report to presbytery

Today nine of our 21 participants appeared before the Presbytery of New York City to offer our official report on the trip. Sorrel Ann (who couldn't attend) produced a wonderful photo presentation about the trip:



I also delivered a brief report on the trip which you can read as well.

After many months of planning, twenty-one Presbyterians and friends from eight different congregations, including four minister members of the Presbytery of New York City, set out on Saturday, January 13, for a weeklong work trip to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Months of planning and expectation culminated in this strange and wonderful journey organized through Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the Presbytery of Mississippi Disaster Recovery Office, and Handsboro Presbyterian Church in Gulfport, Mississippi.

When we arrived in Gulfport, we were greeted warmly by Mississippians and Louisianans of all sorts – family and friends of group members, fellow Presbyterians and disaster relief volunteers from Missouri and Minnesota, young adult volunteers at our housing site, even the local residents who worked us with over the course of the week. The warm welcome surrounded us the entire week, even amidst a burst of the coldest weather of the winter so far in that region!

Once we emerged below the clouds over the coast that Saturday at sunset, the challenges before us started to become clear. I won’t attempt to describe what we saw – even the pictures we will share with you cannot do it justice, for they do not capture the sheer volume of destruction, the reality that so little was left untouched by the storm.

Hundreds of thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. While rebuilding has gone quickly for some, most people still face the challenges of insurance nightmares, long waiting lists for contractors, and limited social support systems. The devastation in New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast remains beyond description or imagination, even after 17 months of reconstruction work – and good estimates are that only ten percent of the reconstruction work is completed.

Still, though, we offered what we could in the midst of a place that needs more than any of us can offer – a place scarred by the damage of a storm even as it still suffers from the sinfulness and injustice of our world that began long before August 29, 2005; a place recovering from disaster beyond description as it faces the reality that things will be forever different than they were before the storm; a place with fresh memories of government’s inability to help as FEMA packs up a bungled mess even as other hands from around the world pitch in to do what they can to make a difference; a place coping with despair and in need of great hope.

Our group of twenty-one joined over thirty thousand volunteers who had gone before us to work on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Alongside us for the week living at and working out of Handsboro Presbyterian Church were six men from Kansas City, Missouri, and fourteen men and women from Owatonna, Minnesota.

Over the course of the week, we offered a word of hope and peace as we cleaned out sheds, gutted houses, built fences, removed piles of debris, hung drywall, learned and practiced the fine art of taping and compounding, installed kitchen cabinets, built bunk beds, served and delivered meals, organized office paperwork, worked with children after school, made home visits, interceded on behalf of those in need, and wrote about our adventures for others around the world to read. We took an afternoon off from our work in Mississippi to see the damage in New Orleans for ourselves and to engage in a bit of economic relief work around the French Quarter. By the time our work ended on Friday afternoon, we were exhausted. The direct effects of our work were barely visible in the broad picture, but we hope and pray that a few lives might be changed by what we did accomplish.

We are grateful for the support you offered us along this journey: for the vision and financial gifts you gave that made the journey possible, for the time away to do this important work, and most of all for the prayers which carried us through even the difficult moments. Many of you followed our journey online through our blog, hearing about our adventures, seeing a few pictures, and sharing our trip in spirit even though you could not personally go along.

For all of you, though, we would now like to share a brief photo presentation of our experience made by one of our group members so that you may see for yourself the devastation of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and New Orleans, the hard work of Presbyterians from New York City, and a bit of hope that comes through God’s work in this time and place.



As you can see, there is much still to be done. Reconstruction is not yet complete, but you wouldn’t know that from watching TV or reading the newspaper. Mississippi and Louisiana have been largely forgotten – but we will never forget our experience there. In the coming weeks, those of us who journeyed to Gulfport have plans to get together again, to respond to the things that we have seen, to seek out a faithful way of response even at this distance, and to encourage others to go to Mississippi and Louisiana to assist in the ongoing relief efforts there.

