On Mark Lewis

We've worked a lot with Mark Lewis down in Covington. Michael Sprague of Trinity recently posted this:

I have never been a fundraiser and perhaps never will be. I don't know that I ever want to be a fundraiser. I am simply a pastor of a local church, in the middle of the finest movement of the Spirit of God that I have ever seen. One of my dear friends, and now colleagues in ministry, is raising support to provide for his family to continue to help lead the work of outreach here in the Gulf Region. I am referring to Mark Lewis, our Crisis Response Director for EFCA-Compassion. If you have been to Trinity, you know Mark as our Field General, Mastermind of the operation and the man who loves Christ and teams.

Mark and his wife, Denise, were faithfully serving Jesus in Pennsylvania when Katrina hit. Mark was an engineer, and Denise a stay-at-home mom with their 3 wonderful kids. Mark called Jim Snyder of Compassion Ministry and was told, "I need someone in Louisiana tomorrow." Mark's one-week trip to Louisiana turned into a long-term, life-changing opportunity! Mark and Denise's passion to help people impacted by disasters had been growing for some time. Since 1993, this couple has participated in crisis response ministry following floods in the Midwest, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, an earthquake in Turkey, a devastating tornado in Campbelltown, Pennsylvania, Hurricane Ivan and now Hurricane Katrina. For an equally long time they prayed for the EFCA to start a crisis response ministry. In fact, Denise wrote an undergraduate thesis on this very topic in 2000!

I can tell you the call of God is upon their lives. They are choice players in the Kingdom and are bearing incredible fruit. In Luke 16:1-10 Jesus tells a story about how the children of light should practice shrewdness with money in accomplishing Kingdom exploits:

"Now He was also saying to the disciples, "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and this steward was reported to him as squandering his possessions. "And he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.' "And the steward said to himself, 'What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg. 'I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the stewardship, they will receive me into their homes.' "And he summoned each one of his master's debtors, and he began saying to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' "And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' "Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.' "And his master praised the unrighteous steward because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. "And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much." (Luke 16:1-10)

I cannot think of an investment that has greater Kingdom potential than strategically investing in helping Mark and Denise Lewis get up to full missionary support. They are currently at 25% support. Would you pray about this opportunity? If you are associated with a church with a missions committee, would you ask them about the possibility of the church adopting the Lewis family? Mark can be reached at: The Lewis Family, 1183 Springwater Drive, Mandeville, LA 70471; phone: 717-439-3138; e-mail: mlewis@efca.org.

Sleeping Arrangements While @ Trinity Church

Some folks have been asking about sleeping arrangements while at Trinity Church in Covington, LA. Here's a description from the Evangelical Free Compassion Ministries Katrina Site (Trinity is EVFree):

Teams are housed at Trinity Church in Covington, LA. All facilities are modern with electricity, AC & heat. Trinity Church hosts volunteers on the floor in both the sanctuary and youth room (men and women are separated). Shower facilities are available for men and women with changing areas in both. Subject to space availability, RVs may park in a field adjacent to Trinity Church. Limited electric hook-ups are available.

If you have any other questions about this, please shoot an email to beth.shields@gmail.com





image courtesy of stock.xchng

Can you Help Volunteers Fly?

If you have any Frequent Flyer Miles that you might be interested in donating to folks flying down to LA or MS this year to help with Katrina Relief (we have 5 trips slated so far this year - click here for more info), please send an email to beth.shields@gmail.com

Thanks!


graphic courtesy of stock.xchng

Baltimore Sun: "6 months later, area is still reeling from Katrina"

*click here for KatrinaGrace 2006 Trips Information*

The Baltimore Sun ran a story yesterday giving a few details of what's been done and what remains in the Katrina-affected area that's received the most attention - New Orleans:

• "...vast stretches of the city -- 100 square miles or more -- are still abandoned and rotting."
  
  
• " Fewer than 15 percent of 15,000 businesses are open."
  
  
• " But about two-thirds of the city remains uninhabited."
  
  
• "Reconstruction officials have picked up about 33 million cubic yards of debris, but they're only halfway done, and piles of fetid mattresses and moldy drywall still line many streets."
  
  
• "The new hurricane season is fewer than 100 days away, and repairs to the city's levees are 40 percent complete, federal officials said recently."

What's even more sobering is that New Orleans is just one area in a 90,000 square mail zone that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

Updated KatrinaZone Team Plans for 2006

updated on Sunday 2 April 2006

Here's where we are on 2006 Trips

If you have a group that would like to volunteer separately from any of these planned trips, please email Stephen at sshields@faithmaps.org.

• KatrinaGrace Team V
  
  
• The Cooking Team
  
• Trinity Church - Covington, LA
• Leave on Sun 16 Apr & Return on Sat 22 Apr
  
• Cooking for 60-80 people Monday thru Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM
• Update: This Team is Now Filled
• Team Consists of:
• Peggy Westland - Team Leader
• Peggy Wortman
• Len Thompson
• Bill Tagalicod
• Lynne King
• Steven Lilly
• Odin Worthman
  
  
• The Biloxi Team (NEW TRIP)
  
  
• Work Team
• Bay Vista Baptist Church - Biloxi, MS
  
• Randy (Gadget) and Nicole Ambuel are the Team Leaders
• Leave Easter Weekend, Return the Following Weekend
  
  
• KatrinaGrace Team VI
  
  
• Trinity Church - Covington, LA
  
• Stephen Shields will lead this team.
  
