What is happening in our local churches and in our institutions is a blessing both to the displaced citizens of Louisiana and the people called United Methodist in the Texas Annual Conference. I am proud of you.
Because so many of our churches are involved in direct services, pastors and key lay leaders are struggling with how much of their offerings to forward to the Annaul Conference and how much to retain in the local church for the people walking in their doors with multiple needs. I want to affirm what every church is doing locally. In fact, the Conference would like to celebrate what you are doing. The Treasurer's Office has prepared a report form so that you can tell us what you have done directly through your church in both cash and in kind services.
As the Reliant Center Shelters and George R. Brown Convention Shelter close down, many of you are wondering whether we still need $1,000,000. The answer is a resounding "yes." As those original needs have diminished, vital new needs have emerged. Here are the short-term and long-term necessities we are facing.Our first priority is to fund our share of the feeding ministry at George R. Brown Convention Cnter. Please know that despite the decrease in the number of persons living in the shelter, we are still feeding
approximately 10,000 people at lunch at nearly 8,000 at night. These are folks who may have a place to live, but have little cash for food. We are currently expecting to underwrite about $200,000 for meals provided in the shelters.
One of the concerns of our volunteers is where these folks will need to turn for meals when the shelters close. We are anticipating that feeding needs will increase in other places. Some of these smaller congregations with large displaced citizen populations will need conference assistance to provide the hospitality they want to offer.
Our second priority will be the special needs persons, staff and
families at Lakeview Conference Center. Dr. Stansell and I visited there yesterday. There are now 201 persons residing there. They are sponsored by Volunteers of America, a small not-for-profit organization serving some of the most physically and mentally challenged persons anywhere.
VOA leadership is currently indicating that they expect to continue to reside there for about six weeks. While VOA will pay what they can, we are expecting care for these persons will require about $200,000 or more. We can all be grateful to Dr. Von Dawson and his staff for receiving these friends of Jesus when there was literally "no room at the inn."
As of this time, approximately 69-80 United Methodist pastors of the New Orleans District have no remaining church building, congregation or parsonage. These pastors will be our third priority. In a series of emergency meetings, Bishop William Hutchinson, bishop of Louisiana Conference, has called on neighboring Episcopal areas to provide housing,
furnishings, travel and a place of ministry for many of these pastors through June 1, 2006. Louisiana will underwrite their salary and benefits.
Because so many displaced citizens of Louisiana are currently residing in our conference bounds, Bishop Hutchinson would like for us to receive quite a large number of pastors - probably 20-30. The number could be higher. A number of these pastors need to be placed in churches who serve neighborhoods with less expensive housing - where many Louisiana
laity are finding housing. These congregations and others will need the entire Annual Conference to help them underwrite these costs. We are estimating that providing shelter and enough new furnishings to help them start a new life will cost in excess of $300,000. Your gifts will help underwrite those pastors.
Finally, our fourth priority will be funding long-term and
reconstruction efforts in Louisiana. We are already working with UMCOR toward that future. I want you to know that UMCOR has been terrific in helping Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. They even sent The Texas Annual Conference a check. Please know that I respectfully de4lcined those funds because our sisters and brothers in Louisiana and Mississippi need it so
much more than we do. As New Orleans dries out, Vidor and other points in East Texas will become a major staging area for UMCOR efforts in Louisiana. All of this effort will require funding.
In my first letter to you, I suggested that this relief and recovery
effort is not a sprint but a marathon. I want to urge you today, "Let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at
harvest-time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith." (Galatians 6:0-10, NRSV)
Thank you in advance for your extragavant generosity.
God bless yo.
Bishop Janice Riggle Huie
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