While this is our only report to presbytery, this will not be the last you hear from us! In the meantime, tell others about all that remains to be done. Think about how you and your congregation can respond to the situation in Mississippi and Louisiana by sending volunteers or financial contributions. Consider joining in another work trip. Work to change the systems that allowed such a limited response to seem to be enough. And most of all, keep praying for all those in this region, that they might not just return to their homes but that they might have new and transformed lives as we all await the transformation of our world into the image of Jesus Christ.

a sermon about the trip

I returned home Saturday night to the necessity of preaching on Sunday morning. The experiences of the week on the Mississippi Gulf Coast could not escape my attention today, so I share this sermon about the trip, preached today at the First Presbyterian Church of Whitestone in Queens.

Read the sermon

Proclamation
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; Luke 4:14-21

It’s good to be back home. While I can say those words with complete honesty today after a wonderful week of mission work on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, I also suspect that Jesus himself could say much the same thing when he went home to Nazareth and stood up to read in the synagogue.

Luke records the beginning of this story in today’s lectionary reading, telling of Jesus’ first trip home after he began his ministry around the countryside. He had started out elsewhere in Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and amazing the people with the power and presence of his message. When he came home, word of his notable teaching preceded him, and so when Jesus stood up in the synagogue to read, there was surely excitement in the air as they prepared to hear this hometown boy’s message for themselves.

He took the scroll of Isaiah that they had given him and began to read:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to let the oppressed go free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Without further comment, he gave the scroll back to the attendant and sat down, but everyone there was waiting for him to say more. And so he spoke to the them: “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Preachers like this story about Jesus. Many of us tend to identify ourselves with Jesus, for better or for worse, for whatever reason, connecting our call to proclaim God’s word with this story of Jesus preaching in his hometown and the other stories of Jesus proclaiming the good news. I suspect a lot of congregation members like this text too, because it gives them a good way to remind those of us preachers who like to preach long sermons that Jesus’ first sermon was one sentence long!

Whatever the point of his preaching, this text was Jesus’ first mention to the people that he was about proclaiming God’s Word. He didn’t claim this responsibility exclusively for himself, but he was clear that he had come to proclaim this message in his words and in his life. The Old Testament scripture he quotes is very much about speaking – but it also insists that speaking stands alongside doing, for the Spirit anointed Jesus to do actions as well – to bring good news to the poor and to let the oppressed go free in addition to his message of release, recovery, and favor.

Proclamation, you see, does not have to be in word – it can also be in deed.

Yesterday we celebrated the Lord’s Supper as we prepared to journey home from Mississippi. One of the requirements for celebrating either sacrament is that it be preceded by the proclamation of the Word. Since this sermon got written on the flight back to New York last night, and no one else offered to write a sermon for the occasion, those of us planning worship had to think about how the Word would be proclaimed for the occasion. However, we soon realized that proclamation really wasn’t necessary in that moment – we had been proclaiming the Word all week long. We had heard no long sermons or even engaged in Bible study beyond reading a few verses to shape our daily devotional time together, but every hour of our trip had been about proclaiming God’s Word, just as Jesus had been called to proclaim good news in his day.

We offered a word of hope and peace as we cleaned out sheds, gutted houses, built fences, hung drywall, learned and practiced the fine art of taping and compounding, installed kitchen cabinets, served and delivered meals, built bunk beds, organized office paperwork, worked with children after school, made home visits, interceded on behalf of those in need, and wrote about our adventures for others around the world to read.

And so at communion yesterday, there was no need to proclaim the Word again – instead, we remembered the experiences of our week as our different gifts had proclaimed the one word that we could offer to others.

In a week’s time, we did not finish the work of proclamation that needed to be done – we were only a small part of the extremely long and arduous process of recovery – but we offered what we could by the power of the Holy Spirit to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor in the midst of a time and place that needed to hear – and even more to see – the reality of God’s transforming presence. And so I think it is fair to say that these words were fulfilled in some small way in our proclamation through doing just as much as they are fulfilled each time the Word is faithfully preached on Sunday morning.

