The church is also seeking donations from the public.
