Wednesday, September 07, 2005 6:47 AM

Photos of Hurricane Damage in the Alabama-West Florida Annual Conference

Photos taken in Bayou La Batre and Coden, Ala. are now online on the Alabama-West Florida Conference Hurricane Katrina web page. Click here to visit.
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Monday, September 05, 2005 7:21 AM

United Methodists Get to Work after Katrina

United Methodists from all walks of life an in all areas of the US are working to relieve the suffering and assist those left vulnerable following Hurricane Katrina. The following stories share what United Methodists are doing both within the disaster zone and outside of it to help thousands in need.

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Monday, September 05, 2005 7:08 AM

Lon Morris College welcomes displaced students

Lon Morris College in Jacksonville, Texas, is opening its doors to college students Hurricane Katrina has displaced.

Lon Morris President Dr. Miles McCall said the United Methodist college will offer free tuition, housing and meals to 150 freshman and sophomore students.

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Monday, September 05, 2005 7:04 AM

An Episcopal Letter to the Texas Annual Conference Churches

Dear United Methodist Brothers and Sisters,

Resurrection Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I write to all of you this day to tell you that truly we “have seen the Lord” in caring for our sisters and brothers of New Orleans. A friend commented to me earlier this week, “It is in times like this that one can see the true soul of a people and an institution.”  Your souls are surely shining.

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Saturday, September 03, 2005 12:27 AM

Volunteers will be needed to help in Hurricane Katrina recovery

To find out how you can help with hurricane cleanup, contact your United Methodist Volunteers in Mission jurisdictional and annual conference coordinators. A list of these coordinators is available on the web at http://gbgm-umc.org/vim/vimcoords.htm or write Mission Volunteers at voluntrs@gbgm-umc.org for contact information. They will provide details on creating and training a team as well as scheduling details. For information on what disaster sites are currently scheduling volunteers, call the Volunteer Hotline at 800-918-3100.
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Friday, September 02, 2005 6:54 PM

Blue Lake United Methodist Assembly

Blue Lake United Methodist Assembly is available for Hurricane Katrina victims, individuals or families, to be housed and fed as needed. We ask that these persons in need coordinate their needs through FEMA, Red Cross and/or our Alabama West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church Disaster Recovery Ministry (866.340.1956) to ensure adequate space remains.

Blue Lake United Methodist Assembly can be reached at 334-222-5407, Email director@bluelakecamp.com, or registrar@bluelakecamp.com, FAX: 334-427-1469.

Blue Lake United Methodist Assembly is located on Alabama Highway 137 which is about 18 miles south of Andalusia. We are four miles from Pleasant Home School and are on the school bus route. Also we have a local doctor and nurse practitioner who have volunteered their services to any displaced person for however long. Please continue to pray for these victims. [Alabama-West Florida Annual Conference]

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Friday, September 02, 2005 7:04 PM

UMCOR Emergency Appeal for Health Kits, Water and Blankets

As president of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), I am making this emergency appeal for United Methodists and their friends to supply Health Kits, bottled water and blankets for survivors of Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast. The need is desperate throughout the area devastated by the storm, especially among people who have been or are being evacuated from their homes.

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Friday, September 02, 2005 6:44 PM

Louisiana Annual Conference Hurricane Status and Contact Form

If you were displaced you can let the conference office know your situation through this form.

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Friday, September 02, 2005 6:43 PM

Message from Bishop Bill Hutchinson

I am finding it difficult to believe my eyes and to believe my ears. What I am seeing and hearing by way of the news on the television is extremely disheartening.

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Friday, September 02, 2005 6:40 PM

Louisiana Annual Conference Hurricane Katrina Message Board

If you are a member of an affected church, please include the name of the church so we can know your status.

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Friday, September 02, 2005 6:36 PM

Alabama-West Florida: District by District Hurricane Damage

The following reports were gathered from the District Offices in an effort to centralize information about hurricane damage.

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Friday, September 02, 2005 6:25 PM

Message from Bishop Hope Morgan Ward

The United Methodist people of Mississippi thank each of you for your thoughts and prayers as we face the disastrous effects of Hurricane Katrina and seek to be a comforting and healing presence to our neighbors.

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Friday, September 02, 2005 4:10 PM

UE Offers Free Tuition for College Students Displaced by Hurricane

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 1, 2005

The University of Evansville today announced that it is now offering free tuition for this semester to any college student who has paid tuition and was enrolled at one of the colleges now devastated by Hurricane Katrina. UE President Stephen Jennings says making this offer is the “right thing to do. We want to give them a home for the semester.”

Jennings explained that students will be allowed to take courses where open seats remain in UE classes and continue their college studies this semester, so that they will not get too far behind in their college schedules. Tom Bear, vice president of enrollment services stressed that “time is of the essence. Classes at UE began Aug. 24, so for the students’ own academic success they would need to be enrolled and in classes by Wednesday, Sept. 7.” The only costs the student would be required to pay would be for fees and books.

