ELCA-Southeastern Synod

 

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America-

Southeastern Synod

Click the link below to sign-up for the Southeastern Synod E-News Network, the latest news and information from the Southeastern Synod.

-----Original Message-----
From: RevGDB@aol.com [mailto:RevGDB@aol.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2005 2:29 PM
Subject: Bethel Hurricane Ministries Update
So busy, working 24/7.  God is blessing us.  I am sending you a recent update of our ministry, an application form for volunteers, etc. You can go to our web page Bethel Lutheran Church, Biloxi, Mississippi for our "needs list".

God is good!

We want to say thank you to all of you who are becoming part of our ministry here at Bethel Lutheran Church, Biloxi, Mississippi!  Our ministry here is on a main, East/West road which is centrally located between Biloxi and Gulfport.  At the present time, we are very busy, housing and feeding 25-35 volunteers. We are blessed to be ministering in the following three ways:

(1) "The Store": We are serving from 200-250 families each day, providing Food/Cleaning Supplies, new clothing (socks, underwear and baby clothes).

(2) Medical clinic - 20-25 families are seen in the medical clinic each day.

(3) Clean-up Construction Teams   Two teams go out daily into the devastated area, and have cleaned 12 houses. These houses are in hardest hit areas, and owned by  elderly/poor (in East Biloxi) who can't help themselves and have no insurance (Actually it turns out no one has flood insurance, and they are saying this was a flood")

We have groups of people coming down and rotating out, and we are housing and feeding the volunteers. And we need volunteers

We are "Walking in the Light of God", not sure what our next step will be.

It is hot, humid, and stinky; and the work is hard. But God is blessing us in this ministry and we are growing in our faith and love for each other. Everyone who comes finds it difficult to leave. God is here and present amongst us in this mess. And, His love is flowing through us to bringing hope to His people who are in need.  We are truly "Walking and Working in the Light of God". 

What we need:

Prayers: 
Pray for our Volunteers Safety at they travel and work amongst us.
Pray for our Pastor and his wife, Judy, that God will guide us in our decisions and keep us strong and healthy.
Pray for the people we are serving, that God will bring new hope and new life to them.
  
Volunteers for:
(1) kitchen duty: (cooking/cleaning, etc)
(2) Unloading, re-stocking, and manning "The Store"
(3) Clean-up of mold/mildew flooded homes (tearing out sheet rock, hauling out ruined furniture, etc.
(4) Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses, LPN's (Our nurses, fill in with the store front when they don't have patients.

All of these areas "cross over at times", i.e., if we get a tractor trailer of food in, everyone stops everything and helps unload and stock "The Store".

Food/Clothing Cleaning Supplies:  Please see our "Needs List on our Web Page".  This is updated about twice weekly. 

Contributions:   We are being called to minister and God will provide.

To Volunteer:  Contact Cassie Brown 703-798-7499 or go to the Southeastern Synod Katrina Recovery page

*************************************************************************************************