[amc] FW: Katrina and Gulf States Mennonite Conference
- From: "garland robertson" <pastor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Austin Mennonite Church" <amc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 5 Sep 2005 10:18:08 -0500
Members and Friends of Austin Mennonite Church
I am sending this information for your awareness. May it go well with you.
Sincerely,
Garland Robertson
...always hold firmly to the thought that each one of us can do something to
bring some portion of misery to an end
-----Original Message-----
From: Marty Lehman [mailto:MartyL@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Thursday, September 01, 2005 12:53 PM
To: KarenL@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx; lebe@xxxxxxxxxxxx; cowbell@xxxxxxxx;
diener10@xxxxxxxxx; Sue and John Gerber; m.lehman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx;
rondiener@xxxxxxxxx; hoolster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; elkaho@xxxxxxxxxxx;
bbhool@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; rexhoo@xxxxxxx
Subject: FW: Katrina and Gulf States Mennonite Conference
Thought you might like to see this news about Katrina's impact on Mennonite
communities in the south. -Marty
_____
Subject: Katrina and Gulf States Mennonite Conference
To: CLC, Executive Board, all Mennonite Church USA staff:
Dear Friends,
This is to share some brief information about our members and congregations
in Gulf States Mennonite Conference in the aftermath of Katrina. Your
prayers for our brothers and sisters there, and their neighbors and
communities, are requested.
I spoke yesterday evening with Duane Maust of Meridian, Miss. Duane and
his wife Elaine are co-pastors of Jubilee Mennonite Church there and Duane
is the moderator of GSMC. Duane's phone service had just been restored last
evening, he told me, and they are without power and running on a generator,
but fuel is scarce. He expects it will take a long time to restore power.
His area, almost 200 miles north of New Orleans, sustained winds of almost
100 mph with the damage mostly to trees.
Duane had no word on the Gulfhaven Mennonite Church of Gulfport, Miss. (see
MDS report below). He said that the congregation recently dedicated a new
sanctuary and its attendance had doubled in the last year to 160. Nelson
Roth is pastor and David W. Weaver is assistant pastor.
Duane also expressed serious concern for Des Allemands Mennonite Church, Des
Allemends, LA, 50 miles west of New Orleans, and also for Lighthouse
Fellowship Church at Buras LA. There are no congregations in New Orleans.
If I receive more information on these congregations, I will pass it on to
all of you.
The following was taken from the MDS website. The most current report is
listed first:
MDS Completes Flyover of Disaster Area
MOBILE, Ala. 10 AM--September 1, 2005 ``It's everything you see on TV and
more. We've just completed a flyover of disaster sites,'' Kevin King,
Executive Coordinator of Mennonite Disaster Service, reported Thursday
morning. ``We flew from Pascagoula to Biloxi and Gulfport. It's currently
restricted air space but we were able to get permission to fly and were able
to fly at an altitude of 1000 feet.'' They also flew to Hattiesburg, Miss.,
before returning to Mobile.
At Gulfport, ``For the first ten blocks from the ocean, it looks like a
steamroller went through. In some cases, you can't even see where the
buildings were.'' The damage is primarily water damage.
King said, ``We could tell when we were approaching a town because of the
miles-long lines of cars looking for distribution centers for ice, water and
food.
``All the major highways are now open including I-10 east and west and
highway 49. We are currently traveling west on I-10 to Gulfport to make
contact with Mennonite churches and pastors along the way and in the
region.''
King was able to fly over the Gulf Haven Mennonite Church at Gulfport and
reported seeing ``no major structural damage.'' Family and ministry
colleagues report that Pastor Nelson Roth had some damage to his home,
including a wall blown in and that there is some undetermined damage to the
church. Kevin King will travel there later Thursday and will be able to give
a clearer report of damage by Friday.
King and an investigation team arriving in Mississippi today will be looking
at damage and assessing where MDS will be most effective in helping. Another
team will enter the affected region through Florida and travel the Gulf
Shore to Gulfport beginning Saturday.
MDS local Units and regional volunteers will begin chain saw cleanup on
Saturday beginning in the Meridian area of Mississippi.
MDS provides free labor for cleanup, repair and rebuilding homes after
disasters. They are currently accepting donations on the website at
<https://secure.mennonite.net/.cWadmin/> or by phone at 717-859-2210.
MDS Begins Response to Katrina
AKRON, Pa.-- MDS will have leadership team members on the ground in
Mississippi beginning Thursday. Starting in Macon, Mississippi, the team
will move south to Meridian, where the Mennonite Pine Lake Camp is located,
and eventually reach Gulfport. Another team will enter the region along the
Gulf shore, joining the other MDS investigation in the Gulfport area.
MDS Churches and MDS volunteers will serve as connection points along the
way. They will provide local information and help guide investigators to
damage sites in their local areas.
On a conference call Tuesday morning, involving MDS members from Mississippi
and Alabama, MDS Binational staff heard about a wide variety of impact. In
Mississippi, the area most severely impacted is from Meridian south, where
the storm remained hurricane strength. Most in that region are without power
and telephone and cell phone service is patchy.
Further north, in Macon, MDS Unit Chair, Lloyd Miller reported that there
are lots of limbs down but no sign of major damage. According to local
police, a large ``feeder'' line is out and electricity is expected to be
down for the next few days. Long time MDS volunteer, Ottis Mast, also at
Macon, reports a lot of debris and many shingles off his own home to the
extent that his roof will likely need to be re - shingled.
In Alabama, Mobile area is without power and has trees and limbs down with a
large amount of debris. J.D. Landes, overseer of the Good News Fellowship
Churches reports that some shingles are off roofs away from the shore . C
loser to Mobile Bay and in the bayous severe damage is reported.
Pastor Steve Cheramie Risingsun at the Poarch Community Church reports that
many in his community and native Christian churches within Lousianna
evacuated to as far away as Texas, Tennessee and north Alabama. While little
damage was done in the Poarch area, about 40 evacuees from Louisiana have
been staying at the church to wait out the storm.
MDS would like to emphasize that t his is not the time for volunteers. Right
now, search and rescue operations are in still in effect and this will
remain a priority for the next few days. People are asked not to enter
disaster regions with the hope of volunteering as officials will either
escort you out of the area or arrest you . Residents themselves have not
been allowed back to their homes and will not be allowed to do so for
several days. Check the MDS website for volunteer opportunities beginning in
the next several weeks or join with a recognized voluntary service
organization with ties to established disaster response agencies. People
seeking information about relatives in affected areas are encouraged to call
their local office of the American Red Cross.
MDS is accepting monetary donations only at this time. You can donate
through the main page of the website or by mailing a check to MDS. In the
USA at: Mennonite Disaster Service, 1018 Main Street, Akron, PA 17501 or in
Canada at Mennonite Disaster Service, 306-2265 Pembina Hwy, Winnipeg, MB R3T
5J3.
Please continue to watch the MDS website for information. The site will be
update as information becomes available and pictures will be posted as the
investigation team moves through the affected areas.
Site content C 1999-2005 MDS. Email delivered by SquirrelMail
<http://webmail.mennonite.net> .
Powered by Caravel CMS <http://www.caravelcms.org> , C 2003-2005
Mennonite.net <http://www.mennonite.net> .
Jim Schrag
Executive Director
Mennonite Church USA
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