• Leave Sun 28 May and Return on Saturday 3 June
  
• Trinity has reached out to 4,600 folks who could use some "so how's it going?" followup. This will involve those who are good listeners and an empathetic ear. This would be a good trip for those who are, as Trinity's Volunteer Coordinator says, "mercy-focused."
  
  
• KatrinaGrace Team VII
  
  
• A Work Team
• Trinity Church - Covington, LA
  
• Date Change: Sunday, July 2 - Saturday, July 8th
  
  
• KatrinaGrace Team VIII
  
  
• Work Team
  
• Trinity Church - Covington, LA
  
• Specific dates to be set for one week in November 2006

As always, for all of these trips we are looking for donated frequent flyer miles. If you have any miles that you would like to contribute, please email Beth Shields at beth.shields@gmail.com.

Pictures from Tuesday 7 March 2006

It's hard to believe that after half a year there should still be so much devastation in New Orleans and Mississippi.

Benjy Oliver posts about his tour this week of New Orleans and Katrina Damage and has created an online album where you can see all of his shots.

Forcey Memorial Church

Our partner in the Baltimore-Washington Corridor who has worked with us in the past with our Trinity trips is Forcey Memorial Church in Silver Spring, MD. They have a nice website they've set up supporting their efforts.

Sat 4 March 2006 Presentation to Grace's Men's Breakfast

I had a great opportunity today to speak to Grace Community Church's Men's Ministry about

• Hurricane Katrina,
• some its impact,
  
• how Christians are responding,
• how KatrinaGrace has responded, and
  
• what KatrinaGrace is planning in 2006.

Stephen Shields

Slideshow here.

Residential Construction Project Manager Sought

All - I am asking you to specifically pray and help us seek at least two
individuals that could serve as a construction pm. We really need to be
moving to construction at this time, and will not be able to do so
effectively without a good residential construction project manager.

Please ask your churches and friends for any ideas of names, and
forward them to me to follow up with. We should be able to provide
housing and possibly some form of per diem. this is such a great
ministry opportunity.

Mark Lewis, who coordinates volunteers in Covington, LA for Trinity Church and Compassion Ministries, asks for suggestions for this position.

Compassion Ministries Katrina Page

I've added a link to the Evangelical Free Church of America's Compassion Ministries Katrina Page under "Links and Information" on the right-hand side of this page.

Trinity Church, in Covington, LA, with whom KatrinaGrace has been working since the storms, is an Evangelical Free Church and Compassion coordinates the volunteers from all over the country working through Trinity.

The Katrina Volunteer Phenomenon

Tens of thousands of volunteers from hundreds of faith-based groups have poured into the region.

AP runs a story on the amazing number of church folks volunteering in the Katrina Zone.

The Washington Post ran a similar story earlier in the month (free registration required).

Word and Deed, Again and Again

The collaboration between Christian groups has impressed Pass Christian's politicians. Christians represent 95 percent of relief volunteers, said Lou Rizzardi, Pass Christian's Ward 1 alderman who coordinates them.

"Faith-based organizations come in here much more organized, ready to go to work," Rizzardi said. "They don't ask for anything." Mennonites re-roofed Trinity Church, an Episcopal congregation. The Assemblies of God donated a huge tent to shelter Crusade volunteers. Pass Christian's largest volunteer presence is Campus Crusade. Of Todd's efforts to mobilize manpower, Rizzardi said, "I don't know what I would have done without him."

Christianity Today article posted today

photo from http://www.dbooth.net/ed/album/index.htm

Positions Available @ Trinity Church in Covington, LA

Trinity's Michael Sprague announces that they are filling some positions in Covington, LA. Specifically:

Associate Pastor of Adult Ministries

Trinity Church is a growing, vibrant, grace-centered, Evangelical Free Church of about 700 Christ-followers. The candidate must love Jesus and be a strong leader who is able to lead, train, and motivate volunteers and oversee a wide array of adult ministries spanning small groups, men's, women's, discipleship and care. This family oriented community is located on the Northshore of Lake Ponchartrain, where you will find some of the best schools in the state. Better yet, we are experiencing revival, renewal, and an Acts 2 kind of experience in the aftermath of Katrina. A 15,000 square foot educational building will open in April. If you have been hearing the "still small voice" say "I've got a new adventure for you" please apply.

Pastor of Children's Ministry

Trinity Church in Covington, LA, is a contemporary EFCA church with an average attendance of 700. Of this 700, 140 are children from birth through sixth grade. We are looking for a dynamic, creative, fun loving person who is passionate about Jesus and able to create environments that are irresistible to children and their parents. The ideal candidate must be able to cast vision, recruit, train and mobilize volunteer staff. A new $1.5 million dollar state of the art children's building will open in April 2006.

If you are interested in applying for these positions or if you know of anyone who might be interested, please email Michael Sprague.

New Letter from Trinity's Michael Sprague

Trinity's Pastor, Michael Sprague, has posted a new pastoral letter.

work, work, work

Trinity's Michael Sprague reports that as of 2/12 Trinity Church has seen 1,898 volunteers from all across the country forming 153 teams investing 72,810 work hours completing 834 work requests

See his most recent letter here.













photo courtesy of stock.xchng

New Orleans Times-Picayune Article on Trinity Church

Volunteers working through Trinity Church in Covington, LA - including those from KatrinaGrace - have invested over 52,000 work hours assisting Katrina-affected LA residents.

