Hurricane Response Update

Below is information regarding some of the Church of God efforts in response to Hurricane Katrina. It comes from Tony and Debbie Weiger. Tony is the Church of God State Pastor in Alabama.

Pastor Jerry

----- Original Message -----

From: Debbie Weiger

To: ChoGtalk@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, September 06, 2005 12:39 PM
Subject: [ChoGtalk] FW: Hurricane Response Update

This is the email I sent out yesterday (which has a lot of other information in it besides the question of the use of our camp facility, which, as you will see we have decided not to do at this time. After seriously trying to do so for several days, we found the logistics and obstacles were great, and felt that our resources would be much better put to use by taking our workers TO Mississippi and Louisiana and helping out there, than bringing the evacuees to our camp, where they would be cut off from social services, transportation, work opportunities and even anything to do! (Camp Chula Vista is really in the boonies.)

IF ANY OF YOUR CHURCHES WANT TO SEND PEOPLE TO WORK IN MISSISSIPPI OR LOUISIANA, YOU ARE WELCOME TO WORK WITH US. CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE WORK CAMP BASE COORDINATOR IS TOWARD THE BOTTOM OF THE EMAIL.

WE CAN USE HELP WITH FUNDS TOO, FOR ESTABLISHING THESE WORK CAMPS, SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT.

Dear ALCOG Family,

As we know all of you are experiencing, our hearts are broken over the enormous scope of devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina. But our hearts are also BLESSED by the enormous outpouring of help and resources by you, the ALCOG families and churches.

We have been in contact with many, many of the people in crisis, and many of you who are reaching out to help. In this email we want to update you on several of these situations.

First to the NEEDS:

LOUISIANA – We have talked directly with State Minister Don Coleman. They have opened their camp facility in Pollack as a refuge to around 75 people (it changes somewhat, with folks coming and going). About ¼ of them are Church of God families from across LA who are displaced. The others are mostly Creole and Cajun. A number of the men have gotten jobs with FEMA, and most have transportation (those who evacuated before the storm). He does not yet have a full report on all of their churches and families, but does know that many are severely impacted. He says they will definitely need help 2 or 3 weeks from now at the camp as they house these folks for an indefinite period of time, but emphasizes that we PLEASE CALL BEFORE YOU COME! (so all volunteers don’t show up at one time!) Gas is limited to 10 gal. in their area. They are in need of funds. They are not taking any Red Cross or FEMA funds because of the requirement to sign a contract NOT to pray with or read scripture to any of the evacuees if they accept gov’t. funds. They are not willing to do that!

MISSISSIPPI -- We finally got in contact with Jim Daniel, Mississippi State Minister just last night (they’ve been without power or phone service). There are several of their churches that they have not yet been in contact with in the most severely damaged areas (such as LAUREL and PERRYFORD). HATTIESBURG has a lot of damage. WADE is OK. GULFPORT, the structure is sound but water damage is severe. A number of families in these places have totally lost homes. Meridian was out of power until Friday, and yet the city is taking in 10,000 evacuees. (From the COG website: North Park Church in Meridian, MS, served as a Red Cross hurricane shelter until it lost electrical power and water on Tuesday afternoon. Pastor Earl T. Wheatley, Jr., says that utilities were restored on Friday, so the Red Cross plans to resume using the church building as a refugee shelter on Saturday, September 3. The Red Cross's expectation is that these people will be with us for up to three months, Pastor Wheatley says, perhaps longer, since many have no place to return.)

Our previous emails pretty much detailed the situations at Alabama Churches of God.

The RESPONSES:

Daphne Austin Road Community Church has opened a shelter in their facility, serving 32 persons (as of today). 5 are Hawaiian, 6 Polish, 9 African-American, and the rest are Caucasian. The Polish family just moved to American 2 weeks before the storm hit. One of the families has a 9 day old baby, whom they have discovered has a hole in her heart (Please pray for her that it will heal without surgery.) These families has lost everything they owned.

The greatest need is for money to provide food and basic necessities. (Pastor Wayne Anderson promises full accounting for all the funds received.) They also need water, soft drinks, industrial size cans of fruit and vegetables, large portions or poundage of meats. They need cookware, utensils, suitcases (the people came with only backpacks, if anything), Lactose-free and milk-free formula (Enfamil).

They need volunteers to spend the nights at the shelter. Permanent housing. Cars to be able to go to work.

ALABASTER HICKORY HILLS WORSHIP CENTER have adopted two families right now, who are staying in the homes of their church families, and have applied for 2 or 3 more. Don & Sue Jeffers are coordinating donations of clothing, supplies, etc. for these families.

Needed: jobs for an Hispanic man (skilled at laying flooring of all kinds) and two sons, ages 21 & 25. Work clothes (Pants sizes 38, 32) Size Large shirts. Work shoes size 12.

If you want to help call Don & Sue at 205-620-4147.

FAIRVIEW COG –sending a crew of workers to Pascagoula, MS this next weekend.

CENTERPOINT COG – has sent $ and is collecting supplies to send to Daphne.

HUNTSVILLE CORNERSTONE – sending $ to Daphne and volunteering folks to go on work camps

ARAB 12^th AVE – offering volunteers for work camps and sending supplies to Bayou la Batre

DECATUR 6^th AVE – working toward opening up two houses owned by the church to provide housing for hurricane victims.

FAIRHOPE SOUTH RIVER PARK COG – holding a fund raiser on Saturday for hurricane victims.

********* THIS IS BY NO MEANS A COMPLETE LIST !!!!!!! JUST A SAMPLING!!!******

We would like to hear from your church as to what you are doing!

STATE RESPONSE:

We are immediately sending $1500 state funds to Daphne to help with their shelter needs and $500 to Mobile to help with their insurance deductible.

Over the past 4 days, we have been seriously looking into the possibility and feasibility of opening up Camp Chula Vista as a shelter for refugees, and had a few persons step up to the plate and generously offer their help. HOWEVER, the logistics, finances and obstacles were so many, and actually even the location of the camp a hindrance because of lack of transportation, jobs, access to social services, etc. and actually the need so great in neighboring Mississippi and Louisiana, we are CHANGING THE FOCUS.

We are working now toward establishing a BASE CAMP in Mississippi for sending work camps into the hard hit areas. When you go, you have to go in ready to be self-sustaining. RACHAEL WOOSLEY has agreed to work to organize this. She will be organizing volunteers for the work camps, which should begin hopefully within the next 2 weeks for tree/debris removal, serving in the shelters, and many, many other types of work.

IF YOU or your church group ARE INTERESTED IN GOING ON A WORK CAMP to Mississippi or Louisiana in the next 3 months or so CONTACT RACHAEL WOOSLEY AT rwoosley@riverchase.cc or by calling her at the church (205) 988-8515 or at (205) 612-3486 (cell) We highly encourage you to work with her to send volunteers. She is very gifted at putting these things together.

We (Tony & Debbie) will be heading down south on Wednesday and will be there through the weekend, going to Fairhope, Mobile and Daphne, hoping to help out some.

MOST OF ALL, please continue to pray for all our brothers and sisters in need!

Tony & Debbie Weiger

ALCOG State Office