In something of a mission turnabout, some 20 young people from the Church of the Redeemer and Main Street Missionary Baptist Church in Biloxi, Mississippi are coming to Massachusetts in late May to help paint and refurbish Esperanza Academy in Lawrence.
Members of St. David's in South Yarmouth help out in Pass Christian, Mississippi.
Image: Courtesy St. David's Church, South YarmouthIn response to the destruction of Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, the Gulf Coast Task Force continues to support our sisters and brothers in Biloxi, Mississippi and New Orleans, Louisiana as they rebuild their community. Our dioceses has been very responsive in sending people to assist in the clean up, recovery, and rebuilding of individual homes, community centers, and churches. Through the Task Force, the diocese continues to forward merchandise gift cards for people to redeem at their local stores. Some of our local parishes here have established committed partnerships with Gulf Coast church communities. These partnerships have pledged spiritual, physical, and emotional support for each other as each one looks to ushering in a new bond of Christian love and connection in building up the One Body. We look forward to establishing more of these partnerships.
With the continuation of the physical reconstruction of the area, the Task Force would like to widen the area of concern to include the joblessness, homelessness, and mental health issues that resident and refugees living in the area are dealing with. All the while continuing the discussion of how we can support the rebuilding of a Christian community in which all people are welcome. If a new Biloxi, a refreshed New Orleans, or other community is rebuilt without housing, job, or health opportunities for all people, then the One Body will be sorely disabled and will fall short of its potential.
On behalf of the Gulf Coast Task Force, I ask you to continue holding our Gulf brothers and sisters in your prayers, to forward your ideas on how we can better assist in the recovery, as well as your ongoing financial and physical support as we move forward.
Peace,
Michael
The Rev. Michael Hamilton
Co-chair of the Gulf Coast Task Force
gulfcoast [at] diomass [dot] org
617-482-4826 x354
Of course, donations are always welcome: click on the link and select "Katrina/Gulf Coast Relief" where it asks how you would like your gift to be used. However, you can also take action. Many parishes are now taking on mission trips to the Gulf Coast. Volunteers are needed to clean out and rebuild houses, serve meals and perform other services as needed. Contact the task force or the Rev. Jane Bearden if you would like a speaker to visit your parish or you want help with organizing a trip; also see the attached planning guide.
For other possibilities, check out Rev. Jane's suggestions.
In January of 2007, the task force commissioned the Rev. Jane Bearden
to work with our partner, the Church of the Redeemer in Biloxi,
Mississippi and with the Diocese of Mississippi. Jane writes a blog where you can read stories of her experiences working in the area and develop a full understanding of how valuable her work is.
If you are a medical professional, please consider joining Samaritans Now. Approximately 70% of the primary care physicians who evacuated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast have not returned. The Episcopal Church is working to improve access to medical care; in New Orleans, St. Anna’s Church is operating a free clinic with a medical van in the 9th ward, and in Biloxi, the Lutheran Episcopal Disaster Response (LEDR) is providing a free medical clinic in a local church. Samaritans Now sends a team of medical workers, mainly physicians and nurses, to work in Louisiana or Mississippi for one week each month.