The Times-Picayune recently covered the church's efforts.

link

KatrinaGrace Team IV Dec 2005 Trip and Pics

In late Dec 2005, Jen Long and Beth Shields travelled to Covington, LA to meet with Trinity Church's Michael Sprague and Mark Lewis to plan KatrinaGrace activities for 2006.

Pictures

• Pictures of New Orleans, Slidell, and Covington taken by Jen Long
  


• Pictures of Katrina's Aftermath in the neighborhood of Trinity Church's Jeff Boran
  


• Pictures from Chalmette and Lakeview (taken by Jeff Boran)
  


• Some Stunning Katrina Aftermath Shot Provided by Jeff Boran

The Trip

In December, KatrinaGrace decided to bring Christmas to Covington, so on December 17th, Jen Long & Beth Shields flew down to meet with pastor Michael Sprague and team leader Mark Lewis to deliver $15,000 worth of gift cards for Trinity to distribute and to discuss Grace’s role in the continuing rebuilding effort. During this meeting, we learned a number of new things, not the least of which is the extent to which suicide is an issue at this time. Michael said that the effects of the storm are being felt more than ever by those who must rebuild their lives in a dramatically different world than what they knew before. Michael had spoken to someone dealing with suicidal thoughts every day that week. We also found out that our teams need to stay for a week in order to be effective, and that tearing down and rebuilding homes is not the only type of team we can send – cooking teams, counseling teams, and daycare teams are all possibilities - which opens up the number of people from Grace who can be an effective part of this ministry. We talked about the possibility of planning eight trips this year as opposed to the four we had originally planned – a major difference in what we had discussed (the leadership team needs to sign off on this first). In addition, Johnny & Jen Long are hoping to start an adopt-a-family type program, where Grace families can “adopt” families through Trinity. Michael informed us that moral support and encouragement may be even more necessary than financial support. Mark Lewis is contemplating an adopt-a-house type program, where individuals and/or organizations would adopt a particular house to renovate or construct. Mark said only 10 percent of the work has been completed so far. He and Michael also put a bug in our ear about incenting the Howard County community to help raise money and support for the rebuilding effort. The true rebuilding effort will probably not be into full swing until the spring of 2006. Michael also informed us that Compassion is looking to hire a retired contractor who can work for six months as a project manager to aid in the rebuilding effort. Price gouging is a problem now with the market demand being so high for construction and roofing companies. Finally, we discussed the staff of Trinity, a total of eight people who are working more than full-time to bring hope and healing to Covington and the surrounding communities. These amazing people are overworked, overstressed, and overtired and need special support and encouragement from our community.

It's not known at this point how many of these needs KatrinaGrace can specifically address, but the trip definitely gave us a lot to think about as we finalize plans for 2006. And, of course, with God's help, we will pitch in in 2006!

Impact of KatrinaGrace Christmas 2005 Initiative

On December 17th, 2005, Beth Shields and Jen Long, on behalf of Grace Community Church's KatrinaGrace Ministry, delivered $15,000 worth of Gift Cards from Home Depot, Target and Walmart to the folks at Trinity Church in Covington, LA to distribute to their friends and neighbors impacted by Hurricane Katrina. After these were distributed, at our request, Trinity asked her folks to provide some feedback on the cards' impact. Here's what we found out.

Donnette Nienaliei

I gave the gift card to a young couple with 3 children who are taking care of a 91 year old woman in a wheelchair. They had a tree on the roof of their house that caused major structural damage. They still have a 4*4 in their den holding up the main beam to keep it from falling in. There were so grateful for the gift card and couldn’t believe we would do that.

John McCants

A lady came into church asking for help with her light bill. I asked if she was ok, and she said she had lost a family member, had another sick relative, and was working odd jobs in tough financial times. I have her the gift card and was able to pray with her! She was very grateful, saying it would help.

Accardo Family (four $50 Cards)

We gave all 4 of our cards to Cindi Christian.

Cindi lived in Slidell, LA prior to Hurricane Katrina. Cindi’s House was totally flooded and she lost all of her personal belongings. Cindi is in the entertainment business and all of her clients closed down and [her] business was lost.

Cindi is a warm and giving person who needed to know that God loves her and will be with her during this time.

Cindi is currently living in Kenner, her clothes are in Algories and working in New Orleans ([when] she can). She was delighted with the gift!!

Robin Cooper

I live n Slidell about one mile from the lake. Needless to say my house became an indoor swimming pool. God has continued to show His Great Grace & Mercy in providing 1st a c*15 camper & now a FEMA [trailer]. His will [permitting], my home is being [rebuilt[. Thank you for your kindness towards our family.

John Hecker

One of my co-workers lives in Slidell. He had 5 ft. of water in his house and lost both of his cars. His children, [a] daughter [(15)] and son [(10)] (guessing on ages), were sent to New York with his mother-in-law. The family is Catholic by faith, but by the way [of his] fierce love he has for his children, I know he knows the Lord in his heart. His son returned from New York the day after Thanksgiving. His daughter is too afraid to come home. His heart is hurting very much because of this. With the help of work, FEMA, and others, his house is being rebuilt. He has done a lot of the work himself. I had given him the card to buy his son a Christmas present. With all money going into the house, he had no hopes for giving his son anything. He is not materialistic, but Christmas is for the kids. I felt that this [was] where the Lord was prompting me to send these funds. He asked me to thank everyone in Trinity. I have talked to him about what we do at Trinity. I do not know if he will ever set foot in here, but he seems very openhearted and humbled by what we do.

