NAP Responds to Hurricane Katrina

In July, North Alabama Presbytery pastors and congregations received an email introducing an initiative of the NAP Peacemaking Committee, the Mission Strategies Resource Team, and Faith Church of Huntsville. This was a follow-up to a report issued at the July Presbytery meeting, concerning the desire to form a Disaster Response Network in North Alabama Presbytery, and it invited participation from all members of NAP. The Disaster Response network would be constructed by collecting the names of people in NAP congregations who would become points of contact for communication or who would otherwise respond when needs arose.

As a presbytery-wide message of Wednesday, August 31 put it, "Needs have arisen!" The message continued, "The recent property destruction and loss of life in the wake of the Katrina Storm disaster has compelled us to move ahead with [the] North Alabama Presbytery Disaster Response Network. . . ." The team suggested ways to participate, and NAP congregations responded.

NAP communicated with leaders in both Northwest Florida and South Alabama Presbyteries, and committed to accommodate over 30 families, as needs dictated. Henry Norton of Faith Church immediately began seeking names of people who would be a part of a mission team to travel to disaster areas when called upon. NAP had funds earmarked for disaster response, but immediately saw a need for more, and set up avenues for receiving pledges.

Ten days after the initial call went out, as thousands of Gulf coast evacuees made their way into North Alabama, the thirty-six congregations and six thousand members of North Alabama Presbytery were responding. Many congregations, as Huntsville Hope's Jim Roberts reported, were directing funds to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. Westminster in Decatur fed more than 30 evacuees on Sunday September 4th, and "invited as many as we [could] find" to join them for lunch on future Sundays. Also, report Naomi Nelson and Pastor Rollins, "We have been collecting Red Cross health kits, the Presbyterian Personal Health Kit, and the Hope-in-a-Box kit." the church has also made a rental house available to an evacuee family, rentfree. Big Cove's Presbyterian Women's Group is making emergency personal hygiene kits. The congregation also collected $1, 450.00 for the Presbyterian Disaster Fund.

Pastor William McWeeny reports that Copeland Presbyterian Church is providing the use of its manse to a family of five from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. "These folks have lost their home and most of their belongings. Members of the Church are providing furniture to furnish the manse for their use. The church is also working with the North Alabama Presbytery Disaster Assistance Task Force in planning and participating in a variety of efforts with other NAP churches. We are also working with East Highlands Baptist church of Limestone county in getting needed supplies to hurricane victims in South Mississippi."

In addition to other work being carried out through the Presbyterian Camp and Conference Center Association, Camp Maranatha "is in conversation with the Lions Club of Scottsboro regarding the possibility of hosting some refugees at Maranatha on a long term basis, says Director David Palmer. "We would be able to put up five different families if all works out. The Lions Club will then help those folks with locating jobs, schools, etc."