Just as a good sermon leaves us pondering how we are to be about responding to that proclamation of the Word, our work this week left us all with many thoughts about what is to come – about how we must respond to the things we experienced this past week.

The devastation in New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast is beyond description or imagination – and good estimates are that only ten percent of the reconstruction work is completed. We encountered people living in houses that have had practically no work done on them since the storm, and we saw that only a handful of the thousands of residents of the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans have returned. We drove through darkened and deserted neighborhoods and saw debris still awaiting removal nearly eighteen months after the storm. Even us visitors felt frustrated by the slow pace of recovery, as thousands of volunteers and the best processes of distributing aid can only do so much to rebuild after the destruction of hundreds of thousands of homes. Things are certainly not what they were immediately after the storm, but so much remains to be done that it is clear that the commitment to recovery must continue for many more years. Katrina’s destruction is no longer on the front page every day, but it remains an everyday reality for hundreds of thousands of people.

On its own, the proclamation of the Word means a great deal, but it can be multiplied many times over by our response to it. Addressing the problems of New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast is not easy, and there are no overnight fixes, but like all responses to the proclamation of the Word, a few seemingly small steps can add up quickly. I hope that you will join Lisa, Rose, and all of us who journeyed from the presbytery as we respond to the Word proclaimed in and through us last week in Mississippi. I don’t think the next steps are clear, but I pray that the Spirit of the Lord will continue to be upon us as we bring good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, let the oppressed go free, and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

The commitment before us to proclaim this message of justice, peace, and love on the Gulf Coast, in Louisiana, in New York City, and throughout the world is tremendous, but the Spirit empowers us to respond in faith and to proclaim all the good news in word and in deed.

May God continue to strengthen us to respond to the challenges of faithfulness in our time and to fulfill the message of proclamation in word and in deed at home and around the world every day.

Lord, come quickly, and fulfill your Word yet again!

Amen.

Hellos and Goodbyes...

Its our last day here in Mississippi. We thought it would be nice to show you who we are and say hello before we say goodbye.

We'll be returning to New York tonight but will continue this blog with post-trip thoughts and reflections. Remember all the times we said, "More later.."? Well, we'll also be adding new content to previous posts. So, we hope you'll continue reading and continue sharing.

When you see us back in the city and in church, feel free to say hi.

NYC Presbytery Gulfport Katrina Mission Trip
Front row: Rose, David, Kate, Betty, Eleanor, Janet
Second row: Randye, Sorrel Ann, Arabella, Barbara, Agnes, Rita, Lisa, Jill
Third row: Bob, Tina, Andy, Kathy, Oddrun, Carol, Craig

Reconstruction in Gulfport

Its not all destruction and debris in Gulfport. Even along the coast highway, where there's the most serious damage, there are signs of life and construction taking place. Driving along the main roads, you see lots of fast food joints, loan centers, storefront churches, employment offices and construction supply stores. It seems either houses have trailers parked out front (which means the homes are not habitable) or there's building material around. Because housing is now so scarce, most new homes and apartments are at or above Manhattan pricing. New construction is only possible for those who can afford it.



Some people though, have less than nothing. They can't afford these new homes. They can't afford rent. They're still making mortgage payments for house that's not there.

As Barbara quoted from Robertson Davies:

Money can't buy happiness, but
it enables one to endure unhappiness
with exemplary fortitude.

(But what do you do when you don't have anything?)

Thursday's Chaos

Cold, displaced, angry about being forced out of their routine and comfortable surroundings- the feelings of the Gulfport residents? Not on Thursday night as we were given 10 minutes to finish dinner and clear out of the Fellowship Hall to let a Gulfport group that rented it to start their meeting. This after the women who had moved into the sanctuary from the pod were told that they again had to move because a group from North Carolina was sleeping in the sanctuary.

