Missions

Katrina Relief

The Local & Global Outreach Committee has been tasked with coordinating First Presbyterian Church’s Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and making recommendations to the Session for action. The committee has met several times since the storm hit our coastal areas. The goal is to identify areas where our church family can provide useful and meaningful aid to those suffering loss due to Hurricane Katrina.

The church received $25,000 in funds from a variety of sources for Hurricane Katrina relief. To date our church family has contributed over $5,000.00 designated for relief. The Veranda restaurant contributed $3,000, South Aiken Presbyterian Church in SC, $8,000, Cedar Creek Community Church in Aiken, $7,000, First Presbyterian Church in Monroe, NC, $1,500 plus about $800 in gift cards. These churches and organizations, entrusted us to manage their relief contributions, which the Committee has designated as The Katrina Fund.

Recently Richard Mullenax lead a team to coast to work and help those in need – Read his God’s Work to see how we are spending the funds entrusted to us in a targeted and effective manner.

Survey of the damage and immediate needs

Early in September 2005 Rev. Olin and Mrs. Jim McBride along with Youth Minister Jon Wagner traveled to the Mississippi coast to survey the damage and identify areas of need. They found the area accessible and coming back to life but the damage to homes and businesses was hard to describe or imagine. They met Peggy Groves of Pass Christian and toured that heavily damage town.  They also visited and with the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance effort that will be operating out of the Diamondhead Presbyterian Church, in Diamondhead, MS.

One thing was clear, there was no need for additional clothing or supply donations. In fact, handling the loads of supplies hauled in by 18-Wheelers from various parts of the country was a problem. Distributions points had been set up in the packing lots of K-Marts and Home Depot for clothing and can goods and other supplies, but the items were simply piled up on the pavement. Supplies of all types were abundant. For example, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance group had a room full of chain saws.

What is needed most is money and manpower

Most of the churches in the area had their congregations scattered all over the country. The result was a dramatic decline in offerings, resulting in minister and church staff payroll problems. The church staffs have been worked 24/7 after the storm under very adverse conditions and most had suffered property loss themselves. The Presbyterian Disaster Relief Assistance group has set up shop in Diamondhead Presbyterian Church to assist with this problem.

The biggest need is for manpower. Volunteers to provide manpower will be needed to help pick up the tremendous amounts debris and trash caused by the storm and manpower will be needed to help with the reconstruction effort for many, many months to come.

Relief Actions

In keeping with the needs for money and manpower. The church’s Local and Global Outreach Committee recommended the following actions:

Money and School Supplies

A number of evacuee families enrolled children in Starkville schools. The FPC identified 78 children that enrolled in the Starkville Public Schools and several children are enrolled in the Academy. These children were provided with book bags, school supplies and some clothing items.

Mississippi Presbytery

In 2006 our church disbursed $10,000.00 to the Mississippi Presbytery from the Local & Global Outreach Committee budget. The Session has authorized disbursement of $5,000.00 to date. The balance will be sent as soon as we meet funding outreach commitment to the Nehemiah House for Habitat of Humanity, currently under construction. It is anticipated that additional funds will be applied to the Local and Global Outreach Committee budget from pledges in the near future.

The bulk of our Katrina funds were dispersed to the Mississippi Presbytery, which was managing the Presbyterian Disaster Relief project set up at Diamond Head Community Church in Diamond Head, MS.

In addition, the church has disbursed funds to a variety of places all in support of evacuated families or relief efforts. Red Cross, school supplies, gas assistance, hotel bills, etc. These disbursements have been made from the donated Katrina Funds.

Over $25,000 has been distributed for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts to date. All funds dedicated to Katrina Relief have been applied to that cause.

Manpower

There have been three church sponsored Work Trips for the Hurricane Katrina damaged areas:

Jon Wagner, our former Youth Minister, lead a group of MSU students to the assist the Mississippi Presbytery relief effort operating out of the Diamondhead Community Church (USA Presbyterian) in Diamondhead, MS on October 14-18.

In late October, an adult work team lead by Anna Buffington and working under the direction of the South Alabama Presbytery in areas such as Moss Point, Pascagoula & Biloxi traveled to the coast area. This team was made up of members from our church and Trinity Presbyterian Church in Starkville. The group tore out sheet rock and ruined insulation and provided debris removal for two flooded homes in Gaiter, MS.

In early January, a group, which included eleven members from our church and volunteers from Trinity Presbyterian Church in Starkville and Westminster Presbyterian Church in Nashville, TN, worked in God’s Katrina Kitchen in Pass Christian, MS. Arrangements were made by Laura Bryan, whose sister and family live in Pass Christian and lost everything in the storm.

God’s Katrina Kitchen serves 700-1,000 meals a day. Most of those served were volunteers and other relief workers from all over the country and Canada. The group from our church helped with food preparation, serving and cleanup. Each day started at 6; 30 AM and ended about 7:30 each evening. Every meal started with prayer and there were evening services after dinner.  

Richard Mullenax lead a small group to the coast in the spring of 2007 to evaluate needs up close. People in need were provided with replacement washing machines and dryers, refrigerators and freezers as needed.

All the trips have proved to be valuable to those in need and rewarding to the participants.