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United Methodist leaders find faith in midst of devastation

Nov. 2, 2005

NOTE: Photographs, audio and related reports are available at
http://umns.umc.org.

By Kathy L. Gilbert*

NEW ORLEANS (UMNS)- On the way to St. Luke's United Methodist Church on
Canal Street there is a new landmark in this historic city-a towering
mountain of trash.

New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin recently said the city has accumulated 7
million cubic feet of trash in the cleanup after Hurricane Katrina.

Scattered among the trash heap are bits and pieces of many of the 79
United Methodist churches in the New Orleans district that were damaged
by the storm. The Rev. Freddy C. Henderson, district superintendent,
said no church was left untouched and many were destroyed.

A group of United Methodist leaders from the United Methodist Commission
on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns and the United Methodist
Commission on Religion and Race toured New Orleans Oct. 29, as part of a
pastoral visit to the Louisiana Annual (regional) Conference. The group
was also looking for ways to assist in the healing and rebuilding in the
Gulf Coast region.

"Nothing could have prepared me for today," said the Rev. Chester Jones,
top executive of the Commission on Religion and Race. "To see church
after church just damaged-- almost beyond repair-- and then to see the
houses and homes . . . We have a lot of work to do . . . there is going
to be a lot of grief coming out of here," he said.

The first stop on the tour was at St. Luke's United Methodist Church.
The church has been stripped down to the studs on the first floor and
power-washed clean. It is now possible to walk through without being
overcome by the smell of mold and mildew. Even though much work has been
done, there are still questions about whether or not to continue the
repairs.

"Of the 126 families that were members here, only 15 are back," said the
Rev. Don Cottrill, conference provost. "This is a time to let things
settle before we rush back in."

The question of whether and when families will return to the New Orleans
area is one of many to be considered before rebuilding decisions can be
made. Insurance adjustors are still working on inspecting homes,
businesses and churches.

"All the agencies (of the church) have a stake in rebuilding," said the
Rev. Larry Pickens, top executive of the United Methodist Commission on
Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns.

Other United Methodist churches visited were Bethany, Trinity and
Cornerstone.

Julian Jackson was passing by the Cornerstone church when he noticed
water pouring from the side of the building and a crowd gathered
outside.  Jackson, president of the United Methodist Men's group at the
church, is now living in Monroe, La.  He was in the neighborhood helping
a friend clean out her home.

"We had a beautiful ministry here," he said. "It was a diverse church.
We were in the middle of a capital campaign."

The toll from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita is going to be significant for
the Louisiana Annual (regional) Conference, said Bishop William
Hutchinson on Sept. 26. More than 90 pastors are without congregations,
and the conference will need to pay their salaries plus a few other
basic needs. Destroyed churches cannot take up collections, he noted.

"In the worst-case scenario, over the next four months, the conference
will need to pay out $1.1 million," he said. "That is a huge undertaking
which the conference does not have in reserve funds." If pastors are not
able to get churches rebuilt and their salaries have to be paid in 2006,
the cost will rise to $3.3 million, he said.

Having more than 90 churches unable to pay salaries for their pastors
also means those congregations will be unable to pay apportionments to
the conference, he said. For the rest of 2005, that will mean a $700,000
shortfall, plus an additional $1.7 million if churches still cannot pay
anything in 2006.

Jones said he really wanted to come to New Orleans to see for himself
the level of destruction. "Some of these places won't come back," he
said. One of his concerns is helping people cope with no longer being
able to attend their home church.

"People have a lot of memories of their church," he said. "How do we
deal with bringing some kind of closure for those persons who have long
histories at these churches? "

"I am always amazed at the human spirit and the ability that people have
to bounce back from crisis and tragedy," Pickens said.	"I think with
even all the shells of houses, the mold and the smell and all of the
devastation that has taken place here there is a sense of faith."

When people are challenged financially, emotionally and physically, the
church becomes even more important, he said.

"I think it is important for folks to know the church is still vital in
this place and that the United Methodist Church is making a difference."

*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in
Nashville, Tenn.

News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, 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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