After worship which included “I Sing a Song of the Saints of God” settled everyone down in the sanctuary, someone said the Lord does have a sense of humor. Here we were given the opportunity to experience for a short time what the people we were helping experienced 18 months ago and continue to experience. Discussion continued with everyone saying that the people they were helping made the trip rewarding. One of us was actually was surprised when she was recognized by one of her temporary new neighbors in the CVS. Some expressed frustration about not knowing about the political situation and what government is or isn’t doing as well as having worked on Martin Luther King’s holiday without even a mention of it. Bob mentioned that he has left a message with the Gulfport and Biloxi Public Works Directors but hadn’t gotten cold back. He realized driving for kerosene how busy they must be dealing with the ongoing work. Suggestions for action included writing elected officials, the PDA and telling friends, neighbors and church members about what isnot happening. Hymns, hymns and more hymns helped the displaced New Yorkers fill the time until the meeting ended and they could reoccupy the Fellowship Hall. The women moved their “beds” to the nursery and some enjoyed the rocking chair that was moved out. Everyone enjoyed ice cream as the North Carolina bands arrived.

Comments from You

Its great to receive messages from folks reading this blog. They raise our spirits and let us know your thoughts are here, where ever you might be. We're fortunate to have people from all over the country and the world checking in...from Alaska to New York to San Diego to Norway, China, Germany and more.

Concerned in Newark writes:

How wonderful to hear NYC presbytery is down there! I was in Gulfport about 10 + years ago with the Drew Seminary Choir and we stayed at a Methodist Conference Center in Gulfport. They spent years recovering from Camille. I've been wondering what happened to them. If you happen to hear anything, would you please publish in your blog? Thanks

(Editor's note to contributor: Which Methodist center was your host? We'll check...)
(Andy's additional editorial note as a semi-local: I bet it was the Methodist Seashore Assembly. I stayed there many years ago myself. It survived, but not well -- the lower floor is now closed and appears to be so permanently. However, the Methodists continue to maintain a strong presence in the Biloxi area.)

Reggie in Virginia writes:

May God bless you all, for the self-less work that you are doing and in your travels through the devestation of the Gulf area. I have been following the blog because my Aunt Randye is part of your group. I am an Architect in the Norfolk Virginia area and wish I could be there with you. I am seriously thinking of looking for groups that will be taking trips to the Gulf to help with rebuilding efforts. Every single one of you has inspired me to stop thinking and complaining about what has not been done for the people devastated by Hurricane Katrina and get up and DO SOMETHING! I hope all of you take care, stay warm, be careful and may God bless you in everything that you do!

David R. in Manhattan writes:

You guys ROCK! I'm so impressed, not only with the work you're doing but with your newsroom operation! It's been so interesting to read about -- and see -- your exploits. Very best rgds to you all,

Sandra in New York City writes:

I am so inspired by your mission and commitment to helping out in the Gulfport region. You also seem to have a spirit of fellowship that makes the project even more meaningful and one that I am sure you will remember for a long time! It seems as though there is still a lot to be done and maybe I will have the opportunity to donate some time. It was about 20 degrees here in New York when I left for work and I know it is getting colder in your area. Hang in there and stay warm! Sandra - sister of Randye and good friend of Craig representing LAPC

Tony (Jersey City)

"Big "Hello" to the work crews. Jersey City 11.45 am. January 17. 24 degrees, Cold! Hope you have warmer weather for the outside work in Handsboro! Latest photographs and videos very very enlightening, both for the body and soul. For me the following photographs #'s 35-40-63 and158 say a great deal-- ravaged land, magnicent tree still survives in front of church, damaged cemetery and many other images. Kate's drawing and Rita's poem are very poignant and lend a very personal flavor to the vastness of this catastrophe. I would like to give my very warmest thanks to everyone of you, for allowing me to share your very great efforts in helping this community to put their lives back together again.

