wfn.org | Methodist Pastor From Montserrat

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"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS 97" by SUSAN PEEK on April 15, 1997 at 14:24
Eastern, about DAILY NEWS RELEASES FROM UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE (313
notes).

Note 311 by UMNS on Sept. 11, 1997 at 16:05 Eastern (3331 characters).

Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news agency of
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CONTACT:  Linda Bloom                          499(10-21-71B){311}
          New York (212) 870-3803                   Sept. 11, 1997

Development of usable land
becomes priority in Montserrat

     NEW YORK (UMNS) -- Development of the remaining habitable
section of the island is the priority now for the people of
Montserrat, according to a Methodist pastor who has lived there
since 1980.
     But the work should be done in such a way "to make sure the
people who remain participate in that development," said the Rev.
Joan Meade during a Sept. 10 interview here. Meade, who has spent
the last month in England, was to return to Montserrat on Sept.
12.
     For the past two years, the Soufriere Hills volcano has
spewed ash and rock over the southern portion of the small
Caribbean island. Eruptions are continuing and less than 4,000 of
Montserrat's population of 10,500 remains.
     The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is
continuing to assist both the people there and those displaced to
neighboring islands, such as Antigua. Donations should be
designated to Advance No. 982450-8, earmarked "Montserrat."
     Of the Methodists -- who number more than 1,100 confirmed
members and 3,000 total participants -- many have left and only
two of the nine Methodist churches on Montserrat remain open,
according to Meade. "With every major (volcanic) event, you get a
new exodus," she said.
     The open churches, in the northern, liveable section, are
Bethany and Cavalla Hill. "Those buildings are used as shelters,"
she added.
     Top development needs are housing and the supporting
infrastructure. "Providing housing will generate employment for a
number of people," Meade noted, while cultivating new farmlands
will provide employment for others.
     The Methodist church itself is looking for self-contained
work teams to help construct a building that would supply housing
for 53 people through three family apartments and dormitories.
     The church also is working through the Montserrat Christian
Council on housing placement and trauma counseling.
     Meade, who has been assigned as a pastor here for the past
four years, finds that although many Methodists have left the
island, her pastoral load has increased. "People in crisis expect
a whole lot more from you," she explained.
     Some of the tension can be attributed to having to live in
closer proximity to one another. Before the eruptions made parts
of Montserrat uninhabitable, "people had lots of space" and lived
comfortably. Now, according to the pastor, "you have to really rub
shoulders very closely."
     And even though the northern zone is expected to remain safe,
clouds from volcanic eruptions provide a visible reminder of the
risk involved. Meade, who lives at the southern border of the
zone, can expect an ash shower when the wind blows the right way.
"It's on everything and everywhere," she said.
     But, she added, residents are finding life is more precious
when living under such a threat. "We have found grace sufficient
to cope and learn to live one day at a time," she said.
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