Remembering in Katrina's Wake -- Praying, Feeding, Giving Thanks
by Jody Brown, Allie Martin, and Jim Brown
September 16, 2005
(AgapePress) - It has been a day of remembering the victims of Hurricane Katrina, recognizing the gallant relief efforts following one of the nation's most terrible catastrophes -- and giving thanks to God for the generosity and goodness of people who have contributed to the rebuilding task along the Gulf Coast. On September 16, President Bush led the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The president spoke at a worship service at Washington's National Cathedral, and the sermon was delivered by one of the nation's leading black ministers, Bishop T.D. Jakes of Dallas, who accompanied the president last week on a visit to a Baton Rouge church offering shelter to hurricane victims.
Bush's proclamation for the national observance, issued a week earlier, called for memorial services and other observances, and asked Americans to open their hearts to Katrina evacuees. "We pledge our support for those who have been injured and for the communities that are struggling to rebuild," the presidential proclamation stated. "We offer thanks to God for the goodness and generosity of so many Americans who have come together to provide relief and bring hope to fellow citizens in need."
Referring to selfless deeds already performed during the extensive relief efforts, the proclamation quoted directly from the 25th chapter of the New Testament book of Matthew: "For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in." The president then encouraged all Americans to "respond with acts of kindness in the days ahead."
Speaking to the nation on the eve of the national observance for the victims, President Bush said Hurricane Katrina's survivors are showing "a faith in God no storm can take away." But in his address from New Orleans, the president also mourned the hundreds who died while waiting in vain to be rescued, expressing his faith in "a hope beyond all pain and death" and "a God who welcomes the lost."
The president also used the opportunity to announce the government will "do what it takes" to help the Gulf Coast region recover from the hurricane. "Tonight I also offer this pledge of the American people: Throughout the area hit by the hurricane, we will do what it takes ... we will stay as long as it takes ... to help citizens rebuild their communities and their lives."
Estimates put the cost of the rebuilding effort -- which the president described as "one of the largest reconstruction efforts the world has ever seen" -- at $200 billion or more.
LifeWay's Contributions
Meanwhile, officials at LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention have approved the use of $6 million in reserve funds to assist SBC relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Earlier this week, LifeWay's board of trustees unanimously approved a recommendation to allocate the reserve funds for SBC disaster relief.
More than 900 Southern Baptist churches in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama were destroyed or severely damaged. LifeWay president Dr. Jimmy Draper says many SBC entities are providing assistance. "All the entities have jumped in to help," he says. "The International Mission Board has taken funds out of reserves to help in the relief. The North American Mission Board has limited reserves, but they will take funds out of their reserves. They are also the gathering spot for donations."
Draper explains that LifeWay will help replace damaged libraries and also will replace at no cost any dated LifeWay curriculum lost because of the hurricane. He says he does not expect programs and outreaches in the denomination to be adversely affected.
"Obviously, if you have three or four hundred churches that are totally wiped out, they may not be able to contribute to our cooperative efforts like they have been," he says, "but we think other churches will step up. Certainly from our standpoint, if you have churches destroyed and not meeting, they may not order materials next quarter -- so there will be some impact. But I would not expect ... any removal or abandoning of any of the programs or projects; they may just be diminished somewhat in size."
LifeWay donated $10,000 each to Baptist state conventions of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama immediately after Katrina struck.
Relief for Home Schoolers
A Houston, Texas-based home-school relief organization is helping families in crisis that have chosen to home school their children following Hurricane Katrina. Many of those families have no school to return to, or do not want to send their children away from them at this time.
Project Noah was begun in June 2001 following Tropical Storm Allison, which ravaged the city of Houston. During that time, the relief group provided aid to many home-schooling families that had lost their curriculum due to flooding.
Now, Project Noah is reaching out to home-schooling families victimized by Katrina. Lisa Guidry explains that her group is taking in school supplies as well as new and used curriculum as it helps families "reset" their home school.
"And if they've never home schooled before, then we kind of walk them through what's expected, what they'll need to do -- and then [provide them] with curriculum and school supplies," she says. "We'll even provide our phone numbers so that if they have a question and they need counseling ... we'll try to walk them through it at least for this next year."
According to Guidry, her relief effort differs slightly from those of other home-school groups.
"My heart is that if you choose to home school, then I want to support in that effort -- whether you're a Christian or not," she says. "My goal is to meet your need according to the scripture -- to clothe you, feed you, to take care of you, to build a relationship with you -- and when I have that relationship then I believe that my light shines."
Individuals wishing to donate new or used home-school curriculum are being asked to visit the Project Noah website.