Tony B

This lady I work with and her husband lived in Chalmette. They had just made their final mortgage payment and their house was paid off. Her husband drove an 18 wheeler. When Katrina came, their house and the 18 wheeler were washed away. I didn’t know but 18 wheelers are only insured when they are being driven. So that was a total loss. In their late 50’s, she told me last week that she couldn’t believe that they were having to start over. Her husband is working ripping out houses. They now live on the West Bank in an apartment and hope to rebuild in Chalmette at some point. I had carried the gift card for over a week and last night I decided to give it to her. When I got to work, I went to the lunch room and she was the only one there. She went to her office and after getting some coffee I approached her as she was taking out her check book. I don’t know if she was checking her balance or getting ready to write a check, but the gift card brought tears to her heart.

Beverly Theisen

Spoke with a lady at my gym – while we were talking she began to relate to me the story of her daughter and grandbaby who lost everything and were in a FEMA trailer.

As I shared the gift with her she was sincerely touched and very grateful. Thank you for allowing me to participate in giving this gift of love – what joy it brought to my heart.

Unknown

I wanted to share an experience we had with the gift cards. We picked up three gift cards when they were first offered and kept them waiting for the Lord to put someone on our hearts or bring the need to us. We waited and waited – nothing. Then I got a call from this lady whom I’ve known for years that works with OCS. Years ago my office had adopted a family for Christmas and then continued to do so every year since. She called and wanted to know if we still did that. I checked and we had already adopted our family for this year. Then she told me she had prayed about this family and who could she call and she said the Lord told her to call me. Then I thought of the gift cards. I put her in touch with Karen and the kids and they all got together and used the gift cards to buy presents for this family with 10 kids under the age of 12, 5 boys and 5 girls. They wrapped the presents and delivered them to the family. I receive a thank you card this past week that reads as follows:

Bill, Thanks! Hanging out with your family was a wonderful experience. Your obedience to God to help this family and demonstrate the true meaning of giving warmly touched my heart and theirs. Thanks for arranging and thank Karen for making it happen. Regina”

Praise God!

Rebecca B

First I must praise and honor my God for his provisions. In the last few months God has provided me with a vehicle and a home. After returning from Katrina I felt as if I should give a lady $50.00. At first I thought maybe it was my own emotions. I wanted it to be of God and for Him to receive the glory from it. As I waited and prayed, the idea would not leave me. I was about the give the lady the money. I guess I was also so hesitant because I am a single mother living solely on child support. So I am very limited on finances. What an amazing God! When I was told about the card last Sunday and that the amount was for $50.00 I knew my God had provided the money. So I knew it would not be in any way my doing and God will receive the Glory. Not only did God provide that, but I was also blessed when someone gave me a gift card this week. I got my son a nice Christmas suit and new pair of shoes. I am not poor, my Heavenly Father owns it all. Praise His Holy Name.

Liz Haindel

I gave a gift card to a store clerk that I saw regularly that just seems to have a hard life. Surprisingly she just snatched it up with hardly a word.

God is teaching me again to do His works without expectation of any reward here but trust He is going to use this for His glory.

A preschool worker new to Northlake Christian since the storm is commuting from Percy Quinn State Park everyday. She and her extended family all lost their homes in Chalmette but are together in campers at the park.

She was very grateful for the gift.

Major Bridge Damaged by Katrina Reopens Connecting Covington to New Orleans

A major bridge over Lake Pontchartrain that was torn apart by Hurricane Katrina reopened fully to traffic just before dawn Friday.

Katrina's storm surge ripped giant sections of the five-mile concrete bridge, which links New Orleans and Slidell, La., and tossed some into the lake. Other sections of the Interstate 10 span shifted by as much as 5 feet.

ap story

Thanks from the Batiquins

KatrinaGrace recently helped the Batiquins with $250 to help pay for a mobile storage unit for their belongings while they replaced their roof which was destroyed by Katrina.

They sent Grace this note:

We wanted to thak you for your prayers and the check you guys sent to us through Kathy Boren. It really blessed our hearts and our lives that day! We moved back into our home last Friday and today we are busy counting our blessings!

Thanks and blessings back on you! You have served us well!

The Batiquins - Tony, Dawn & kids


image from stock.xchng

Forcey Provides Updated Information on Upcoming Trips

We have officially scheduled 4 trips to Louisiana. If you are interested in participating in any of these trips, please contact me directly.

Trip #1: Led by John Riston is scheduled for January 14-22 – it is completely full.

Trip #2: Led by Gary Williams is scheduled for January 28 – February 4 – still has room for about 17 more people. Included in this group is a small group of men led by Grove Teates who will be driving down to Louisiana and hauling a number of large pieces of landscaping equipment. This group of men will be staying from January 28 – February 10. If you have a desire to stay that long as well, let us know.

Trip #3: Led by Sam Barrow is scheduled for February 11-19 – still has room for about 22 more people

Trip #4: Led by John Heater is scheduled for April 8-16 and is geared for teenagers. The plan is to take about 6 adults and 27 teens and drive down in three vans. If we do not get enough teens signed up, then we will open it up to more adults.

All of these trips are open to those outside of Forcey but Forcey-ites get priority placement.

Thanx,

John Heater

john-heater@forcey.org

(cell) 301-928-8060

KatrinaGrace Plans thru 2006

As you've probably picked up from media reports, there is still a lot to be done in Louisiana (and Mississippi) to aid the region in its recovery from Katrina. In addition to the remaining need still for massive cleanup and rebuilding all through the region, there is now additional concern for increasing depression and more suicides.

