Gather and Scatter

It was good to gather for worship this weekend. People came together from across the City and across the State. We even had some visitors from out-of-state. The service was a call to take the opportunity to turn aside as Moses did at the burning bush. In our case we are being invited to turn aside and meet God in the opportunity to serve. Some people shared areas of need and some shared willingness to help in particular ways. One need that became particularly evident was the need for additional medical personnel at the shelters. One out-of-state visitor heard the call for needed medical personnel at the shelters and decided to to spend his last day in town serving. After church we received a call for assistance helping move 91 residents from a coastal nursing home from busses to wheelchairs so they could be transferred into the temporary shelter. Members of Grace and members of the LSUS baseball team shared in this opportunity. We gathered to worship and are scattered to serve.

Hurricane Gustav's approach speed has increased. Landfall is going to come much sooner than expected. Schools across the State are closed and hurricane force winds are possible in Baton Rouge which is almost 100 miles inland. As I finish this entry, my phone received a text alert from the national weather service alerting me that Shreveport is to expect tropical storm force winds, possible tornadoes, heavy rain and flash flooding. 

Living Hope

We put a version this video together initially in the aftermath of Katrina and Rita to raise awareness of the extent of the damage. This subsequent version, Living Hope, was used by many churches for the 1st anniversary of Hurricane Katrina to thank the many volunteers who gave time, resources and effort to help Louisiana rebuild. We have just passed the 3rd anniversary of Katrina. Recovery work is still underway. An offering will be taken on the first Sunday in September to continue the work of hurricane recovery in New Orleans and the rest of New Orleans. (The Song on the video is My Louisiana by Stacy Hood - www.stacyhood.com)

Warning

Mayor Nagin has issued a stern and grim warning for New Orleans. He said in a news conference, "You need to be scared. You need to be concerned. You need to get your butt out of New Orleans. This is the storm of the century." 

Yesterday I heard from three friends from different areas of the South Louisiana coast. While miles apart, the homes of all three friends are likely to receive potentially devastating wind, rain and storm surge damage. One friend reported that computer models had shown his area under 10 feet of water. He came to worship with us in Shreveport on Saturday night and brought digital video of boarding up the church before he left. A second friend sent an email reflecting on walking around her church before she left the city, reflecting on the beauty of the facility and the holiness of the time she has spent with the community during the years of recovery, reconstruction, and restoration which was completed just last week. She was preparing to power down and leave the city in response to the approaching storm and the Mayor Naigin's warning. My third friend told me that most of her family was panning to evacuate, but that her brother would be staying with an elderly uncle in a recently completed home. The home was built to replace one destroyed during the 2005 hurricane season. 

I understand the importance of place. I understand the courage to trust God in the face of terrible difficulty, but I encourage everyone who has a friend or relative in the path of this storm to encourage them to evacuate. If needed, we will help them find a place to stay. In 2005 I drove all across the devastated regions after Katrina and Rita. The power of Hurricanes is beyond belief. I was in New Orleans shortly after Katrina with the Red Cross before the city was drained and before Rita hit. I saw body bags filled in the completion of their grim purpose. If you have loved ones in the path of the storm, please encourage them to evacuate.

A grim warning for a grim time, yet we continue to pray, to prepare, and to trust God for strength.

Putting our heads together

I just finished meeting with several staff members and some members of the Church Council. We put our heads together to make sure we were focused as the storm approaches and our guests arrive in the surrounding area. Our goal was to look for ways in which our efforts could could be aligned with our particular facilities and abilities in order to meet needs in the most effective way. There are three areas of concern that will affect our response; 1) the needs of the guests in the shelters and the volunteer opportunities offered by the various agencies, 2) The location of landfall and the intensity of the damage, and 3) the potentially damaging weather that could reach Shreveport. This weekend in worship, will be offering opportunities for people to sign up on different teams, each with a particular ministry focus. The teams will include hospitality/food, transportation (delivery of supplies), local storm damage work team, coastal storm damage work team, communication/coordination/administration. There may be other areas in which people would like to serve so we will invite people to share particular interests, gifts, or interests to provide that information as well. Gathering this information will allow us to respond quickly. Our hope is to maintain an updated website of volunteer opportunities and needs for our use as well as for use by other congregations.

Major Evacuation

I just returned from a meeting with clergy and nonprofit organizations with the Mayor and the Disaster Preparedness office of Homeland Security for Shreveport Bossier. It seems that we are about to have a total evacuation of the South Louisiana Coast. We were reminded that the preference of the office of Disaster Preparedness is to keep people supported in Red Cross shelters that have been prepared and are staged to open in a certain order. There will be many volunteers needed and we will be learning more as time moves on. 

"Surprise Guests"

We've been in communication with one of our sister churches in the projected path and have been asked to partner with them in the event that some of their elderly members need a place to stay. We are currently working out the details of this request and will be letting the congregation know by email about the ministry opportunity. We will be looking for volunteers who would be willing to host an individual or a couple from Asbury United Methodist Church in Lafayette. Drew Sutton's mother is one of the pastors of the Asbury in Lafayette. Mitzi Musgraves will serve as contact person at the church. In 2005 we came up with a term for those brought to us by the storm. Instead of "refugees" or "evacuees" they were "surprise guests." It looks like we will have the opportunity to be hosts for surprise guests.

Remembering

During the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the people of Grace Community UMC found many ways to serve in the rapidly changing landscape of need. I remember many of you gathering in the recently opened Youth Warehouse to help coordinate the different aspects of our response. We called the response "Operation Open Heart." Many of you worked to restore several cabins at the YMCA next door, including upgrading the roofing, electrical supply and climate control. The cabins were made ready provide housing. Originally, we assumed that the cabins were being prepared for people fleeing the storm, but as things progressed, we were informed by the authorities encouraging all those fleeing the storm to find lodging at one of the "official shelters." In discussion with the YMCA, we decided o finish the repairs so that the cabins would be ready to house groups of volunteers wanting to aid in the recovery process. Other groups communicated with the various shelters, gathering information about emerging needs and distributing the information to the congregation, inviting and enabling response. You brought food and clothes, you served in shelters, and you responded in so many other ways. You took action as the Body of Christ. I pray this storm will not be as severe, yet I ask you to prepare your hearts as we watch the storm.