Getting Dirty...

new web address

disciplesvolunteering — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:20:24 +0000

The blog is now being maintained at a new address.

Please check out gd4jc.org for the latest news and to find out how you can Get Dirty for Jesus!

Disaster Response team prepares to serve in Alaska

disciplesvolunteering — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:19:08 +0000

Disciples Volunteering: Disaster Response is sending a Mission Team to Alaska at the end of the week. We will be posting updates to this blog as often as possible, so check back frequently to see how God is moving as we partner in mission with neighbors in need. Following is an excerpt, lightly edited, from an article by James Patterson describing this venture that will include 19 volunteers from 8 regions of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ):

The Yukon River Flood Mission Project in Alaska is being put together by Disciples Volunteering of Disciples Home Missions and will take place Aug. 21 – Sept. 14. Northeast Alaska was hit with heavy flooding this past spring, an area where many Native American communities are located.

Participants will pay their own travel costs to and from Anchorage, Alaska, where they will initially gather. A $12,000 Week of Compassion grant will be used to help defray costs of travel, food and other expenses once the volunteers reach Alaska. They will address flooding that has occurred along the Yukon River…

The work trip is being sponsored by Disciples Volunteering, First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Anchorage, Alaska, the Northwest Region of the Christian Church, North Alaska Disaster Response, and Week of Compassion…

“I believe that this is a fantastic opportunity for us to truly live out and celebrate our call to be engaged in mission ‘from our doorsteps to the ends of the earth,’ “ said Carl E. Zerweck, III, Director of Disciples Volunteering. To donate to the project or get more information, contact Zerweck at 317-289-5061 or visit www.discipleshomemission.org

4 Years Down, Many More Remain

disciplesvolunteering — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:51:26 +0000

The four year anniversary of Huricane Katrina is approaching. In advance of the innumerable reports that are sure to be offered, Bill Quigley & Davida Finger have compiled their own list of statistics regarding the recovery in Louisiana & New Orleans. Highlights include:

0. Number of renters in Louisiana who have received financial assistance from the $10 billion federal post-Katrina rebuilding program Road Home Community Development Block Grant – compared to 116,708 homeowners.

0. Number of hospitals in New Orleans providing in-patient mental health care as of September 2009 despite post-Katrina increases in suicides and mental health problems.

1. Rank of New Orleans among U.S. cities in murders per capita for 2008.

1. Rank of New Orleans among U.S. cities in percentage of vacant residences…

52. Percent increase in rents in New Orleans since Katrina.

52. Percent of federal rebuilding money allocated to New Orleans that has actually been received…

27,279. Number of Louisiana homeowners who have applied for federal assistance in repair and rebuilding after Katrina who have been determined eligible for assistance but who have still not received any money…

65,888. Unoccupied addresses in New Orleans. This is 31% of the addresses in the City and nearly as many as Detroit, a city twice the size of New Orleans…

143,193. Fewer people in New Orleans than before Katrina, according to the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center estimate of 311,853, the most recent population estimate in Orleans…

900 Million: Dollar amount paid to ICF International, the company that was hired by the State of Louisiana to distribute federal Road Home rebuilding dollars.

?. Current vulnerability to storm-related flooding. The Army Corps of Engineers continues work to provide protection from a storm surge that has a 1 percent chance of occurring any given year. However, Katrina was a stronger storm than the system under construction is designed to protect against. Because no updated indicators exist on land loss, coastal restoration and mitigation of flood risk due to human engineering, tracking recovery is, at best, challenging.

Hurricane Season underway

disciplesvolunteering — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:36:01 +0000

It’s officially Hurricane Season. While predictions for this year’s season are encouraging, it is still imperative to be prepared. Disaster can happen anytime, anywhere and often are unpredictable – but that does not mean that we can’t plan for them. Hurricanes, unlike many other natural disasters, usually provide several days’ warning – but, again, that should not lull us into a ‘wait and see’ attitude. Have a plan. Rehearse the plan. Be prepared.

4,000 temporary housing residents to be evicted

disciplesvolunteering — Tue, 12 May 2009 21:39:40 +0000

On Friday, this story in the New York Times highlights the on-going struggle of several thousand people impacted by Hurricane Katrina:

As of last week, there were two groups still in the agency’s temporary housing program: more than 3,000 in trailers and nearly 80 who have been in hotels paid for by FEMA since last May, when it shut down group trailer sites. Most are elderly, disabled or both, including double amputees, diabetes patients, the mentally ill, people prone to seizures and others dependent on oxygen tanks.