KatrinaGrace is planning to continue to partner with Trinity Church in Covington, LA in reaching out to Katrina Survivors in the area for many months to come.

This past Sunday, the KatrinaGrace Leadership Team met to establish focuses for 2006. Here are some of our plans for the next several months. And some of this will likely change:

• On Saturday 17 December, Beth Shields and Jen Long, two members of the Leadership Team are flying to Covington, LA to meet with Michael Sprague, Trinity's Senior Pastor, Mark Lewis, who coordinate's Trinity's Katrina Relief Efforts, and Jim Warren, who is taking a leadership role in Trinity's efforts to aid the community in rebuilding. The meeting is to discuss how KatrinaGrace and Trinity might most effectively partner to serve the community in the coming months. Michael has also asked Beth and Jen to speak to the church on Sunday and then they're flying back.
  
  
• Because of your generous giving for Katrina relief, KatrinaGrace will also be providing Trinity with several thousands of dollars worth of Christmas Gift Cards to be distributed to Katrina Survivors. What's really cool is that independently of us, Trinity had already decided to do the same thing themselves. There's enormous need in the area and this will only be a drop in the bucket.
  
  
• In addition to the small planning trip mentioned above, and participating in the Forcey trips mentioned yesterday, KatrinaGrace plans to sponsor at least four trips in 2006 to Covington, LA in Feb, May, August and November to work with Trinity in cleanup, rebuilding, social work, etc. The plan is to use donated frequent flyer miles and rent trucks in the area once we arrive. Beth Shields will be coordinating these trips and establishing team leaders, so if you're interested in participating in any of these, please email her.
  
  
• In October, KatrinaGrace decided to directly support Trinity's Katrina Relief efforts with $1000 monthly payments through March of 2006. This past Sunday, the Leadership Team decided to extend those payments through September of 2006.
  
  
• One of the focuses in 2006 that we are most excited about is the KatrinaZone Family Adoption Initiative, that will be led by Johnny and Jen Long. Michael Sprague of Trinity loved this idea when we recently shared it with him and this is one of the items on the agenda for further planning when Jen and Beth fly down in a couple of weeks.
  
  The idea is that Grace individuals and families get personally involved with one particular Katrina surviving family in Trinity's community. They can exchange letters, assistance, advice, money, fellowship, friendship, whatever. KatrinaGrace allocated $3000 for this but we are also encouraging folks to establish their own monthly amounts, giving thru Grace (which makes it tax-deductable) and with the entire amount going to the selected family.
  
  
• We haven't gotten as involved with Katrina Survivors who have ended up in the Baltimore-Washington Corridor as much as we originally hoped. It seems that most of them have connected with family and friends and have flown under the radar. Nevertheless, we've earmarked $3000 for supporting these kinds of folks as they hit our radar screen. If you learn of particular cases that could use our assistance, please email Stephen Shields.
  
  
• A KatrinaGrace Community Event. Not sure what this looks like yet but we've a lot of pictures and some video and - more importantly - some good stories. We are seeking the best forum in which to share these with whoever is interested.
  
  So this site will be the best place to learn about how all this unfolds and to discover where you might fit in!
  
  Possible Action Steps
  
  If you have any frequent-flyer miles that you'd like to donate, please email Stephen Shields.
  
  If you are interested in going on any of the KatrinaGrace trips, pls email Beth Shields.
  
  If you'd like to go on any of the Forcey Trips, email John Heater.
  
  If you'd like to adopt a Katrina Survivor Family, email either Johnny Long or Jen Long.
  
  If you'd like to contribute financially to any of these initiatives, just give a check to Grace Community Church and designate it for "KatrinaGrace."
  
  More to come.
  
  

image from stock.xchng

Upcoming Trips to the KatrinaZone

Forcey Memorial Church is inviting interested Gracers in participating in one of their several upcoming trips down to work with Trinity Church in Covington, LA. Forcey folks participated in KatrinaGrace's last trip to LA. KatrinaGrace is willing to contribute to Gracers' costs on these trips. Here's their announcement:

Forcey is planning four trips down to Trinity Church in Louisiana. We are opening these trips up to those outside of Forcey but we are giving Forcey-ites priority placement.

Trip #1: January 14 – 22: Team Leader is John Riston – this team will be driving down in two church vans and a pick-up truck. The maximum they can take is 25 and as of this past Sunday, Dec 4, 15 people have signed up to go. Forcey is providing the vans and the fuel costs for this trip. We are looking for laborers, workers for the free store, and cooks/bottle washers.

Trip #2: January 28 – February 4: Team Leader is Gary Williams – some of this team will be driving down and some of this team will be flying down. Grove Teates and crew will be bringing several large pieces of earth moving equipment on this trip. We are looking for laborers, workers for the free store, and cooks/bottle washers.

Trip #3: February 11 – 19: Team Leader is Sam Barrow. Details are still being worked out for this team.

Trip #4: April 8 – 16: Team Leader is John Heater – this trip is geared for teenagers but we will have need of some adults as well – we will be working with Urban Impact in downtown New Orleans. Urban Impact is connected with Trinity.

More details will follow as we get them. Let me know if you are interested in any of the above dates.

