Canadian Presbyterians immediately responded to cries for help from the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, donating more than $77,000 as of September. The money will help Church World Service and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the relief wing of the Presbyterian Church (USA), clean up the devastated areas, meet the immediate needs of survivors and assist in the rebuilding process.
CWS is the relief, development and refugee assistance ministry of 36 Protestant, Orthodox and Anglican denominations in the United States. They are currently in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas to establish and support community-based long-term recovery organizations that provide local, hands-on assistance to hurricane survivors. They are working ecumenically to help evacuees resettle in new areas, provide counselling to those in distress and train ministers and lay leaders to work with disaster victims.
PDA is coordinating volunteer efforts, donating money and supplies, reuniting displaced parishioners and pastors and helping congregations get back on their feet. They're also setting up camps where volunteers can live temporarily while removing debris, cleaning houses and doing repairs. As aid initiatives are increasingly shifting to local organizations, PDA is constantly reassessing how its resources can best be used.
Presbyterians in Canada can visit the ravaged Gulf Coast through a partnership mission between the Presbyterian Church in Canada and PC(USA). Teams of six or more people will clean up debris in Mississippi for one-week periods over the next 12 months. Applicants should note that the work is labour-intensive and conditions are still quite harsh. Contact Barbara Nawratil at bnawratil@presbyterian.ca or 1-800-619-7301 for more information or to submit an application.
Donations can be made to Presbyterian World Service & Development or through local congregations by marking Hurricane Katrina on the envelope. – AM
