The Gathering

We've sent several crews to Chalmette, Louisiana to work with The Gathering church plant. The community center/ex bowling alley has been a long time coming, but they are on their final push to get it up and running.

They need help. If you can take a team down before the end of the year, small or large, who knows how to help with their needs or be a good assistant to someone who does. Here's the latest update from Aaron and Matt:

We wanted to send a quick update regarding the progress at the Gathering Place...i've been working with multiple small adult teams to finish this by the end of the year. and then it became "Project 52"--with God's help, would it be possible to finish the place in 52 days like He did with Nehemiah. We are in the 4th week and have certainly seen answered prayer--the workers He has provided, the materials donated, money provided, and safety afforded as well. Matt, our pastor, sent this update out, so I'm passing on to you....thanks for reading and loving us.

Really, can words sum up these pictures. It is amazing to see what has happened in just a few days. Who would have thought toilets would have been such an exciting picture. I will have a lot more pictures to show next week.


By the grace of God,we are moving so quickly in the completion of this building. It is amazing to watch the church in action, being used by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Praise God, all Glory to HIM.

9/16 Ohio Tornadoes

Looks like there are a couple of small property damage areas after last night's storms. If anyone knows of others, or people who need help cleaning up storm damage, please get in contact with me.

Athens area
An apparent tornado overturned several trailers at the Pine Aire Village mobile home park in The Plains. It then destroyed part of the high school football stands and press box where a girl's soccer game was in progress. Fortunately all participants and spectators got to shelter before it hit. Final damage I have been able to find then is an auto repair shop on the east side of Athens. Nobody was killed, but a few people had minor injuries from being tumbled in their mobile homes with their belongings.

View Larger Map
You can see a local photographers images from last night here

More news stories will be available at Athens newspapers' sites
Athens News
Athens Messenger

Wooster Area:
Damage appears to be limited to some treas and the Ohio State University Agriculture Research and Development Center. Again, nobody was killed and there was only 1 very minor injury reported.

The Daily Record Newspaper Site


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Delaware County
Olentangy High School lost some gym roof. Again, no injuries and crews were working on recovering the roof overnight and this morning.

Earl

This is a large and powerful Katrina like storm. Likewise the damage it has the potential to cause is similar. If it skips off the outer banks and heads back out to sea, land impact will be minimal, but it's track continues to trend towards land. Running up the coast could subject the entire New England seacoast to hurricane force winds and some surge. While the worst case is not currently in the forecast, if it were to come up the Hudson River, Chesapeake, or other estuaries like Katrina came up the MRGO the result would be catastrophic.

After Katrina, the press tracked down worst case scenarios that actually could be much worse. Among these is a Category 2 or stronger coming into New York City. Transportation, communications, and power would all be destroyed in an area of much higher population density than New Orleans was.

PRAY!

If the worst happens this weekend (another Labor Day weekend storm?) I'll have instructions for how we can help.

Anyone feel like a road trip Friday night?

Servants Unite!

Pakistan flooding disaster is REALLY bad.

This CNN article outlines the suffering currently in Pakistan. Not that there is much our organization can do, but there are a massive amount of people without homes, food, water, and the basics.

Roughly 4 million people are homeless from mammoth flooding that covered much of Pakistan for three weeks. Hundreds of health facilities are damaged or destroyed. Millions are at risk for deadly waterborne diseases from the filthy flood waters.
Officials estimate the death toll between 1,500 and 1,600, but Kapadia says he thinks the numbers could skyrocket as water recedes and more bodies and animals surface.

Five Year Anniversary

Five years ago the McGuire family took our first beach vacation to Gulf Shores, Alabama. If you told me then that I'd know the highways down to and around the Gulf of Mexico like the back of my hand, the geography of which city is where, who lives in any of those places I would have never believed it. I and many of you have now been to so many of the beaches, churches, and restaurants, worked in people's homes, gained lifetime friends, and have come to feel we have a home and family in the lower latitudes of our country.

Five years ago hurricane Katrina converted the beach road along Gulf Shores where my family had played with the fishes a few days before into open ocean. Floating casinos in Mississippi were made beached hulks. Hundreds of thousands of homes, churches, businesses, and livelihoods were washed away by the waves and the water along with several thousand people's lives.

Thousands of us now know our way around post disaster Slidell, Bayou La Batre, Chalmette, New Orleans, Mandeville. We will never forget the people who's homes we have cleaned out and rebuilt, the friends we worked with, and the brotherly love we experienced working in New Orleans.