Of those in trailers, more than 2,000 are homeowners who fear that the progress they are making in rebuilding will come to a halt if their trailers are taken.

The story continues with a brief description of an effort, funded through the Lousiana Recovery Agency (LRA), to offer case management services to these people. Having been involved in some preliminary discussions, I can report that those of us actively working to help homeowners recover knew that effort was too little, too late, with this eviction deadline looming. And there the folks at FEMA and the LRA who peddled the program should have known it, too. The bottleneck for helping people who cannot complete their recovery on their own is resources: specifically, dollars for goods and services (such as building materials, furniture, or assistance in getting utilities restored). If funds were made available for direct services, the current case management agencies could relieve their overburdened case loads and continue to help folks get out of their trailers and back into safe, secure housing – perhaps even return to their own home.

We’re doing what we can with volunteers, and together organizations like ours continue to make a huge difference. 950 work groups have been to a Disciples Hurricane Recovery Mission Station. Have you scheduled your next trip?

Recovery continues from Hurricane Ike

disciplesvolunteering — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:54:06 +0000

Remember Hurricane Ike? It slammed the Texas Gulf coast on Sept. 13, 2008 and became the third costliest hurricane in US history. National news quickly forgot about the storm, distracted as it was by a presidential election and a national economic collapse. Thankfully, volunteer organizations – led by faith groups – have not forgotten. Five thousand college students were expected to spend their spring break in Galveston, TX helping residents recover. The needs are great and the work will remain. Five thousand college students can make a big dent – but if volunteers don’t continue to come, entire communities will remain wiped off the map. Galveston County and Orange, Texas are celebrating their accomplishments and pushing ahead. Much has been accomplished; however, the reality is that without your help and ongoing support of volunteer organizations, these communities and others along the Gulf Coast will never completely recover.

The DHRI is operating Mission Stations in Texas City, Port Arthur & Beaumont, TX. Schedule your mission trip today!

Disasters in the News

disciplesvolunteering — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:59:33 +0000

I wasn’t even looking for disaster stories last night – these just jumped out at me. It’s events like these that reinforce the need for everyone to have a disaster plan. No matter where you live, the possibility of disaster striking your community is always present. Some people hear this kind of talk as fear-mongering; I just think it’s important to be prepared. In fact, I believe that the more prepared we are the less we have to fear. Do you have all your important papers in one place so you could grab them as you’re heading out the door? Have you and your family determined the few most important items you would want to take with you in an evacuation? Do you have an evacuation plan and does everyone know where you would evacuate to (e.g. grandma’s house, a friend’s home in the next town, or a particular hotel) in case you get separated or aren’t together when the evacuation begins? And have you identified a central contact person outside of the area who you would call to check-in with, to let the rest of your family and friends know everyone is okay? These are just a few important details that need to be planned before a disaster occurs.

In the news:
Some Fargo, ND and Moorhead, MN residents encouraged to evacuate: “Thousands of upper midwest residents have been forced from their homes as rivers continue to rise in what may become an historic flood as early as this weekend.”
Reporting also given by the New York Times (here and here) and MSNBC (here and here).

Several Mississippi towns were struck by tornadoes early Thursday morning. At least 28 people were injured with over 180 homes, churches, and businesses damaged or destroyed. A tornado also touched down in Alabama early Friday morning.

And then there’s the widespread and growing economic disaster that is, for countless families and a growing number of communities, at least as bad as a natural disaster.

UCC UConn volunteers in Slidell

disciplesvolunteering — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 20:21:47 +0000

Sixteen college students and two “over 25’s” from UCC UConn spent their Spring Break working through the Disciples Mission Station at First Christian Church, Slidell, LA – the third annual trip for many of these volunteers. Supported by Storrs Congregational Church on the campus of the University of Connecticut, the volunteers chronicled their trip here so folks at home could keep up with their experience. After returning home, Rev. Hillary Dahlberg reflected on their mission trip that “God is at work, and we simply need to get out of the way of ourselves and let the Spirit move. God is at work in the sweat and the labor, God is at work in the giggles and the laughter. Or maybe I should say God is at play!”