If you are interested in participating in any of these trips, send an email to John Heater ccing Stephen Shields.

image from stock.xchng

Local KatrinaGrace Survivor: Trinell Goodley

You might recall an earlier post regarding Trinell Goodley and her family. She writes to let us know:

...Walter Reed Medical Center formally offered me a position on last week, still under consideration due to the hours 5am-1:30pm. Interviewed today with Anrundal Hospital for a part-time position in the Wound Center.Kids are fine, I'm doing well, due to the concern and kind hearted people like you. Thanks, keep in touch.

Thank you Grace!

Willow Creek's Katrina Efforts

- see their Katrina Relief Site

An Around the Room on Christian Charity

With his usual thoroughness, Christianity Today editor Ted Olsen provides us with a helpful journalistic around the room of various views on Christian charitable organizations and their response to Katrina.


photo from stock.xchng

KatrinaZone Team III Log and Pics

KatrinaZone Team III served in the Zone during the week ending Saturday 15 October in the area around Covington, LA, the location of Trinity Church, our sister church with whom we are partnering in reaching out to those effected by Hurricane Katrina. The team returned with a lot of great stories and pictures.

Ron Warrenfeltz put together a very interesting and detailed log that's great reading and a slideshow of the trip that's now available online. You'll get more out of the pics if you peruse the log first.

KatrinaZone Team III was

• Tim Hardman (team leader)
• Shirley Highfill
• Leslie Mansfield
• Ron Warrenfeltz
• Claudia Cortes
• Jessica Alston
• Ben Alston
• David Hull (from Forcey Memorial Church where Michael Sprague served for many years before serving Trinity)
  
• Sam Barrow (from Forcey)
  
• Chris Hart (from Forcey)
  

Katrina Jobs

A great site for Katrina Victims looking for new jobs.











image courtesy of stock xchng

Disaster Mental Health Training for the Spiritual Caregiver

The Parish Nurse Health Ministries of Howard County - through a grant by Columbia, MD's Horizon Foundation - presents a free day-long workshop for those involved to those recovering from a natural disaster called

Disaster Mental Health Training for the Spiritual Caregiver

on Saturday 5 November.

This seminar has only 100 seats avail on a first come, first serve basis.

Those who wish to attend should mail their registrations to

Lynee Karanfil
6242 Deep Earth Lane
Columbia, MD 21045

before Sat 29 Oct 2005.

Questions? Contact Kristine Holmes @ 443-803-1560 or by email here.

Find more information here.

Trinity's Michael Sprague Posts Another Update

Always good stuff.

Update from KZ Team III

We spoke to Tim Hardman, team leader for KZ Team III currently on the ground in Covington, LA, last night. The team has been working for the past two days on gutting a house. Tim said he thought their part of it was done last night. They removed all drywall, every appliance, everything but the outer walls. It's a shell now. This was for a man whose son called Trinity EFC to ask for help. When I asked Tim how they were, he replied "Exhausted!" But he said it's a really good team, everybody gets along well, they can give each other a hard time and take it in stride.

The recon team was out for about 5 hours yesterday, so we're hoping they'll return with some critical information on how to use the 18-wheeler that's been donated to us. .

Tim also said they had driven into New Orleans (which was something you couldn't do when KZ Team I was down there) on Monday. He said it was really creepy, because there was about an 8-mile backup leaving, and they were the *only* ones driving into the city! They are witnessing firsthand the devastation.

So that's all the news I have from KZ Team III. They're all returning home tomorrow evening. I expect to speak to Tim again sometime Saturday morning, so I'll let you know any more information. Thanks so much for praying. He said the weather had not been bad at all, and not as hot as it was for Teams I and II.

We'll let you know as soon as we know what the next phase is for Katrina Grace. Thanks again for all the support.

Beth Shields :o


image from freefoto.com

New Update for Michael Sprague

from Trinity Church in Louisiana can be found here.

Guess Who Else is in Covington, LA Today?

President Bush today is in Covington, LA, where KZ Team III is working today as well.












photo from the White House

KatrinaZone Team III Has Launched

Part of KatrinaZone Team III - from left to right:
Ron Warrenfeltz, Leslie Mansfield, Tim Hardman, and Shirley Highfill

Our third team left *today*!

Tim Hardman, Leslie Mansfield, Ron Warrenfeltz, and Shirley Highfill left bright and early at 3:30 this morning from Grace's parking lot. Beth saw the team off this AM and took the picture above. This part of the team left from Ronald Reagan and arrived at Jackson, MS, and then drove the rest of the way to Trinity Evangelical Free Church in Covington, LA. They were able to procure two pickups and a cargo van, which was a total answer to prayer.

Also joining our team today from Forcey Memorial Church were Chris Hart, David Hull, and Sam Barrow. These three are long-time friends of Michael Sprague, the senior pastor at Trinity, and each has considerable experience in carpentry and home-building skills.

Tomorrow, Ben & Jessica Alston and Claudia Cortes will join the team, rounding out the final 10.

KZ Team III participated in two orientation meetings today. They are going to LaCombe, LA on Tuesday, and will be doing either tree removal or gutting houses (mold is a serious issue now). Our recon mission for the anticipated 18-wheeler trip will happen on Wednesday. Please pray they'll get enough information to let us know how best to use the donated truck & driver.

Please pray for the team's safety, unity, and effectiveness. The team will be working to fill the work orders Trinity church is receiving from their community.

Finally, we have been getting requests for how to help. This team used up the frequent flyer miles that had been donated. We could certainly use more for future trips. I think the days of kamikaze driving the 18 hours it takes to get to Covington are behind us. So, if you would like to donate frequent flyer miles, please email Beth at beth.shields@gmail.com.

