by
Mark Mohlenbrock — CSDirectory.com
The
Christian Science Community Responds
Immediately
following Hurricane Katrina and for months afterwards, Christian
Scientists from around the world responded to the recovery,
cleanup and rebuilding needs of the Gulf region. The accounts
are too numerous to detail here completely, but individual
acts of heroism, selflessness and consecrated prayer have
been received. This report provides an overview of such
activities.
Within
days for the Hurricane, a small group of adults and students
from Principia College and Upper School
headed to the Bay St. Louis area of Mississippi which had
been completely devastated by the hurricane. One of the
members of the group was a ham radio operator and the group
went to join others in providing "first responder"
help for the area. Police and fire communications were obliterated
so these first responders were able to help direct emergency
services to needed areas. In some cases, some members served
as spotters to point the way to emergency needs as street
signs and other landmarks had been blown away.
 A
Humanitarian Relief Club was started at Principia
College by students Matt Frank Flavell and Bethany
Boyer-Rechlin which resulted in a number of trips to the
New Orleans area by students from the College. The first
trip included 6-8 students with a van and donation provided
by the Prin Club of Minnesota. The second
trip, over a 2-week spring break included 20 people. Local
church members offered housing for the group. These "helping
hands" from Principia assisted with yard cleaning,
tree removal, and "gutting" houses.
(photo
left by Paul Sander)
Heidi
Snow, faculty advisor of the Humanitarian Relief Club noted:
"Our club has taken a trip to New Orleans every break
since Katrina hit. Until the last two trips, we worked with
and primarily for church members, and that continues to
be a blessing to us all. The last two trips we reached out
to the larger community — with a group called Operation
Blessing, which is an arm of the Christian Broadcast Network.
They provide housing, food, tools, and work sites for volunteers.
On the trip in November 2006 (see photo below - photo by
Paul  Sander),
our club members had the opportunity to share Christian
Science with some of the Operation Blessing folks; a CS
church member in New Orleans said they received some calls
expressing interest in CS that they felt were directly related
to that visit. On our last trip in March 2007 , we shared
a Science and Health with a home owner who received
it gratefully."
Principia
College now offers a New Orleans Field
Program. Three Prin faculty and 11 students are
living and working in New Orleans this quarter. They are
studying New Orleans literature and culture and are working
in internships. The program was specifically designed to
help the rebuilding process. Click
here to visit the Principia New Orleans Field Program web
site »
The
Principia also announced assistance to families
with children who had been displaced by the Hurricane. "Christian
Science families impacted by Hurricane Katrina with younger
children — infant through 12th grade — are also
welcome to come to St. Louis and enroll their children this
year as day-student guests." hey were able to help
2 families who responded to this offer.
Many
Gulf region CS church members lost personal possessions
and funds, clothing, furniture and temporary housing were
provided by numerous Christian Scientists. Furniture was
trucked to Christian Scientists in the area from The
Principia (MO/IL), Tenacre (NJ)
and Cedar Ridge (WI), providing families
with items lost to the storm. The
Mother Church established a Hurricane Katrina
Relief Fund and was able to provide much assistance.
Cedars
Camps offered assistance, and a displaced couple
was able to avail themselves of a much needed weekend at
the camp complete with hot showers. Cedars Camps
and Higher Ground Bible Seminars offered
"Christian Scientists and their spouses in the affected
areas, the opportuntity to attend free of charge the Celebrate
Marriage Weekend at CedarS facilitated by Dick Davenport".
The
Association of Students of William E. Moody, CSB
established the Bright Skies Fund, and
was able to help over 80 families in Louisiana, Mississippi,
Alabama and Texas. (Bill Moody is originally from the New
Orleans area.) The Fund was able to get financial assistance
to some of these Christian Science families within 10 days
of the storm. The Bright Skies Fund also has provided financial
recovery assistance directly to two of the area churches.
Donations to the Bright Skies Fund came in from across the
USA, Canada, Europe and as far away as China!
The
Association of Students of Kittie Burris, CSB (Trussville,
Alabama) also provided much needed assistance to Christian
Scientists in the Gulf region. Ten boxes of clothes and
toys were donated by one pupil alone. Financial aid was
provided to several Gulf region CS churches. Eight to 10
families were provided clothing including one First Reader
who had lost everything.
Other
individual Christian Scientists made their way to the region
to provide help where they could. Reports have been received
of families who traveled to the region to help with cleanup
at the Slidell CS Society, others came down to offer transportation
and help with animal rescue.
Immediately
following Hurricane Katrina’s landfall, The
Principle Foundation established the Disaster
Relief Fund. 100 percent of the donations to this
restricted fund were to be used for helping individual Christian
Scientists recover from the effects of the storm.
The Foundation received an outpouring of calls from individuals,
churches and organizations during the aftermath of the hurricane.
They were looking for a vehicle to help fellow Christian
Scientists, and the newly established fund gave them one
of the only ways to assist Christian Scientists exclusively.
At
the same time, the Foundation contacted churches, practitioners,
schools and individuals directly affected by the hurricanes
to let them know how the Foundation was available to offer
assistance. After a couple weeks people began to call for
help.
This
was a letter of gratitude from an individual from the New
Orleans area whose home and business were badly damaged
after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. (Permission was given
by the individual to share the letter.)
“Yesterday,
I received the Foundation’s generous gift. I am
still living this near biblical journey, which some might
consider an ordeal. I would not trade the blessings and
proofs of God's care for anything. In that light, Katrina
was and still is good to me. As for supply issues, every
day I feel more and more the mental healing that is constantly
taking place, so I know that the practical manifestation
must come when needed…. My life in the last month
is living proof of these divine laws and precepts. This
period of time, and really this time of stepping back
and letting the Shepard lead…. What a growth and
learning experience this has been. I am still collecting
my thoughts and prayers on all this, and will be able
to express them by and by. As a note of progress, we at
____Church have resumed Wednesday and Sunday services.
I have never felt more needed as the First Reader than
I do now.”
Besides
giving financial aid, the Principle Foundation was able
to put individuals in touch with organizations in different
parts of the country offering other types of assistance.
It
was interesting that with all the calls received by those
affected by the hurricanes, not one complained about their
plight. The many examples seen of selflessness, joy, humility,
and trust in God were inspiring and uplifting. (The Principle
Foundation’s The Disaster Relief Fund is still available
if there should be another need.) principlefoundation.org
Following
the Hurricane, CSDirectory.com added a
Wednesday teleconferenced Testimony Meeting to
its InterACTIVE CHURCH service. With the
help of one of its regular attendees,
InterACTIVE CHURCH was able to provide a "church
home" for many displaced Christian Scientists from
the region until they were able to return to their home
area. For over one month, the Readers and musicians for
these teleconferenced Sunday and Wednesday church services
were the Readers from some of the New Orleans branch churches.
One Wednesday there were over 50 people in attendance over
the telephone — many of which were originally from
Louisiana and Mississippi, but were now scattered across
17 states. |
Above:
A load of furniture donated by Cedar Ridge
in Wisconsin is unloaded. Left to right: Jakie Forbes, Ralph
Porche, Jesse Reeks, Zoë Christopher (photo Patti Christopher)
Above:
Students from The Principia assist in cleanup
efforts in New Orleans (photo Paul Sander)
Above:
Jen Snow and Matt Flavell, students from The Principia
help in New Orleans cleanup (photo Paul Sander)
Above:
Students from The Principia help "house
gutting" in New Orleans (photo Paul Sander)
Above:
"House gutting" in New Orleans (photo Paul Sander)
Above:
Hurricane damage in New Orleans (photo Jakie Forbes)
|