In those 5 years, we have also served in Iowa, Houston, Galveston, and Bucyrus here in Ohio. Some of us have gone on to other mission work as a result of our experience and have engaged others. I'm sure, like you, my outlook, priorities, and life is now quite different than it was before my involvement in relief work with you brothers and sisters.

The work has slowed and we've gone back to our lives for the most part. I'm back to working a full time IT Security job again. I'm at AEP downtown working to secure the gridSmart project. Our hearts for missions and relieving the suffering of those stricken by disaster, however, are still strong.

With the projected path of Hurricane Earl inching closer and closer to North Carolina and the New England states, we are reminded of the mission God put before us 5 years ago. Then we saw thousands of people in dire circumstances. Third world calamity conditions, right here in the USA. We know we risk a storm like Katrina, Ike, or even the localized flooding we've seen in Nashville and other places this past year will continue to require the skills we've built over the last 5 years.

Servants Unite, though dormant currently is ready to spin up when the need for volunteers to serve in disaster relief rises again. I remain committed to continuing the mission with you whether we need to send volunteers to Cape Hatteras next week or Miami next year. Keep monitoring the blog for updates and needs.

John McGuire
President
Servants Unite!

Disaster update from Lutheran Disaster Services

This seems like a sound assessment so I thought I'd share. I have to note, however, that our friends in Bayou La Batre and at The Gathering in Chalmette, Louisiana are always looking for financial and volunteer assistance. Their ministries are going to be particularly in demand and can be that much more effective in this oil response in their communities.

Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

We continue to monitor the devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and pray fervently for all those who have been affected. Indeed, while the long-term effects of this tragedy will be felt by all of us, for those whose lives and livelihoods have been directly impacted, the needs for help are acute and overwhelming.

Earlier this week, Jessica Vermilyea, disaster coordinator with Lutheran Social Services of the South, took part in an ecumenical listening tour into the bayou marsh areas of Plaquemines Parish in southeastern Louisiana. As part of this group, Jessica heard from fishermen, business owners, and other local leaders about how the oil spill is affecting them, even as many of them continue to struggle with recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

We have received numerous inquiries from Lutherans around the country about volunteering in some capacity along the Gulf Coast. At this moment, only people who are being specifically trained and equipped by BP are being permitted to work directly in the clean-up process. This has much to do with the health and safety risks of handling the crude oil. In the future, opportunities may emerge for other types of volunteer roles, and each state in the area is receiving names of volunteers who are interested in helping. To register, follow one of the following links:
• Louisiana: volunteerlouisiana.gov
• Mississippi: volunteermississippi.org
• Florida: volunteerfloridadisaster.org
• Alabama: servealabama.gov
Several questions have been raised about whether a national funding appeal should be launched in response to this tragedy. Our commitment has always been that we will find the most efficient ways possible to use financial contributions to meet unmet needs that arise from disaster. At this time, BP has pledged that it is their responsibility to pay for all costs related to clean-up as well as to reimburse those who have experienced a loss of income as a result of the spill, and anyone seeking to file a claim can do so directly through the BP Web site. Given the unique nature of this situation, we will not be seeking funding for this response.

Instead, we lift up the unfolding needs of those in the many states affected by flooding and tornadoes so far this spring, including as recently as this past weekend in Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois. I ask you to consider giving a gift to support the responses getting underway in places like Yazoo City, Mississippi and Nashville, Tennessee. Click here to give today.

In the mean time, we will continue to listen for emerging unmet needs along the Gulf Coast and for meaningful ways that we might engage there. As we do, I ask for your continued prayers for the beautiful land and people of the Gulf Coast as they struggle to overcome this continuing tragedy.

In service,
Rev. Kevin A. Massey, Director


Lutheran Disaster Response
Bringing Help and Hope...
Phone: 773-380-2748
Fax: 773-380-2493
Visit us on the Web at LDR.org
Are you on Facebook? Join the cause.

North West Ohio Tornado Damage from Sunday Morning

The Toledo Blade has an article on the damage.

Welcome to Hurricane Season 2010

A weekend tropical cyclone got a head start on Central America where the death toll is rising and a sinkhole of dimensions difficult to believe has opened in Guatamala City after mudslides from the torrential rains. I have a note into our friend Tim Hines who works missions in Honduras to verify all is well with their work there.

The US National Weather Service predicts an active season in this article

“If this outlook holds true, this season could be one of the more active on record,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “The greater likelihood of storms brings an increased risk of a landfall. In short, we urge everyone to be prepared.”

