Mission Update and Needs

Contents:
1. August 29 deadline approaches – After that time, “abandoned” houses may be taken over by the local government and sold.
2. Two July groups made a massive contribution – Groups of 18 and 35 joined other volunteers over the last two weeks in Chalmette to gut 15 houses combined plus rebuilding a local school.
3. August 5 trip – ONN (Ohio News Network) will have a crew covering our work for their “Ohio Brings Hope” series ahead of the anniversary of Katrina.
4. What would Natalie do? – Gahanna teen who made her 2nd trip last week is promoting trips to more churches in the area.
5. Binghamton New York flood relief – No response to the first request for volunteers. Any takers now?


1. Orleans and St. Bernard Parishes encompassing the city of New Orleans, Chalmette, and other suburbs gave residents a deadline 2 months ago to have their homes cleaned out and secured by August 29 or else. Homes not cleaned out by that time may be appropriated by the Parish and sold for redevelopment and demolished. This makes our help over the next month and a half all the more important. The backlog of job requests at Hilltop Rescue in Chalmette has risen from 600 at the time of that announcement to 1100 today even with the 30 to 100 houses being gutted by their crews each week.


2. 35 youth and sponsors from Alum Creek Church of Christ and Linworth United Methodist joined 300 other volunteers last week to gut 100 houses! The previous week a group of 18, mainly from New Life in Canal Winchester, had a very successful week as well. See Mark McGiffin’s pictures


3. Our next scheduled trip will leave GracePoint Community Church in Lewis Center North of Columbus on Saturday August 5. Ohio News Network’s Stephanie Mennecke, Amy Bacus, and camera crews will be covering our team’s work and recovery progress for their “Ohio Brings Hope” special ahead of the anniversary of Katrina as well as live feeds during the trip. As of today there are only 3 or 4 people on that team. So here’s the appeal. If you were on a list with 1100 other people to have your house cleaned out or lose it, how important would it be to you that someone come help clean out your house? Additional trips will be built as volunteers are interested in going.


4. To help build up those trips, Natalie Rickard, a 17 year old veteran of team 2 after Katrina and team 16 last week, is calling and visiting area church leaders in an effort to drum up support for more help. She felt so compelled by the work she saw last week that still needed done and the urgency of the deadline looming she had to do yet more than she has already. I personally find her passion very inspirational. You too can have a large impact just by forwarding this request for volunteers to your church email list and your friends. Maybe you can spend some time during the day promoting the effort personally to church leaders in your neighborhood. We’ve all been called to this work and know the powerful feeling of the Spirit working through us. Your help along with Natalie’s is essential to our effort helping storm victims and the growth of this organization to facilitate that help.

5. We also need to support a new effort cleaning up flood damaged homes along the New York, Pennsylvania border where the Delaware River flooded homes and businesses. I received an email from Megan of the University of Buffalo group (team 11) who lives in the area and has validated the need for help in her area.

The hosting church is near Binghamton New York and seeking volunteers to do the same work we’ve been doing in New Orleans. These trips can be much shorter term, however, and may be easier for more people to attend. No volunteers responded to the first request I sent last week and we sent no help this past weekend. An open invitation is out for weekend trips as long as the hosting organization needs volunteers. Recommended agenda is to leave Friday for the 8 hour trip, work Saturday and Sunday, and drive home Sunday night, or Monday. Please email me if you are interested.

Final word – This can be discouraging work when we ask for volunteers for a new effort and none are available or we get TV coverage and there isn’t a large response to fill out the team. Every time I question whether we are doing the right thing, though, bursts of affirmation like an unsolicited, encouraging email or Natalie’s enthusiasm for promoting the work relieves the doubt. I’m impatient. I see what we can do and would prefer to have it all set up at once. But… He has His own timing for this and if there’s ever a consistent lesson he has for me, its patience. I really look forward to seeing what He has in store for us and working with all of you in our efforts. Thanks for your servant’s hearts and support.

1 Peter 4:10, Mark 12:30-31, Mathew 9:36-38, Romans 12:4-8

John McGuire
www.ServantsUnite.org
614-523-3996 home
614-404-8610 cel