UE fees are $270 per semester and include the health and wellness fee, technology fee and the student activity fee. Book costs vary widely based upon courses taken. If students wish to live on campus, they must carry at least 12-credit hours. Room and board fees would be applicable if this option is selected. For more information or to register for classes, please contact Bonnie Daly, assistant director of the Center for Continuing Education, 812-488-2767.

The University of Evansville is a private, United Methodist Church-related, comprehensive university that is a member of the Associated New American Colleges. UE celebrates more than 150 years of civic mission and sacred trust, providing life transforming educational experiences that prepare students to engage the world as informed, ethical and productive citizens.

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Friday, September 02, 2005 12:33 AM

Hurricane Help - Arkansas

By JANE DENNIS

Families fleeing the flood waters and devastation brought on by Hurricane Katrina have found solace at First United Methodist Church in Dumas, Ark., one of a number of locations across Arkansas that have provided help and assistance to neighbors to the south.

The church provided housing, meals and other services for 60 people on Aug. 28, one day before the Category 4 hurricane dealt a devastating blow to the coastal areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. In the days following, an additional 100 or more refugees arrived, directed there by Arkansas County Emergency Services. Most are from New Orleans and small communities in southern Louisiana and Mississippi.

“Some were in shock when they got here,” said Rev. Henry A. “Buddy” Ratliff, pastor of the Dumas church. “One family just barely got out and could see the surge behind them. They watched the water cover their front yard. And they’re telling us about 20- to 25-hour drives from New Orleans to get here, and the struggle to get gas along the way.”
When the evacuation notice was issued, many “just picked up everything they could grab and left,” Ratliff said. “Now, they’re calling relatives or FEMA and finding out their home is completely under water, or a couple know that their homes have been completely washed away. They don’t have any idea what they’ll go back to or how. They’re going through a tough time. But they have remarkable spirits.”

The United Methodist church at Dumas partnered with St. Peter’s Rock Missionary Baptist Church and began preparing and serving three meals a day. Cots provided by Desha County Emergency Services were set up in classrooms and spaces throughout the Methodist church. Games and other entertainment for children are offered in the youth activity center, while the adults mainly stay huddled around the television.

“As time goes by and they watch scenes on TV, we’re dealing with a lot of depression and grief,” Ratliff said. Several trained Red Cross counselors and local medical personnel are on hand. Some of the hurricane victims are on insulin or blood pressure medication, “and they had to leave in such a hurry that now they’re running out,” the pastor said.
Other churches, businesses and community groups have donated food, supplies and money to help in the assistance effort. Others have volunteered to help staff the shelter around the clock.

“Our people have been great,” Ratliff said. “We had several things planned at the church this week, but they said, ‘We can’t do that right now — we’ve got to take care of these people.’ They’ve been very generous.”

Other churches in southern Arkansas have also been assisting hurricane victims. Lakeside United Methodist Church in Lake Village, Ark., took its turn serving dinner to a large number of displaced persons staying at the high school gymnasium. The church is also supporting the local ministerial alliance in assessing needs of hurricane victims who are in the area.

[Jane Dennis is editor of the Arkansas United Methodist, the newspaper of the Arkansas Conference.]
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Friday, September 02, 2005 12:25 AM

Unprecedented Generosity: Oklahoma City University Offers Free Tuition to Any Student Affected by Hurricane Katrina

For Immediate Release

SEPTEMBER 1, 2005

Contact: Sarah Molina
Communications and Marketing Writer
for Editorial Services
(405) 208-5348 or smolina@okcu.edu

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University President Tom McDaniel announced Thursday the university will offer free tuition to any student enrolled at a college or university affected by Hurricane Katrina.

This includes but is not limited to students at the following New Orleans schools: Dillard University, Loyola University, Our Lady of Holy Cross College, Southern University at New Orleans, Tulane University, the University of New Orleans and Xavier University.  Students enrolled at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss., also are being offered free tuition.

“We are opening our hearts and our university to these students,” McDaniel said.  “Although we can not replace lost lives or undo damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, the OCU community is eager to help.  In fact, it is part of the mission of our university. We don’t want this natural disaster to be a road block in these students’ educational path.”

The one semester of free tuition applies to undergraduate, graduate and law programs.

The university has extended its enrollment period by one week.  Students may enroll through Sept. 9.

As a further gesture of generosity, university alumni and trustee members are being asked to open their homes to these needy students.

About 3,700 students attend OCU, which offers programs in dance, nursing, music, business, religion and arts and science. One semester of undergraduate tuition is valued at about $8,500.

For more information on enrollment, call Ryan McLaughlin at (405) 208-5051 during business hours.  After hours, call Rick Hall at (405) 306-3931 or Bernie Patterson at (405) 255-3474.

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