Thanks again for all the support you've been giving this mission. The work is far from over, so we'd like to encourage you to keep it up! We expect to hear from Tim Hardman, the team leader, Wednesday night, and we'll update you then.

New Pastoral Letter from Trinity's Michael Sprague

October 8

Dear Friends,

Let me start with an offer to help you visually see what is going on here. Wayne Rogers, our worship pastor, has produced the first in a coming series of DVD’s to chronicle God’s work here. You can order a copy at Trinitychurchonline.net. The DVD will help you understand things that could never be communicated with words.

Tonight I just finished addressing a large group of our volunteers. We almost hit the 200 level! These are the best people you could ever meet. Let me tell you about a few:

1. One man came to serve even though his stepson died last week in a car accident. His stepson wanted to come with his stepfather to serve in New Orleans. Though grieving, he and his wife decided God had called them here. The stepfather brought his stepson’s boots and laid them before the cross located at the front of the church. It is amazing how this family is sacrificing for us and our community. This man, a career military man, said he stood in shock and awe when he saw New Orleans. It is worse than anything he has ever seen in battle. He is making a difference.

2. Another man stood and shared that he was from Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago. Through his tears he shared that he had learned to trust the Lord daily at the intercity mission for food and life sustenance. He could see that we were doing the same and tears came for the overwhelming need here. Here was a man with so little, giving so much to us.

3. One group from Illinois cancelled their “men’s advance” (retreat) this month and brought their men here to serve us instead. They forfeited money through the cancellation, but felt this was a great opportunity for their men to give of themselves.

4. Church after church verbalized that they were committed to us for the long haul. This is so encouraging, for the needs are so great. My observation is that life is getting harder for people, not easier. Power is coming back on, schools opened Monday and FEMA is clearing the debris, but I am seeing the magnitude of the problems growing wider and deeper by the day. The props that got us through the first month are going away (Red Cross, National Guard, delayed mortgage and credit card payments, etc.). Very soon we will face the realities of life and in many cases it will not be pretty. Job lay-offs are reported every day and this will have a spiral effect. Bills will come due soon and many will collapse under their weight. Many homes have 2-5 families living in them. Imagine the pressures living with several of the families who have lost everything. I predict a tidal wave of human devastation in the next 4-8 weeks as pressures mount. I met with a family yesterday who lost their 14-year old in the hurricane. They had two trees crash through their home, yet three families were now living in it. $60,000 worth of tools were stolen and the man’s employees were gone. The tears that flowed could have formed a puddle by the time we finished praying and helping them out financially. It will take years to put the community back together and see lives rebuilt.

In the middle of all this chaos, people are being helped one-by-one. That is the way of Christ. Hundreds of people have come into the free store. They are helped both spiritually and physically. Some of those helped in the free store now also work in the store and have begun attending church. Some have come to Christ within the last three weeks and have given testimony in our services. At least 52 new families have signed our visitor book at the church over the last few weeks. Opportunities abound to share the message of the love of Christ. Good rumors about the church are circulating everywhere. Wouldn’t it be great if people didn’t think of Christians as angry people carrying placards of protest or as self-righteous finger-pointing people? What if they saw a new humanity that displayed the fruits of the Spirit? What if Christians displayed both truth and grace in a way that reflected the real Jesus who came to seek and to save those who are lost? This is what I long for and am seeing. Please pray for a great revival.

Last Sunday I encouraged Trinity church in three ways: First, prayer…no revival has ever taken place without surrender and dependence upon God. Second, consecration…no revival in scripture or church history has occurred without repentance and coming clean with God. Third is love…we need to practically practice a supernatural kind of love so that there is not a needy person among us. Pray for revival and renewal in our lives.

On a personal note, Donna and I had our roof rebuilt this week. The skylight from where the tree hit the house was huge. One day soon, three rooms in the house will need to be rebuilt, along with new carpet, and a new kitchen countertop. A new fence is being built tomorrow and FEMA just removed the debris from our 10 trees. Pray for Donna. As someone observed, Donna went from the empty nest to no nest in a week’s time. She is back in her nest, but it has been messed with greatly. Donna continues to be a choice servant of Christ. Daily she ministers to others and enables me to focus on ministry. Her love for Christ and for me is outstanding. I am very grateful. We are bringing Jonathan back from Texas for a three-day weekend in two weeks so that he can get a firsthand look at our house and his room!

Well, the clock just struck midnight, so I’d better wrap this up. The Lord is good. I’ve got a great staff and a loving church. My wife is the best, and we cherish our son. I’ve got the best friends in the world who are all over this country. I’ve got a purpose to live for, enough problems to keep me dependent on God, and enough joys to keep me going. As I go to bed tonight, I realize that there is nothing I’d rather do than follow Christ.

Betting the farm on God, Michael

all Michael Sprague Letters

KatrinaZone Team III

Announcing the final roster for KatrinaZone Team III and a request for your assistance.

First of all, the request:

Please email Beth Shields if you can do either of the following

• take 4 people to Dulles Airport on Monday 10 October very, very, very, very early.
  
• pick up some folks at Dulles Airport in VA on Sat 15 October around 10:45 PM.

This is a great way to serve the folks in the KatrinaZone if you can't go to LA. If we need to, we'll pay for shuttles, but we'd rather use that money in other ways.