Mieke writes:

Wow, so great to see the photos and the "youtube" and Barbara in her Pres Welcome tshirt! Hope you are laughing as much as you are working

Joyce writes:

I admire so much all of you who are giving not only of your pocketbooks but of your strength, creativity and time. My friend Eleanor from the Bronx (NY) told me of this blog and it is so thrilling to hear from you just what you are experiencing!

KnittinPreacher writes:

Our congregation will be praying for you all on Sunday and this week.

Bette & George in Pennsylvania write:

What devastation, even after so many months. Our thoughts and prayers are with you as you work to rebuild, in His name. Blessings to all of you.

Brooklyn Riley writes:

You people are amazing to give of yourself as you are doing. I have been visiting the blog to keep track of my friend, and have been touched by what I have read and seen through the pictures. The fact that so much destruction is still evident is mind boggling, to say the least. Thank you for what you all are doing
and my God shower her blessings upon you.

Don in Tuckerton, New Jersey writes:

I know the tasks set out in front of you must have seemed insurmountable. But you have made a difference by just being there. From all of us who know and care our heartfelt thanks. My love to each and everyone of you.

(click the word "Comments" below to send us a message)

A Sketch from Kate's Journal

A broken cemetery along the coast highway.

Send a Us a Message!

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A Poem by Rita

The Shell

While digging a fence post hole
Her shovel hits a hard surface
A stubborn rock?
Or root bound piece of rock?

No, she inhales
A shell! she muses
From Katrina's surge of water
Pulled from its place in the Gulf??

Unlikely, say the local folk
Not possible
It was bad, but shells flying
A mile and a quarter?

Yet, the image works for her
Evoking the fear, the destruction
And desolation
Come to Mississippi
Be part of the recovery

-Rita 1/16/07

Pre-Trip reflections

I'm not sure if I speak for a lot of people in the group, but when I think of Mississippi, I don't really have a clear image.

I think of the Mississippi river, southern cooking,...that's about all. New Orleans was the center of attention with Katrina and the rest of the gulf region draws a blank. I don't have friends or family in the area. I've never been there before.

Why are we going to Gulfport?

Because that's where we're needed.

I don't know much about where we're going, but that's good enough for now.

Pre-trip reflections

I suspect that each of the twenty-one folks going to Gulfport has a different motivation behind the trip. At our orientation meeting, we shared some of the reasons why we were going, and it was very interesting to hear about them. I suspect some people may reflect more on them as we go through the week, but as everyone else is packing I figured I'd write briefly about my reasons for going.

I'm originally from Mississippi -- born, raised, and educated there. Now I am pastor of a church in Whitestone, Queens, New York City, but Mississippi is certainly still a major part of what I consider "home." When Katrina hit in August 2005, I was actually in the state for a few days before beginning work for my ordination as a Minister of Word and Sacrament by St. Andrew Presbytery. I was ordained on Sunday before Katrina hit on Monday, and my original travel plans back to New York had to be dramatically changed because of the hurricane.

Although I'm from Mississippi, I haven't been to the Gulf Coast in probably ten years, New Orleans probably longer. However, my mother has still been advising me that I needed to get ready for what I am going to see. Things there are completely different from when I last visited. The anecdotal story I have heard and used myself is that some things had just been rebuilt after Hurricane Camille (in 1969) -- then Katrina hit, destroying things that even this very powerful storm spared. Nearly a year and a half have passed since Katrina hit, but all indications are that the recovery will be continuing for many years to come.

So as we prepare for a flight in less than 24 hours, I'm not quite sure what to expect when we arrive. The Mississippi Gulf Coast will surely not be what I remember it as -- although things wouldn't have been the same as my memory even without Katrina. (I myself remember the coast from the days before casino resorts became the norm in the 1990s, so things changed dramatically even before Katrina within my lifetime!) Nonetheless, I'm grateful for the chance to contribute a little something to what it is becoming -- not what it was, but what it will be. To use the vocabulary of Christianity, I hope that we can offer the Gulf Coast not resuscitation but a little bit of resurrection.