Getting Beyond Tree Cuttin’ and House Guttin’

by Jane Hines

Meridian Pastor Morris Taylor surveys destruction
at Bay St. Louis on the Mississippi Coast

In the early days after Katrina hit South Mississippi, there was a crudely lettered sign nailed to a pine tree near Bay St. Louis. It was an advertisement for a local entrepreneur with a chain saw in the back of his pick-up truck. It simply said: “Tree Cuttin’ and House Guttin’”. That could also be a job description for a hurricane.

Even then, the wide grey water that was the Bay of St. Louis sat there looking still and innocent like a big grey cat that had just sat on your chest and sucked your breath away. The water of the Bay had recently and for many years been a source of pleasure and livelihood for people who visited and lived on the coast. But the high sustained winds of Katrina had turned the water into a wall, a 28-foot-high storm surge, that not only cut trees and cugged houses, but changed the lives of people immediately in the most terrifying way.

Six weeks later, the Bay looked as tired and exhausted as the people, probably as shocked initially as they were at what had happened. By now, there were neat printed signs advertising clean-up and removal services. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance had set up work camps at Orange Grove and Gautier. Some churches were having services on Sunday morning. Church groups from all around the Synod of Living Waters and beyond had sent disaster response teams that had been followed by clean-up crews. On October 14, Steve Bryant reported that Presbyterians had helped First Presbyterian Church in Vicksburg, MS, raise approximately 1.4 million dollars and they had already spent approximately 1.3 million dollars purchasing and delivering materials and supplies throughout the affected area of Mississippi and Louisiana.

Stories about how the Presbyterian family forgot their theological differences and responded as one big caring Christian entity are to be found throughout the pages of this issue of the VOICE. There are thousands of other stories about Presbyterians who have learned hard lessons from this disaster and how they are preparing for a longterm involvement in meeting the needs of their brothers and sisters who have lost their earthly possessions. Just as the signs by the side of the road have become more professional, Presbyterians have become more proficient. They have been transformed in something kin to a “tree cuttin’, house guttin’” revival that goes way beyond committees and meetings and church hierarchies and motions and votes and reports. Way beyond.