The Presbytery of Kiskiminetas
Pennsylvania
 In front of her new house, Marie Ralph describes to volunteers how she survived Katrina by climbing on the roof of her old house. Photo by Lisa J. Lyons.
In October 2007, thirty-two women and men from fourteen Kiskiminetas congregations spent a week working in D’Iberville, Mississippi, where Hurricanes Katrina and Rita had destroyed 370 homes and damaged 1,240.
D’Iberville Volunteers Foundation directors Dr. Irene McIntosh and Dr. Ed Cake instructed the volunteers that despite their eagerness to use their gifts and talents to repair and rebuild homes, their most important job would be listening to the citizens’ stories. Kiski volunteers met people like Joan, an elderly woman who lost everything and spent the night of the storm with 600 other people with disabilities, all sleeping on a concrete floor. Mr. Bill showed a volunteer his neighborhood of mostly vacant lots and concrete slabs and told of his hopes for the future.
Miss Irene gave “a million thanks to the Kiski crew who blessed our lives, our city, and our citizens with their love, work, and faith in action each day. You will be cherished for a lifetime by this entire community!”
The team was led by co-pastors Gary and Lisa Lyon of Cross Roads Community Presbyterian Church in Leechburg, who had worked in D’Iberville twice before with mission teams from their congregation. To raise money to help cover the costs, the individuals and churches undertook fund-raising projects that ultimately exceeded their goal.
The Presbytery of Kiskiminetas has 85 congregations with 11,189 members.
Presbytery Staff
Rev. Wayne A. Yost, general presbyter
Rev. Erin Cox-Holmes, associate general presbyter
Holly Wadding, administrative assistant
Carol Mock, resource center and duplication coordinator
Debbie Lundgren, treasurer
PC(USA) General Assembly Staff
Dawn Baccare, BOP
Rev. Ernesto Badillo, BOP
Elder Joey Bailey, GAMC
Gracious and loving God, we thank you for the courageous, faithful people of the Gulf Coast. May your Spirit inspire many others to continue the recovery work until it is finished and your people are restored. We thank you for Presbyterians of Kiskiminetas and pray that their commitment to respond, work, and serve may deepen and that their enthusiasm for mission and ministry may grow beyond measure. Amen.
Ps. 46 or 47, 147:12–20
Ps. 27, 93, or 114
Isa. 59:15b–21
Rev. 2:8–17; John 4:46–54
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