wfn.org | [UMNS-ALL-NEWS] UMNS# 490-Mississippi churches give thanks,

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Mississippi churches give thanks, respond to storm's damage

Sep. 5, 2005	 News media contact:   Tim  Tanton * (615) 7425470*
Nashville {490}

NOTE: Photographs and related coverage are available at
http://umns.umc.org.

By Woody Woodrick*

GULFPORT, Miss. (UMNS) - When Sept. 4 dawned, many United Methodist
churches across the Gulf Coast held Sunday worship services.

They held services despite lack of electricity, water and, in some
cases, stable buildings. But the services were held, giving those whose
lives were irrevocably changed Aug. 29 by Hurricane Katrina a chance to
grieve, question and give thanks to God.

"Being here gives me a sense of peace in my heart that everything is
going to be all right," said Cathy Gilmore, who attended one of two
services at First United Methodist Church in Gulfport. "I wanted to be
with people I'm used to worshipping with. It gives a sense of normalcy.
It gives a sense of feeling everything is going to be all right."

"People realize they were saved for purpose, just like John Wesley was,"
said Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, referring to Methodism's founder. "This is
how people feel who were not directly impacted."

Six days after what many are calling the worst natural disaster in U.S.
history, a few signs of progress toward cleaning up appeared.
Electricity was on in spots in Gulfport and Biloxi. Most major roads
were clear, and neighborhood streets were passable. Crews clearing
streets were being replaced by power crews.

As the flow of relief supplies began to gain pace, help through the
United Methodist Committee on Relief arrived. However, Ward pointed out
that UMCOR was always there. "UMCOR is us," she said, at the first
session to plan how the church's Mississippi Annual (regional)
Conference would respond.

Phones calls began streaming into the conference office in Jackson
almost immediately, despite the building having no power. United
Methodist groups from around the country began calling the Rev. Jeff
Pruett of Tunica, conference UMCOR coordinator, with offers of
truckloads of supplies. Churches also offered shelter to those who fled
the storm.

"I'm greatly encouraged," Ward said. "Our people are energetic and
resourceful."
While the denomination was eager to respond, Pruett said UMCOR would
have to do some things differently in the United States.

"Ordinarily, our mission is safe, sanitary and secure housing - what
somebody needs to stay in their home," Pruett said. "What I see is a
broader scope to ministry because of the immediate needs. The
devastation has been so huge that distribution of goods has been
hampered. We've got to find a way for us to meet needs in the
communities."

Ward encouraged churches to be creative in their response. "Our
communities all have evacuees from this storm among us," she said. "We
need to open our doors to them. You don't have to leave home to make an
impact. All of our efforts are important."

UMCOR placed three staff members in Mississippi - the Rev. Tom
Hazlewood, Barbara Tripp and Mary Gaudreau.

When Katrina hit the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, the combination of Category
4 winds and a record storm surge from the Gulf tore apart businesses,
homes and entire

communities. Some 169 Mississippians were confirmed dead as of Sept. 4,
and that number was expected to rise.

As of Sept. 2, no United Methodist clergy were reported injured or dead.
Pastors in the affected areas were being encouraged to call their
district superintendents or the conference office.

Food, water and ice were needed in all areas where power and gas were in
short supply, Pruett said. Flood buckets and health kits were also
needed, he said.

The Rev. Ray Stokes of Gulfport Trinity United Methodist Church listed
several items needed: antiseptics; paper products; antibacterial
cleansers; rubber gloves; Clorox; garbage bags (30- and 40-gallon
sizes); canned vegetables and meats; crackers.

Ward encouraged United Methodists to be sensitive to neighbors around
the state who lost loved ones or whose property was damaged. "We need to
be caring friends who walk down the street and reach out to our
neighbors. Being close is so important."

That was evident Sept. 1 when the group visited Trinity Church. Stokes
showed obvious signs of stress and fatigue as he related stories of
love, compassion and hardship that he and his church have experienced.

"We were down to our last gallon of fuel for our generator," Stokes
said, "when a man from Georgia brought me some gas."

Since the storm, Trinity Church has been feeding people in the community
despite having no electricity or water. The principal of a nearby
elementary school brought over food from the school's freezer that would
have otherwise gone to waste. Other sources supplied food, too.

Churches buildings were hit with varying degrees of severity. At Leggett
Memorial United Methodist Church, facing the beach in Biloxi, only the
frame, half the roof and the back wall of the sanctuary remained. All
the pews and the carpet were washed away. The building housing the
offices and classrooms was smashed.

Most of the buildings at Seashore Assembly, a retreat facility that owns
the Leggett land, remained standing but would likely have to be razed.
The first floor of Fazer Hall, a motel-like building for guests, was
gutted. Arlean Hall, a United Methodist Women's retreat center on the
grounds, also lost its first floor. Manager Art Steinaway said the
foundations of both buildings were compromised by the rush of water. Van
Hook Hall was leaning, and Steinaway said it would have to be torn down.

Seashore Retirement Community, owned by Mississippi Methodist Senior
Services Inc., was seriously damaged. Its 58 residents and a few staff
members rode out the storm and were later moved to other Senior Services
facilities.

Also in Biloxi, St. Paul United Methodist Church downtown had roof and
water damage.

In the Moss Point-Pascagoula area, Safe Harbor, Pascagoula First and
Eastlawn churches were damaged. Pascagoula First was reported to have 12
feet of water inside the church.

Bay St. Louis Main Street United Methodist Church and Diamondhead United
Methodist Church were reported to be OK. The status of churches near
Pass Christian was unclear.

Gulfside Assembly, a historic camping and retreat center west of Biloxi
in Waveland, was destroyed. The center is owned by the United Methodist
Church's Southeastern Jurisdiction.

Mollie M. Stewart, president of the Gulfside Board of Trustees, talked
to Gulfside Assembly Director Marion Martin, who examined the property.
"It's hard for me to even believe it. It's devastating," Stewart said in
a jurisdictional news release. Once the board meets in October and an
assessment is made, Stewart said she would be able to determine the next
step for Gulfside.

Donations to support the United Methodist response to the Hurricane
Katrina tragedy can be made online at www.methodistrelief.org and by
phone at (800) 554-8583. Checks can be written to UMCOR, designated for
"Hurricanes 2005 Global," Advance No. 982523, and left in church
offering plates or mailed directly to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY
10087-9068.

Information on providing health kits, flood buckets and other relief
through UMCOR is available at http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/kits.cfm.

*Woodrick is editor of the Mississippi Advocate, the newspaper of the
United Methodist Church's Mississippi Annual Conference.

News media contact: Tim Tanton, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or
newsdesk@umcom.org.

********************

United Methodist News Service
Photos and stories also available at:
http://umns.umc.org

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