NOAA also has a FAQ on how a Gulf of Mexico hurricane may effect, or be effected by the oil plume. For those of us who have already shoveled crude out of people's living rooms in Chalmette from the Katrina damaged refinery, this will probably be more of the same.

It's hard to believe it's been nearly 5 years since we began the post Katrina cleanup. Though the past year has been quiet we're already to respond if needed again this year. When the need appears to be there, I'll investigate whether Servants Unite can be of assistance and get the word out to you all scheduling trips. Till then, be praying for a lighter than predicted season and for opportunities to be Christ to people in their distress.

If you are wondering if volunteers are needed in Tennessee...

I don't believe so yet. Though it sounds pretty bad around Nashville in the press this morning, here's the update I got this morning from Southern Baptist Disaster Relief. If I get more info, I'll post to servantsunite.blogspot.com

Storm System Sweeps Across the Central and Southern States

Storms over the weekend caused tornadoes and flooding in Tennessee, killing at least six. David Acres, Tennessee state disaster relief director, says, “The cities of Nashville and Lavergne, Tenn., have been declared disaster areas.” The American Red Cross (ARC) has opened shelters, but the shelter population has remained small. Acres says, “We have been in contact with ARC, and they have not needed a Tennessee disaster relief kitchen.” Tennessee Baptist Convention has also been in contact with emergency managers, and they stand ready to assist with debris removal or mudout of houses.

The storm system also left a path of destruction in Arkansas, Alabama, and Mississippi and was moving through Kentucky and Georgia late Sunday evening. One death was reported and a state of emergency declared in Arkansas. Three deaths were reported Sunday morning in Mississippi. Pray for Southern Baptist volunteers working to help their neighbors in these states. As daylight comes and the system continues to move east, many will be out assessing damage, running chainsaws, and cleaning up flooded homes.

Prayers for Entire Pacific Basin

This quake in Chili is a MAJOR disaster. At magnitude 8.8 it is 1000 times the power of the Haiti quake. Read more here. Nine foot tsunami waves have been measured near the epicenter and are traveling out through the entire ocean. They are due into Hawaii soon and anywhere with a Pacific coast is subject to waves higher or lower than this when it gets there. This is a disaster in progress. Prayers people get away in time and that loss of life is minimized across the world and near the epicenter, a very heavily populated portion of South America.

Project Opportunity to benefit Haiti

Southern Baptists Disaster Relief is a well oiled machine. They are collecting Buckets of Hope to ship to Haitians who are homeless, hungry, and generally miserable. More information about the things they have going on are here

Be keeping up on www.lifeline.org for their needs and trip plans. Commercial flights are resuming into Port Au Prince soon and there will be opportunities to go work if you are interested.

I have friends who have been and one who is there this week. This is typical disorganized disaster relief work, but to a whole new degree. If you plan to go you will want to be sure you are working with a well established organization who knows the lay of the land well and has connections with the community down there.

Trauma Docs Requested for Haiti Relief

Please forward this information to others who may be able to help...

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is requesting physicians of specific specialities to deploy with the National Disaster Medical Assistance teams to Haiti. The need is for trauma surgeons, orthopedists, anesthesiologists, and others with experience in treating crush injuries. Volunteers must be able to serve for at least 2 weeks, and be willing to live and work in spartan conditions.

Preference will be given to physicians who are Creole or French speakers, and to those currently credentialed through the Medical Reserve Corps in their home state, or the ESAR-VHP program (Emergency Services Advanced Registration of Volunteer Health Personnel).

These volunteers will need to be credentialed as temporary federal employees and will need to be able to provide credentialing paperwork as soon as asked. Credentialing normally takes about a week. Volunteers with these clinical skills should contact Michala Koch at Michala.Koch@hhs.gov. Not everyone who wishes to help will necessarily be deployed, and those without the requisite skills may not receive a direct response.

For medical professionals wishing to help in this way in future relief efforts, please take a few minutes to learn about the Medical Reserve Corps, identify your local unit, and register to become part of the corps. To do so, visit www.medicalreservecorps.gov. This is the channel through which medical volunteers are deployed immediately following an event, and only those registered beforehand are likely to be deployed.

Thank you for your service!

Mike Nevergall
Assistant Director

Lutheran Disaster Response
Bringing Help and Hope...
Phone: 773-380-2748
Fax: 773-380-2493
Visit us on the Web at LDR.org
Are you on Facebook? Join the cause.

