Hurricane Katrina...
St. Andrew responds

Although damage from the storm within the bounds of our presbytery was limited, St. Andrew Presbyterians have been engaged in rescue, recovery, and cleanup efforts in a wide variety of ways . . .

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and Water Purification

Less than one week after the storm, Greg Goodwiller, Presbytery Executive, accompanied the Rev. Al Thompson, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Springfield, Tennessee, and a volunteer for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, into the Gulf Coast area.

The office of the Presbytery of South Alabama was quickly established as a “launching point” for PDA efforts, including the establishment of “tent cities” for workers and volunteers. Pictured above are Rev. Thompson and other PDA representatives along with Presbytery of South Alabama personnel meeting in the “situation room” at the presbytery office.

The Presbytery of St. Andrew made an initial donation of $9,000 to purchase portable shower units for the tent cities.

The Diamondhead Community Church (pictured above) was quickly identified as an ideal staging point for future efforts. Its structure sustained minimal damage, and its pastor and members were more than willing to open the church’s doors for relief efforts.

A Living Waters for the World team spearheaded by Guy Gillespie, elder at First Presbyterian Church, Oxford, quickly installed the first water purification unit on Diamondhead Community Church’s exterior wall.

Ruth Memorial Presbyterian Church

The Presbytery of St. Andrew has “adopted” the Ruth Memorial Presbyterian Church in Poplarville, Mississippi, at the request of the Presbytery of Mississippi. A congregation of just 17 active members, the Ruth Memorial Church is housed in a lovely wood frame building.

The church’s Stated Supply Pastor is the Rev. Sally-Lodge Teel (former Associate Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Oxford). In describing damage to the historic structure from Hurricane Katrina, Sally-Lodge writes, “my main concern is to discover if we have structural damage . . . the interior walls in our Sunday school room have separated from the ceiling and wall in such a way that I worry that the structure is damaged. The separation is visible in other areas of the building, as well. The vinyl trim around the windows has moved away from the building in several places, too.”

The Presbytery of St. Andrew has engaged the services of a structural engineer, who is assessing the damage, and will submit a proposal for renovation.

Initial Response

Within days of the hurricane, the Presbytery’s Missions committee met to discuss our presbytery’s initial response. “Health kits” were an immediate need, and the committee set a goal of 10,000 kits. The presbytery’s churches (as well as partners from around the country) responded, and although it was impossible to count the kits with any accuracy, it is estimated that between 7,500 and 10,000 kits were collected and delivered to the affected area.

Camp Hopewell

On the day after the storm, Presbytery and Camp Hopewell staff cleared fallen trees and debris from the camp’s entrance road (left) so that a stranded retreat group from Memphis could return home. Laborers included Greg Goodwiller, his son, Bradley (Camp Hopewell staff), Hopewell’s Property Manager, Darren Ashmore and other friends of the camp.