A Little in Times of Trouble. Never think that a little bit does not make a difference! The generosity of friends across the United States in helping Zion Lutheran Church meet the needs of Hurricane Katrina victims cannot be underestimated. Paul is the one (Philippians 1:3-6) who was thankful for yokefellows, folks who helped pull the load, for the Body of Christ, his fellow believers. Here's an update about one month out from Hurricane Katrina. Zion's assistance to those impacted by Katrina would be very limited indeed without the help from so many. Remember, little Zion Lutheran Church is basically rural, elderly, and not "rich" in worldly terms. There were about 30, mostly older, people in attendance on the first Sunday in October. We are about 30 miles to the east of the start of major Katrina damage. Logistically, Zion is in “Lower Alabama,” perhaps 20 to 30 miles from the Gulf of Mexico in the little finger of Alabama jutting down between Mississippi and Florida and about 30 miles from Mobile.

     Background. Most folks know about the devastation due to Katrina. Thankfully, Hurricane Rita which just passed was not as bad. Homes, jobs, and very lives were changed along the Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana coasts due to Katrina. The destruction is so dramatic that the hurricane path has become a money-hole. Remember, Katrina remained a hurricane for ten hours after it made landfall in Mississippi. No matter how much you have to throw in the hole, it can never get filled up. And no, it is not a FEMA problem. It is a BIG problem. Acute needs related to saving lives and getting basic shelter have been met at this time. They actually stopped counting bodies in New Orleans this past week (first week of October)! Relief goods continue to come into our three states; infrastructure is being reconstructed, structures still standing are being decontaminated and rehabilitated (but many will end up being bull-dozed, they are so beyond repair), and people are returning to their homes, even when nothing is left to return to. The problem of Katrina's aftermath is SO BIG!

     Zion Lutheran Church's Help Strategy. Our congregation attempted to help meet acute needs by teaming with a large church just north of us, Loxley Church of God. Our involvement lasted about a week, because mid-term needs were already beginning to emerge. Because of the age of our congregation members, we were physically unable to help in the physical clean-up of the Mississippi area Loxley Church of God was focusing on. Our Zion Church Council elected to help our extended church family by offering financiial assistance to five households that we knew about as relatives of families in our congregation. (We wanted to apply Galatians 6:9-10, doing good, but starting with our household of faith.) Three of these households were from Louisiana, one from Mississippi, and one from Alabama.  In four cases, homes were completely demolished; in the remaining home, nothing was salvagable, although the shell of the home is still standing. In addition we sought to help two churches, one community-based and one Lutheran. In the case of the first one, we have a history of 80 years of fellowship. It is right in the middle of the worse-hit area of Alabama. The other church is in Pascagoula, Mississippi along the coast which suffered major damage. (Christ Lutheran Church's Interim Pastor Dittman once ministered to the people of Zion when it withdrew from the ELCA. The website for Christ Lutheran is found here.) And then there is a teen-residence for troubled youth which took on 20 more young people from the hurricane-stricken area with no funding! As a donation-supported facility, it is really falling through the cracks since most donations now are earmarked for overt Katrina assistance!

Christ Lutheran Church, Pascagoula, Mississippi
Click to enlarge each photo.

9-4-2005 - Pastor Dittman shows the high water mark left on the Memorial Hall door, just below the handle.

9-7-2005 - Storm damage to the Memorial Hall educational building, where 3 foot of storm surge entered the building.

9-11-2005 - The first Sunday Service after Hurricane Katrina.

     Results of the Strategy. Dollars are working! As of the October Zion Council meeting, Zion has taken all donations for Katrina relief and placed those funds into circulation immediately. At this point each of the households, each of the churches, and the residential youth ministry have each received about $1000. On one hand, this is so little when one considers that so much is lost, but each gift is an encouragement to those who have been recipients. Remember, in most cases there is no flood insurance money for loss of home and the debt load from mortgages and taxes and the rest remains. All this with no jobs to go back to on top of everything else. Talk about coping problems!

     A Shift to a Mid-Term Helping Strategy. Homes are being reconstructed and businesses will hopefully get up and running again. Just along the Mississippi coast at least 17,000 jobs related just to the gambling industry have been destroyed--we know about these because they are highly visible, but one can imagine how many jobs are not there that are what one would consider more “legitimate.” Jobs will return, but in the mid-term there is no money coming into households impacted by Katrina either in Alabama, Mississippi, or Louisiana. Some kind of income stream is needed to help people bridge the gap, to keep the family intact until the economy is working again. Our Zion Church Council decided at its October meeting to solicit funds to provide $300 of income support to each of our family units receiving a grant from us thus far and to the church in Alabama which has a direct ministry in the area destroyed by Katrina. Technically that means we need to raise $1800 a month. Zion wants to run this $300-support program for just six months. If Zion could get a hundred people or churches to provide $5 a Sunday for these six months, this mid-term relief project can be accomplished. There may be other opportunities for mid-term relief depending on the Lord's blessing of this helping strategy.

     Not a Request But an Update. Zion sincerely thanks all for their help in getting assistance to those who have been so impacted by Hurricane Katrina. The short-term needs are past. Focus must now be directed to mid-term needs. Perhaps God would direct some to share Zion's vision and support just a few families as we have decided to do. Maybe on a local basis, maybe with us, maybe through some church or civic agency. Praise God if others may desire to help hurricane victims through the Red Cross or Salvation Army or to consider helping through other hurricane-related response efforts in their own communities. One thing we are sure of, and that is the constancy of God's love and mercy. We can all know that God loves the hurricane survivors and the Body of Christ in its caring for those who are suffering. The Bible assures us that God cares for each of us, even with hurricanes and with all the devastations of life!