Letter from Joy Fellowship

I'm receiving pre-emptive requests for prayer and assistance if it turns out to be needed today. Also notes on here's what we are doing to prepare for the storm. I'll share them here as they come in.

Servants Unite Team 7 worked with Joy Fellowhip in January 2006. You can find blog entries here.

Joy Fellowship Church
1510 Lindberg Dr. Slidell, LA
985-781-9777

My Dear Friend,

It is hard to believe that it has been three years since Hurricane Katrina made its destructive way through Southeast Louisiana. And through all of the bad things that that storm brought, Leslie and I never cease to thank God for all of the wonderful friends such as yourself that the Lord brought our way as a result of the relief work that God himself anointed our little church to embark upon. We still minister to hundreds every week both here and at our church in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.

Now we find ourselves in the position of coming to you again to be ready to help. As Hurricane Gustav churns in the Caribbean Sea, the Latest computer models as of this morning (8/28/08) shows this storm with a good probability of making landfall somewhere along the Southeastern Louisiana coastline as a category three at a minimum. Like California has its earthquakes, and Asia has its tsunamis, our Achilles heel is tropical storms. While we are wearing out the knees of our trousers praying that this thing will go somewhere harmless and die, we must also be ready to do what God called us to do; be a responder who carries the hope of God.
I have already been in touch with several international disaster organizations including the Salvation Army who have promised us their full support, but we also need you, the local church. Please begin to pray with us that we will have the finances and physical support to help those who cannot help themselves.

An immediate need that we will be having is that we have already been notified that a mandatory evacuation will be ordered for our area, thus forcing us to cancel our services for Sunday. Our church will have no income to operate for possibly a week or better. Couple that with the additional expense of evacuation that those in our body will incur and you can see that our church will be in a fix financially, right out the chutes. I am writing you now because should this system come close to us, our communications will be knocked out. If that happens, just assume we need help and organize teams. Please pray and seek the Lord for whatever you can do to assist us in this time. We will be thankful for whatever you can offer us.

Blessings be yours,

Pastor Larry Roques
Senior Pastor
Joy Fellowship church
Slidell/New Orleans

Senior Pastor Larry Roques: 985-768-8134
Youth Pastor Joe Badon: 504-287-5731
www.joyfellowshipchurch.com