VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS) -In a presentation about denominational relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina, the Rev. Marilyn Turner, National Ministries' Associate Executive Director, Program Ministries, appealed to the General Board of American Baptist Churches USA for continuing gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) for healing and recovery in the Gulf Coast region.
"We cannot forget about the devastation just because the media has gone home and the story is no longer front page news," Turner said on Thursday. "The suffering continues and, as disciples of God's abiding love, we American Baptists need to be in ministry for the long haul to those whose lives were ripped apart throughout Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana."
Katrina, the deadliest U.S. hurricane since the 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane, hit the Gulf region late in August 2005 and was responsible for the deaths of close to 2000 people and $75 billion in damages.
Turner reminded board members that American Baptists' OGHS contributions for recovery from the killer storm totaled $3.7 million. National Ministries has already committed $2 million to relief efforts, but the need for housing, reconstruction, counseling, and healing are still overwhelming today, nine months later.
To date, the recovery efforts supported by National Ministries include:
* $467,000 to ABC of Greater Indianapolis for 35 temporary housing units, five permanent housing units and heavily subsidized mortgages for the permanent units in Pass Christian, Miss.;
* $500,000 to Habitat for Humanity project in Jackson County, Miss., for seven housing units and heavily subsidized no- interest mortgages;
* $260,000 to the Church World Service Emergency Response Program for material and supplies, trauma counseling and relocation assistance for evacuees;
* $135,000 to Growing Healthy Churches' congregations providing food, clothing, housing and employment to victims who evacuated to Northern California; and
* $100,000 to churches, related organization and ABMen disaster trailer ministries.
Also, National Ministries is partnering with the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference in Chicago, Ill., to host a series of Katrina National Justice Commissions that will hear and record hurricane survivors' stories and investigate immediate response efforts by government and private agencies. A goal of the commissions is to develop resources churches can use when called to respond to disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina.
At the first commission hearing in Washington, D.C., Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D., N.Y.) commended the commissions as the first of their kind to reveal survivors' suffering and develop long-term solutions to the problems still faced by the Gulf Coast region. Subsequent hearings will be held in New Orleans, La., and Houston, Texas.
Contributions to One Great Hour of Sharing are still critical to continue National Ministries' work transforming lives on the Gulf Coast. Support of the America for Christ Offering, which enables National Ministries' volunteerism and disaster response efforts, helps as well. Contributions that will enable continuing American Baptist Gulf Coast recovery efforts can be made online at www.abc-usa.org/givenow.
Turner's PowerPoint presentation will be available late in the week of June 25 for download from the National Ministries' Web site at www.nationalministries.org.
Andrew C. Jayne American Baptist Churches, USA Mission Resource Development http://www.abc-usa.org/