Haiti updates/Links

Really great new photos

Please pray unceasing for the people of Haiti and those ministering to them.

Lifeline, a Westerville, Ohio based (stateside) mission who has been active in Grand Goave Haiti for 30 years. I'll keep postings here of immediate needs and when trip opportunities become available. Servants Unite is not funded to cover the cost of international relief trips unfortunately, but people are asking about the opportunities to go.

Doug and Amy Reichley are "two buckeyes in Haiti" They are in Gressier with their new baby boy and working on adopting a Hatian boy. They may have to come home soon if they can get his paperwork in order to come to the US. Amy's parents are setting up this additional organization to fund the rebuilding of a destroyed orphanage in their christian village.

Our friends at the Whites Ferry Road Church of Christ disaster relief organization have been at international disaster relief for 30 years.

All of the above are working, even in this tragedy, to bring people to Christ. Doug and Amy report over 300 people there have accepted His grace and salvation since the quake a week ago!

Haiti

The more news comes out, the worse the effects sound. This is a place totally unprepared for such an event where people barely make it day to day as it is. Haiti has incredible poverty and risk to life and loss without a major earthquake. Look here for more information on how we can help as it becomes available. You can find a first hand account of one of the missionaries I know down there at this link.

Personally I'm asking for prayers for lifeline.org missionaries Gretchen, who is in-country with a team, and her husband Bob who is still in Westerville. I can imagine how he has felt all night and this morning. Also, pray for our close friends Doug and Amy Reichley, a young couple with a new son and a new adopted Haitian son this past year who are missionaries in the epicenter as well. All of them are OK after the quake, but lack of resources, poor communications, social instability, and disease will be immense problems for everyone on the island of Hispaniola in the coming days and weeks.

See an old friend Sunday

THE Brendan Hendrix of "Git R Done" disaster relief fame at Tammany Oaks, Hilltop Rescue, and other efforts after katrina will be visiting at Westerville Christian Church Sunday with us! If you are in the area and would like to say hi, let me know ASAP and we'll hook up on details.

Aaron Johnson's October update from The Gathering church plant in Chalmette

Aaron Johnson with The Gathering Christian Church plant who we have worked with in Chalmette, Louisiana sends a monthly newsletter. For those who don't know, His family has moved down from Indiana to build the church there as have Matt Wooodward and several other ministry staff. Their church is growing and the previous bowling alley they are building into their community center and meeting place is finally coming along too.

Since this is an especially eventful newsletter (think growing family) I thought I'd post it for you. To view the PDF, click THIS LINK

Ida know...

Ida is expected to come into Pensacola Tuesday as a Cat2 hurricane. It could be stronger or weaker, but seems to be making a bee line for that section of the coast. Hurricane warnings are up from Biloxi Mississippi all they way around past Panama Beach Florida. That puts our friends in Bayou La Batre squarely in the effected zone.

A category 2 won't likely bring the kind of wind damage and storm surge that a major hurricane like Katrina and Ike did, but can still be dangerous.

Please offer up prayers for our friends and those involved in their mission there.

Lots of disasters in the last week...

Southern Baptist Disaster Relief sent an update out on all last night. This is a good, concise status on these areas.

Disaster Relief Update - Wednesday, September 30, 2009
“Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Colossians 3:12 (HCSV)
The Lord has given Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) volunteers many opportunities to show His compassion and kindness towards others. From Georgia to American Samoa and on to the Philippines, hurting people need the touch of Christ.
Tsunami Devastates American Samoa