And now about our team:

We now have a full contingent of folks for KatrinaGrace's third Team to visit Trinity Church in Covington, LA. Michael Sprague - Trinity's Pastor - called us today and is so excited because three members of our team who go to Forcey Memorial Church in Silver Spring, MD (where Michael used to pastor) are friends of his. Here's the complete list:

• Tim Hardman (team leader)
• Shirley Highfill
• Leslie Mansfield
• Ron Warrenfeltz
• Claudia Cortes
• Jessica Alston
• Ben Alston
• David Hull
• Sam Barrow
• Chris Hart

As of today, Trinity is letting us know that our team will likely be tearing out drywall, cutting trees, and cleaning up debris - thought the situation on the ground is highly fluid and could be changing. We are urging Team Members to visit the Evangelical Free's Crisis Response Team Preparation page to orient themselves to the trip (Trinity is an Evangelical Free church).

Please be in prayer for our team members!

New Update from Trinity's Michael Sprague

Trinity's Michael Sprague has posted a new update.

Trinity's also prepared a 10 minute tape of the results of Katrina and of the chances they are having to serve in their community. I've let Michael know that we wish to get a copy to possibly show at Grace.



image from stock.xchng

Volunteer Slot Avail

If you have 2-3 hours a week that you could give to KatrinaGrace making phone calls following up on details, pls email Beth Shields. This could be a valuable contribution to the effort from folks who can't go to Covington.

Thanks!

New Update from Trinity's Michael Sprague

Trinity's Michael Sprague has posted new pastoral letters to Trinity's site:

Prayer:

What strikes me once again today is what an incredible “God Thing” is happening at Trinity Church . We did not make this up! We are not the one doing the internal “heart transformation” work. He is! We are amazed and thankful.

Here’s a sampling from today:

1 In the hallway today a Trinity family returned to church after being a refugee family for weeks. Trinity is cluttered with people everywhere. The son said, “This isn’t our small cozy church!” The mom said, “No, isn’t it beautiful!!”

2 Seekers are showing up at our free store and are helped. This week some came back. They started offering, “What can I do? I just want to do something to help. I’ll mop floors, anything. I am so grateful to you for your help. Please put me to work.” Another said, “I’m just at home during the day. What can I do to help?” (Her husband is away from home days at a time due to his work.) Yet another said, “We can help while we are here. Put us to work!”

3 Another woman who came back to the free store was also introduced to the “bridge illustration.” She affirmed faith in Christ, wants to be part of the church, have her child dedicated and get married. Pray.

4 In the services this past week a family walked in who had never been in a church before. They asked, “What do we do?” They had no idea. We helped them on their first day with God’s people. Pray.

5 At the service last night the sharing time was electrifying for me. The first man to share stated he was from a different religious background but people from Trinity had helped him, encouraged him, and prayed for him. He was trying to understand what God was all about and doing in his life. Pray as we follow up.

6 Another lady from Ireland was here last week just after her husband died. She and her son had nowhere to go and nowhere to sleep. She saw the sign for Trinity and has now moved in with a family at Trinity. They are amazed by the love of God’s people and they are hearing about our beautiful Savior.

7 Another man last night shared how his home flooded and a Christian got him a 32 foot trailer to live in. He praised God.

8 People are e-mailing us and telling us God is changing their lives by hearing the stories of God. Others come and work and go back and tell the story. Only God could do this.

I could go on and on…….

I would like to ask you to pray for us. Remember in Exodus 17: 8-16 Israel was attacked by the Amalekites. Moses’ strategy was to deploy Joshua to lead the troops and Moses would pray. Moses went up on the hill and prayed. He raised his hands signifying dependence on God. When Moses’ hands were raised, Israel prevailed in battle. When his arms got weary and he put them down, the enemy made gains. All this happened before his eyes. Prayer turned the tide and Israel prevailed in the end.

The point, I think, is that God’s power comes through prayer. Prayer is not the preparation to the battle but it is the battle. The prevailing power of God flows not through our wisdom, strength, or riches but through people who pray (Zech. 4:6). In fact, in Moses’ situation he had two prayer partners to hold his arms up – Aaron and Hur. We need Aarons and Hurs! I would like to read to my staff some e-mails or letters tangibly allowing them to know they are being prayed for! My e-mail is MDSprague00@bellsouth.net. My staff’s pictures can be viewed on the web at trinitychurchonline.net. Would you do that for us?

Please pray for:

1. A great outpouring of the Spirit of God upon our region. Pray for revival and a new New Orleans .

2. Pray for the gospel to be spread more powerfully than ever and for thousands to walk through the doors of faith.

3. Pray for breakthroughs in marriages, wayward children, and with addictions.

4. Pray for finances and organizational wisdom. Teams are coming and 200 people will be here next week. This will tax us to the limit. Pray for the support systems to deploy these good, zealous, wonderful servants.

5. Pray for Wayne Rogers, my worship pastor, who is producing a video to capture what God is doing and what the opportunity is.

6. Pray for stamina, strength, and wisdom for my staff. They are courageous heroes who God will reward in His due time.

7. Pray for the people of Trinity Church . Every person’s life has been impacted. Things will never be the same. Imagine the hundreds of different responses and emotions that people are wrestling with. Pray for people’s jobs, families, and finances. Pray for kids as school finally starts in our community on Monday.

8. Pray that we honor Christ. This is a time where great honor can go to Jesus or great dishonor. Pray that this will be the church’s finest hour.

Betting the farm on God,

Michael

image from stock.xchng