Tina Hayward stands in front of the Martha Street house she wants to turn into a women’s and children’s shelter.(Melanie Duncan Thortis The Vicksburg Post)

[4/11/04]Just as things were looking down in Tina Hayward’s life, a change of plans led her back to Vicksburg and down a path to change other lives.

Hayward and her husband, the Rev. Louis Hayward, were living in Denver and set for a move to Houston when those plans fell through, leading her home to Vicksburg.

She’d sold her custom-built 4,000-square-foot home in Denver and had already placed a down payment on a home in Houston when her husband lost his bid for a contracting job there, and BellSouth said it was withdrawing her job offer.

“Everything happened so fast, I didn’t have time to call my friends,” the 47-year-old said. “They’d say Are you in Houston? Where are you?’ and I’d say, I guess I’m going back to Mississippi.’

“Everyone thought I was crazy,” she said of giving up her dream home in Denver and moving here without a job.

But within five days, Hayward had a job lined up in Jackson, and two weeks later, her husband did, too.

They bought a dilapidated house on Martha Street.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do with that house,” she said. “The Lord just said to purchase it.”

That was three years ago, and Hayward now says, “Maybe the Lord just wants us to stay here.”

The Martha Street house was in such disrepair that she and her husband rented an apartment and used the home for storage.

As director of Mountain of Faith Ministries, Hayward talked with North Ward Alderman Gertrude Young. That’s when she became aware of the need for a women’s and children’s shelter in the city.

She said she knew then why God told her to purchase the house.

Her tenure with the U.S. military gave Hayward the opportunity to travel and live in cities across the nation.

So it came as a surprise to Hayward when she moved back to Vicksburg and learned there was no place for women and children in need to spend the night.

The 10-room house, Hayward thought, would be a perfect place for a shelter.

She’s since joined the Jackson-based Partners to End Homelessness Coalition and is working with local charity organizations for help, including counseling and providing clothes and furniture, to maintain the shelter once it’s up and running.

And to get it going, Mountain of Faith Ministries is hosting its third Walk For Jesus, but this year the proceeds will benefit the shelter. The walk is from 9 a.m. to noon April 24, and refreshments will be available.

Hayward hopes the walk, which begins and ends at the Riverstage Plaza on Washington Street, will raise about $10,000. The walk itself is free, but T-shirts are $10.

She hopes that money will be just the beginning in fund-raising efforts, as the house needs about $23,000 in renovations and $10,000 to install heating and air conditioning.

“We have until November to get the house ready,” Hayward said. “We need donations and volunteers, and we’re hoping businesses will donate their services and time.

In November 2002, the city’s zoning board gave Hayward a year to have the house renovated.

“I feel like it can happen with the community’s help.”

While looking for someone to write applications for grants, Hayward spends much of her time preparing documents and working with local charities. She’s spent $3,000 of her money on painting and repairs.

Not that she minds. She believes it’s her duty to help out.

“This is what you’re supposed to do,” Hayward said. “You can’t go up to heaven and serve God up there, you have to do it while you’re here, and the only way to serve God is to serve the needs of others.”