A group of supporters chatted as photos of Back Bay Mission restoration projects in Biloxi, Miss., flashed in the background. From left is Cindy Harrison, Juli Pankow, Burt DeMarche, Jeremy Hamilton-Arnold and Dale Pankow, who all turned out to help the mission’s restoration efforts, which now include home restoration and veteran support services.

The Reverend Matt Crebbin, senior pastor of Newtown Congregational Church, offered a pre-meal blessing before volunteers served up traditional dishes of shrimp, corn, chicken, potatoes, and Andouille sausage at the Low County Shrimp Boil.

Jerry Cole serves up beverages and conversation with Newtown Congregational Church parishioner and Newtown High School teacher Trent Harrison during the Low County Shrimp Boil on October 17.

Doug Body, left, and Larry Whippie check on a vat of potatoes and Andouille sausage before serving it as part of Newtown Congregational Church’s Low County Shrimp Boil, the third annual community benefit to support Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, Miss. The benefit was held October 17 in the church’s Great Room. The church established a relationship in 2005, when it sent financial support to the United Church of Christ mission following Hurricane Katrina. It has continued to send financial and physical support since, with groups of NCC members traveling at least once each year since October 2006 to rebuild homes in the city on the Gulf. Newtown Ecumenical Workcamp Servants also sent a group of young adults and chaperones to the Gulf Coast city in July 2010.