09211
March 16, 2009

Taking a bite out of the elephant

Presbyterians, Methodists join to continue rebuilding in southwest Louisiana

by Bethany Furkin
Presbyterian News Service

Volunteers from John Calvin Presbytery are eager to help others and “take a bite out of the elephant.”

LAKE CHARLES, LA — Just a day after the closing ceremony for one volunteer village in Louisiana, another across the state was dedicated.

First Presbyterian Church here has been hosting volunteer work groups since Hurricane Rita devastated the Gulf Coast in September 2005. Last month, representatives from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the Presbytery of South Louisiana and the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church Disaster Response, Inc. signed a formal partnership agreement.

According to the agreement, PDA and the presbytery will provide volunteer labor to work on homes case-managed by UMC disaster response.

The volunteers will be housed at First Presbyterian Church here. UMC will oversee management of repair and construction sites and will work with homeowners to outline what work will be done and gather approval.

The dedication ceremony celebrated this partnership.

“By working together and being the hands and feet of Christ, we can make a difference and make hope out of chaos,” said Jean Marie Peacock, associate presbyter of the Presbytery of South Louisiana and head of its congregational development and disaster recovery.

The partnership between Presbyterians and Methodists has been valuable in the “forgotten area” of southwestern Louisiana, said Kevin Hodge, UMC site manager at Lake Charles.

Although the area has seen the impact of four hurricanes since 2005 — Katrina, Rita, Ike and Gustav — it hasn’t received as much media attention as New Orleans, Hodge said.

But that doesn’t mean the area is without need. In October 2005, the UMC disaster response had 5,000 cases in Southwest Louisiana. Since then, that number has been reduced to about 500 thanks to partnerships with other organizations, he said.

The groups have faced challenges and setbacks, however.

After Rita, volunteers had fixed 80 houses in Cameron, LA, about 50 miles south of Lake Charles. When Ike hit in 2008, all but 16 of those were knocked out again.
 
“In the Methodist Church, we call it a marathon; it’s not a sprint,” Hodge said of the continuous effort, adding that along the way, different organizations have taken a turn carrying the baton of disaster relief.

That idea the recovery is long-term is important, said PDA Coordinator Randy Ackley.

“One of the problems that we as a country face is the perspective that after a disaster, you go in for three to six months and you’re done,” he said, adding that true recovery takes years and involves rebuilding homes as well as hope, confidence and city infrastructure and services.

It takes a village

Although First Church has hosted volunteer groups before, the expansion of the volunteer village allows for more groups to come, Peacock said. Up to 30 volunteers can sleep in each of three rooms at the church.

Volunteers at Lake Charles sleep on cots like these at First Presbyterian Church. Members there have worked hard to make the building hospitable and relaxing.

Two volunteer groups were at the dedication and were to begin work the next day. The partnership so valued between the Presbyterian and Methodist groups was reflected in the volunteers’ diversity: one was a group of Catholic high school students from Illinois and one was an older adult group from John Calvin Presbytery in southeast Kansas and southwest Missouri.

“I think it’s rewarding to help people. It’s our way of sharing Christ,” said Jeanette Wotherspoon of that group. “We also have the time. We’re tickled to death.”

The group goes on mission trips about twice a year and has traveled to Mississippi and Cedar Rapids, IA. One thing they’ve learned is that although they can’t fix an entire disaster in one week, they can do their part to make a difference.

“We can’t do the whole job, but we can take a bite out of the elephant. Even though there’s so much to do, it looks so much better than it did,” said Jane Foval. “We see so much that makes us thankful for what we have. What better way to serve the Lord than to serve others?”