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Native Americans create hurricane relief fund

Nov. 4, 2005

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

By United Methodist News Service

A new United Methodist fund will assist Native American families
affected by the recent Gulf Coast hurricanes.

The fund was developed by the denomination's Southeastern Jurisdictional
Agency for Native American Ministries after a national team of United
Methodist American Indians visited Louisiana and Mississippi in late
September.

"Many times during crisis situations, Indian people tend to be left out
or overlooked," said Darlene Jacobs, director of SEJANAM.

"I did not think that I would be surprised at anything I would see,"
said the Rev. Dwayne Lowry, pastor of New Philadelphus United Methodist
Church, Pembroke, N.C. "There were large boats in the tops of large
trees from 10 miles away, refrigerators, debris and mattresses along
highways, and the smell was breathtaking."

The focus of the trip was to assess the extent of damage left by
Hurricane Katrina within native communities, Jacobs said.

Team members included Wade Hunt, chair of the Rockingham District Native
American Cooperative Ministry and of missions at Prospect United
Methodist Church, Maxton, N.C.; the Rev. Sylvia Collins, coordinator of
Rockingham District Native American Cooperative Ministry and pastor of
Branch Street United Methodist Church, Lumberton, N.C.; Tony Locklear,
EMS technician, Lumberton, N.C.; George Locklear, missions chair, New
Philadelphus United Methodist Church, Pembroke, N.C.; Lowry and Jacobs.

The group first traveled to Mobile, Ala., to visit native communities of
the Alabama Choctaw. There the team met an evacuee family with three
children from Louisiana living with a paralyzed relative in the
Salcedeaver Community.

"We visited the Gulfport and Waveland areas," Jacobs said. "The level of
disaster is truly beyond the utterance of words."

The team met with representatives of the Dulac Community of the Houma
Nation in Louisiana.  The United Houma Nation, which is state
recognized, experienced the greatest level of devastation.

Pat Arunold, director of the Louisiana Commission of Indian Affairs,
reported that more than 4,000 members of the Houma Nation were displaced
across the Orleans, St. Bernard, Plaquemines and Jefferson Parishes. Two
shelters are set-up to house affected families.

The Dulac (La.) Community Center in Terrebonne Parish has a clothes
closet, a food pantry, an intake office for services, and other
programs. In addition, the center is designated as a United Methodist
Volunteers in Mission and United Methodist Commission on Relief site.

When Hurricane Rita hit Sept. 24, Clanton Chapel United Methodist Church
in Dulac had two feet of floodwater inside the sanctuary, which is built
six feet off the ground.

"The area received eight feet of water, the most we've ever gotten,"
said the Rev. Kirby Vining, pastor.

The Dulac Community Center, which houses a thriving United Methodist
ministry serving the largely Native American population of the area,
suffered flood damage.

"Fortunately, the dormitory building was all right, since it sits 10
feet off the ground," said the Rev. Roger Lathan, Acadiana district
superintendent. The dormitories are frequently used by Volunteers in
Mission teams that conduct programs for children in the area and assist
with local construction projects.

The fact-finding team also visited Philadelphia and Meridian cities in
Mississippi, home of the Mississippi Choctaw. There were power outages
and downed trees.

"Fortunately in this community, there was no lost of life within the
native community," Jacobs said.

SEJANAM is working with leaders at the national level, in the Rockingham
District Native American Cooperative Ministry and church leaders across
the jurisdiction to coordinate work teams to provide assistance and
relief to native families. The Rev. Sylvia Collins, Rockingham
coordinator, said that the ministry has a wonderful history of providing
work teams in the Southeast Jurisdiction, Alaska, and Bolivia.

Information about where to send donations and resources can be found at
www.unitedhoumanation.org.  Members are in need of food, new clothing,
building materials, tarps, blankets, bedding and air mattresses,
cleaning supplies, and personal hygiene items.

Donations can be sent by regular mail directly to:  United Houma Nation,
4400 La. 1, Raceland, La. 70384 or to SEJANAM - Katrina Relief Fund,
P.O. Box 67, Lake Junaluska, N.C.  28745.

Donations to assist with hurricane cleanup and recovery can also be made
to the United Methodist Committee on Relief, designated for UMCOR
Advance #982523, "Hurricanes 2005." Credit-card donations can be made by
calling (800) 554-8583

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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