The North American Mission Board has been in contact with the Hawaii-Pacific Baptist Convention (HPBC). The tsunami that struck American Samoa Tuesday left in its wake wholesale destruction across the capitol city. The damage includes the Baptist Seafarer’s Center where nothing is left but the cement shell. Missionaries Joeli and Tupe Sovea, along with their children, lived at the Seafarer’s Center and saw all of their personal possessions washed away with the rest of the contents of the building. Thankfully the family is safe. The Happy Valley Baptist Church, located near the airport in Pago Pago was spared. Property destruction across the island chain is immense and lost of life is great. Pray for the faithful on the ground that they may truly be a light in the darkness.
Hawaii Baptists were spared and are now in the process of preparing to respond to American Samoa with their airlift kitchen and 15 volunteers. The logistics of getting to American Samoa with the ‘Fly Away’ Feeding unit, food and volunteers to staff the unit is the next hurdle. Pray for wisdom and patience as Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention Disaster Relief leaders and NAMB Staff work with the American Red Cross and FEMA. The Disaster Operations Center at NAMB is working closely with HPBC leaders in an effort to support them in this monumental task. There is the possibility units from other state conventions will be requested. If the request comes DOC staff will forward HPBC’s request knowing that SBDR volunteers will respond as they are able. We do serve an awesome God!
Read more at Baptist Press.
Floods in the Philippines
The heavy rains that flooded the Philippines have created an opportunity for Southern Baptist Disaster Relief ministry through our working relationship with Baptist Global Response, the aid arm of the International Mission Board. BGR has requested assistance in accordance with our agreement and at this time four states (KY, SBTC, OK and TBM) are gearing up to send teams to assist in the Baptist response there.
Earthquake Shakes Indonesia
A large earthquake shook the nation of Indonesia late Tuesday. At the time of this update there has been no request from our international partner, BGR, for assistance. We do join our brothers and sisters of Indonesia in prayer. May the unbounded love and power of our Lord Jesus Christ be manifested through those already on the ground!
Georgia Cleanup Continues
We are in the midst of our second week of response to the floods that have destroyed whole neighborhoods in the Atlanta area as well as Toccoa and Trion. At the time of this update there are 7 states on site helping GA Baptists in the relief efforts. There are many other states that stand ready to assist as needed.
Support Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Efforts
Your prayers are your most important contribution to all of these relief efforts. Pray for victims, volunteers and leadership.
You can also support Southern Baptist Disaster Relief efforts with your financial gifts online or by contacting your State Baptist Convention Disaster Relief office

Georgia Flooding Update from Southern Baptists

Georgia Flood

The Georgia flood has been described as an “epic flood.” Seventeen counties have now been declared disaster areas by the Georgia Governor’s Office with 14 of those counties having been approved and designated as disasters by the President’s Office. Damage estimates from the State Insurance Office could exceed $500 million.

The response has taken time to get underway. Stuart Lang, Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief Director, reported, “Some roads are still impassable.” GEMA reported that 4,636 FEMA Individual Assistance registrations have been received as of 7:00 p.m., Saturday, September 26th.

Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief has activated 21 DR teams including feeding, recovery, chaplain, assessment, mud-out, and command/communication units. Mud-out teams in the Trion/Summerville area have neared completion of the work in that area. Stuart says, “Local churches have been involved in ministering to their communities.” Georgia Baptist has facilitated this ministry.

The North American Mission Board is supporting Georgia Baptist with the deployment and placement of state convention partners. Alabama has three units deployed. Additional volunteers from Alabama, Kentucky, Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia, Texas Baptist Men, and Baptist General Association of Virginia have been activated and are traveling this week. Additional state partners are standing ready to respond as assessment continues and needs are clarified.

The NAMB command post, generator unit, and shower trailer have been deployed and are operational.
A staffed phone center with a toll-free number (1 800 460-6881) has been activated and is taking calls from homeowners who have been affected by the flood and need assistance. The phone center is open from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily at this time.

Please continue to pray for all involved.

National Disaster Relief Leadership
• Bruce Poss, Disaster Relief Unit Coordinator
• Terry Henderson, Disaster Relief Operations Consultant
• Karl Ragan, Disaster Relief Planning Consultant
To contact the Disaster Operation Center, call 1 888 462-8657 or e-mail dr_offsite@namb.net

Georgia Flooding

I received emails from 4 faith based relief groups yesterday. This is in Southern Baptist Disaster Relief's back yard. They expect outside help will be needed mucking and helping the large number of un-insured rebuild, but the work isn't ready for volunteers yet. An update today says that they are working to set up operations in Toccoa, Trion, Austell, Powder Springs and Douglasville, Georgia.

Luthern Disaster Services is the VOAD in Georgia and they say pretty much the same thing, but they usually spend 2 or 3 weeks getting dig in and spun up.

Churches of Christ DRT is setting up in the Churches of Christ in the Austell, Powder Springs, and Douglasville areas of Georgia.

You can see from this google map that these areas are all to the West of Atlanta, not far outside the loop.

View Larger Map
As I am leaving for a mission trip to Zimbabwe next Friday, October 2 for two weeks, I am unable to coordinate any trips down at this time. Please do not let this dissuade you from getting involved! If someone can take the lead on organizing a team or two during this time, please call me this week and I can help you get it started. There are a couple people I'll be calling on to lead this effort. As information becomes available it'll be posted here and sent via email.