Orientation

KATRINA ASSISTANCE SHOWS THE LORD
Robert E. Adamski, Elder
Bay Ridge United Church
Presbytery of NYC

Psalm 126: 3: “The Lord has done great things for us and we rejoiced.” Just as the Israelites felt this on returning from captivity to a land of desolation, the Presbyterians working on the Gulf coast feel it. As 26,000 volunteers have traveled to the Gulf coast and worked there, this feeling is felt over and over again. From the young adult volunteer (YAV) that started a "bus ministry" to the college student that "didn't do the God-thing" the Lord is doing great things on the Gulf coast.

George and Linda Bates, Area Coordinators for the Mississippi Presbytery, have experienced these great things and share them with the volunteers during their orientation. Dr. Bates is a retired college professor who is busier now than he ever was. His wife Linda is constantly on the move and is questioned constantly if she is OK responds she has never been better.

The bus ministry began when one of the YAVs who was assigned to help at a meals program found the first bus at 4:45 A.M. to get to breakfast. After riding with the same people every morning she began counseling, taking requests for assistance and generally "ministering" to the bus.

Another story they told was of how life and excitement came to two struggling churches in the area. One had pulpit supply for seven years and the other was down to seven members and had petitioned the Presbytery to close. The church with pulpit supply was only open for one hour on Sunday mornings and the Presbytery said the other church couldn't close because it was in a prime area for growth. One of the team suggested a yoked pastorate and discussions began when a former Mississippian returned home from Princeton Seminary to ask permission to circulate his personal information form. At the Presbytery meeting as the yoked pastorate was being discussed the Princeton Grad heard about it and started thinking about his call. He had received a grant to go to South Africa with his family but returned to Princeton to tell his Dean that he was accepting a call to the yoked churches. The two churches became locations for “mini-villages” for volunteers. (The village concept was brought to the Gulf by the Norwegian Relief Agency who had a representative in the area immediately after the storm.) In addition, since the top floor of one of the churches Parish House was vacant, they agree to let the Presbytery use it for a dorm and office. With the min-villages receiving the volunteers, the churches became alive 24 hours a day seven days a week. This activity was noticed by the members who were energized by it and the new Pastor.

Volunteers come to the area not knowing what they will be doing. After the initial disaster response that included removing 45 million cubic yards of debris, the effort has shifted to long term redevelopment. The Presbytery receives work orders for help from many sources and works based on need.
One case involving two premature babies (“preemies”) caught the eye of Linda who has an early childhood education background. A Gulfport couple who had two preemies was looking for assistance with their house. It turned out they had adopted the preemies just before Katrina hit. The preemies were on heart monitors so when evacuation was ordered they knew they needed to relocate to where the power supply was reliable. They left their dogs on the second floor of their house figuring they would be back in a day or two and went to Tallahassee. After the storm hit, they received a call from a friend who sadly informed them that not only was their house gone but his landscaping business with all his equipment was gone also. Their one dog had died in the storm and the other was rescued from the rubble. Another family who had relocated to Nashville came back and saw the damage to their house and decided to sell and stay in Nashville. They put their house up for sale and the “preemie” parents cashed in their life insurance and other savings and made an offer. The offer was accepted but the house needed extensive work. After exhausting his abilities, the preemie father submitted the work order. The first volunteers to be given the work order were from Pittsburgh and asked for a project that they could all work on together. The wired, sheet rocked and taped for a week. They were followed week after week by others until the family was able to be moved in. When asked if they were sorry about adopting preemies when they were in their 50s and would they do it all over again, they said absolutely. The Lord knew what he was doing when he gave them the babies because if they didn’t have them, they would not have left their house and would have died in it.

God keeps making his presence felt as the volunteers work. While stopped behind a school bus in one of the neighborhoods where volunteers were working, Linda got mad about the time being wasted while the bus unloaded. While praying for God to move the bus, she got to see the young children greet and be greeted by their older brothers and sisters. Seeing this demonstration of love made her wonder what might be needed besides the construction work. At that evening’s end of day briefing, one of the volunteers said she was struck by the children in the neighborhood and wondered if they couldn’t see about starting an after-school program. The result is a Tuesday and Thursday afternoon program that includes art, acting and tutoring among other things and provides an unexpected opportunity for the retired teachers and artists who come to the area as volunteers to use their talents. The delay provided another example of how God does great things but not necessarily the ones we ask for or expect.

When a group of students from a Michigan community college volunteered, they said they were a secular group and wouldn’t participate in the nightly devotion. When one student came into the office while Linda and two other women were discussing things at their church, they asked him how these things were going at his church he replied, “I don’t do that “God-thing”.” While speechless for a moment, Linda replied you better watch this week. Later in the week, the student came back to Linda one night when she was working in the office late and said he’d been watching these people from all over the country helping people they didn’t know and he’s been wondering why. Linda was able to share her faith walk with the student. After tears and hugs, he started to think about doing that “God-thing.” Linda continues to pray that he has found a church home and a new life with the Lord.