Written by J. Bennett Guess | |
Wednesday, 05 October 2005 | |
Four UCC Conferences are assisting with hurricane recovery by “adopting” affected congregations in the New Orleans area, but at least six more churches still await such a partnering relationship. “Many of you have suggested that you would like to ‘partner with’ or ‘adopt’ a church,” says the Rev. Bill Royster, South Central’s Interim Conference Minister. “[While] three of the New Orleans churches have already been adopted, six other churches in New Orleans, all affected by Katrina, and possibly one church in Lake Charles, visited by Rita, would welcome being partnered with.” Central UCC in New Orleans has been adopted by the UCC’s Connecticut and Central Atlantic Conferences. Beecher Memorial UCC in New Orleans has been paired with the Penn Central Conference, and Little Farms UCC has been coupled with the Pacific Northwest Conference. Churches in New Orleans still needing a close relationship with supportive congregations or Conferences include Good Shepherd UCC, Bethel UCC, First-Trinity UCC, St. Matthew UCC, Salem UCC, St. Paul UCC and possibly Woodbury UCC in Lake Charles, La., Royster said. Royster said each church will require varying degrees of repair or renovation, as well as help with ongoing church expenses. Adoption, explains Royster, includes praying for the congregation; helping to fund the church’s normal operating budget, including its mission budget, for at least one-full year (with additional months possible, as needed); providing funds, as needed, for repairing the homes of the pastor and members; securing volunteers willing to come to the site and actively assist with repairs; and assisting with and funding the replacement of furnishing, equipment and supplies as needed “One or more Conferences or several congregations could join together in an adoption,” says Royster, who is also hoping that an entity will be found to help the South Central Conference be able to hire a full-time Coordinator for Disaster Recovery, a position that – with benefits, housing, travel and expenses – could cost the Conference about $90,000 per year. Assistance is also needed at UCC-related Back Bay Mission, where six or seven buildings will need to be razed and reconstructed. UCC-related Dillard University – which lost three building to fire and even more to flooding – is also in need of significant attention. “I am sure that adoption for them is possible,” Royster says. Also, the Amistad Research Center, located at Tulane University, “will need funds for its recovery,” Royster says. If interested in developing a partnership or “adoptive” relationship, email the Rev. Bill Royster at [email protected] or phone 512/459-7607. -- Contribute to the UCC's Hope Shall Bloom hurricane recovery initiative here. |