UCCUConn, Mar. 10

The volunteers were split into two teams for their week’s work. At a home in Mandeville, the first team of volunteers hung, taped, and mudded sheetrock – skills they have honed on previous trips to Slidell. This team also spent two days at Mr. Tom’s home in Lacombe, working inside and out to restore his home and property. Sarah Stockmann shared, “Throughout the day we were constantly hearing about all of Tom’s plans … he is still dreaming big despite the damage that Hurricane Katrina has done. He kept telling us what a blessing it was to be able to meet people like us who are willing to give our time and energy to help others. At one point he said, ‘You guys are doing more than restoring my house, you’re restoring my dreams.’ We could feel his gratitude all day long.” Working with Tom was a highlight for many and they invited Tom to join them for dinner one evening. He took the opportunity to present them with “the Mudbug Award: a sacred piece of Louisiana soil crafted by a crawfish – better than the Corps of Engineers builds levees!”

UCCUConn, Mar. 11

The second team spent the week helping to convert an old store into workforce housing. When it’s completed, the facility will serve as a transitional shelter for men who have work but cannot find affordable housing. These volunteers hung some sheetrock but spent most of the week framing in walls and supports. During the week, Sarah Hardy shared, “I am just so content to be doing God’s work in this beautiful place.” The week passed too quickly for most, and at the end Daniqua Boulware summed up the feelings of many: “Although the week was very successful, today was bittersweet in having to stop working and say goodbye to the people we have come to help and worked with… Although I am not totally satisfied I have to realize that it is not about me and that God is satisfied that I did what God blessed me to be able to do. Just as God sent me here I am sure God will send others along the way to finish what we started.”

The blessing they offered in the form of their time, sweat, and caring was returned in a second gift made by Tom. He also gave the UCC UConn volunteers a poster on which he had written, “What makes a place sacred? Perhaps it is perception – or perspiration. Sharing sweat in our mutual endeavors means having blessings. You all have shared your blessings with me, and I am most grateful. Thank you! By your acts you have added to my sacred quest in Lacombe, LA.” May such opportunities for sharing sweat and blessings continue to shift perceptions, to help us see each one for who they are and receive what gifts they have to offer, as we partner in mission with neighbors in need.

DHRI update

disciplesvolunteering — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:13:00 +0000

Since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast, more than 8,000 volunteers have come to a Disciples Mission Station to aid in disaster recovery. These volunteers, covering over 900 work groups, have contributed 330,000 hours of labor. This generous gift of time is worth $6.5 million. That’s $6,500,000 in cost savings for families and individuals who need help the most. 330,000 hours of volunteer labor is also roughly equivalent to rebuilding 132 homes that were devastated by a storm, or 3 homes every month! The real impact of Disciples’ work, however, can’t be measured in hours, dollars, or even homes restored. The real impact is in the transformation that has occurred as a result of this important ministry. When individuals and families receive assistance, they are forever changed by their experience. But they do more than receive: they also give much in return and become partners in the recovery effort. Volunteers who have engaged in real mission know that they are also changed through the experience of partnering with a neighbor in need. And when these volunteers return to their congregations, these churches are also changed. The Spirit moves, and ripples of transformation flow from homeowner to family to community, from volunteer to congregation and beyond.

FCC Gulfport, continued

disciplesvolunteering — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:09:37 +0000

And here’s story #2:

Mr. Herbert, Loving Husband and Father
Mr. Herbert lives on 42^nd Ave. in Gulfport. He is 67 years old and has lived there for over 30 years. His house lost most of its roof during Hurricane Katrina and he has been living in the home with carpeting throughout that was soaked and contained mold. He also has damaged drywall that he had started to repair by himself. Herbert’s wife Mary has suffered with Alzheimer’s for many years.

When she required round the clock care, Herbert retired from his job with Lance cookies to take care of her at home rather than move her to a nursing home. Then, to make ends meet, he took a job driving a school bus. Hospice and Medicare people take care of Mary the couple of hours he is away picking up and taking home school children. Herbert bathes his wife and takes care of her personal needs every day.

Volunteers from First Christian Church, Wauseon, Ohio, couldn’t wait to meet Herbert and start work on his home. This is the fourth trip their congregation has made to the Gulf Coast to help.

He needed the carpet ripped out of four rooms and the floors cleaned. His master bedroom, where he had replaced some damaged drywall, needed mudded, a light fixture needed replacing, and all of the rooms needed complete painting. After that, floor tiles throughout his house were replaced and floor molding was added.

We had money from a local recovery organization to buy some of the materials. The Wauseon volunteers bought paint, molding, tile glue, and tools we needed to finish the job out of their own pocket.

After living in his hurricane damaged house for over three years while trying to take care of his invalid wife, Mr. Herbert was elated to see what we had done. You have to be there and experience it, to know how good you feel when someone like Herbert sees what you have done and is so happy. Three years later, there are still many more people like Herbert and Mary that need our help.

This is a very good thing we are doing,
Mike Lee