we can help!

Now is not the time for recriminations among us who are outside of the immediate areas of the devastation. Now is our time to help, encourage, cajole and offer help to our leaders who are responsible for helping the present victims in their dire and catastrophic conditions. The following is from the United Church of Christ of ways we can help in the long run:

Hope Shall Bloom is the name chosen for our UCC hurricane recovery initiative as a sign of our commitment, as the United Church of Christ, to walk with the survivors of Hurricane Katrina on the long, long road to recovery and restoration.

A goal of $1 million has been set for the Hope Shall Bloom-UCC Hurricane Recovery Fund.... Basic infrastructure systems (roads, bridges, utility lines) have been heavily damaged - which means it is extremely difficult to get in touch with our pastors and congregations in the impacted areas. The South Central Conference, which includes Louisiana and Mississippi, is working diligently to get what information they can about our churches and institutions which we will share as it becomes available. We do know that UCC congregations in Texas are providing food and shelter for disaster survivors.

Dr. Evelyn Hughes, President, and the senior staff of UCC-related Dillard University of New Orleans are working from a variety of locations to plan for the recovery and restoration of this historic African American institution. The UCC Council for Higher Education is exploring avenues to partner with Dillard in this process.Church World Service is trying now to get its Disaster Response and Recovery Liaisons deployed into the disaster area. Once they are in place, we will be able to provide more information about relief and recovery efforts and the best ways we can respond.

Many offers for housing have been received from across the UCC. We are exploring options to see if there is a way we may match people in need with those offering hospitality.Financial contributions are needed for hurricane relief and recovery. The UCC has already made grants and pledges from the One Great Hour of Sharing offering to the South Central Conference ($10,000) as they identify emergency needs within our churches; to Back Bay Mission ($5,000); to Dillard University ($5,000) and to Church World Service ($25,000). This is only the beginning of what the UCC will offer.

... For sure, we will have a number of church facilities damaged, perhaps even destroyed, and many of our families will be homeless. ... you can be certain that 100% of your designated offerings will be used for hurricane relief and recovery. This is possible because your gifts to Our Church’s Wider Mission (which is part of our Outreach Mission portion of our offerings which you can designate what percentage of your offering will go to via your annual pledge or with each weekly offering you give) cover administrative costs.There will be a time when volunteer work groups are needed. But that time has not come. Right now it is highly skilled volunteers experienced in search and rescue, medical personnel, etc., that are needed. Contact Mary Schaller Blaufuss, Executive for Volunteer Ministries, blaufusm@ucc.org, to have your name added to a list of potential future volunteers. As for material donations, Church World Service is sending blankets and Gift of the Heart kits and will be issuing an appeal to its member communions for those resources.