Time and time again I heard the phrase, “If it weren’t for the Church….” In March I had the incredible opportunity of joining the thousands who provided Hurricane Relief throughout the Gulf States. Serving as community chaplain with Samaritan’s Purse organization was an experience I will never forget. I, like many others, was overwhelmed by the impact of Hurricane Katrina. The devastation was incredible. The poor in those communities seemed to be impacted the most. Hurricane Katrina took lives, destroyed property and disrupted the lives of thousands of people in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. Mile after mile I drove along the Gulf shore and witnessed homes and businesses leveled to the ground because of the Hurricane’s impact. No one could imagine how destructive a storm could be.
As I spent time with local Police Departments, city leaders and residents I heard over and over again the impact that the Church has made. There have been hundreds of Churches and Church groups that have participated in the clean up and human services. I was impressed with the commitment of many who “stuck it out” through enormous circumstances. Many who stayed in their homes during the storm shared dramatic stories of survival. Many shared inspiring stories of everyday heroes who took incredible risks and displayed outstanding courage to help those in need. One resident spoke of how local first responders went above and beyond the call of duty to rescue a victim. There were many who spoke of powerful examples of a local community coming together to provide basic services until national help arrived.
One day I held a meeting with the Deputy Chief of a Police Department. His comment surprised me. He described that after the storm their basic services were overwhelmed. They soon realized that they had to come together and meet the basic needs of people. He talked about creating a “make shift” cafeteria to feed the people. “But soon our resources ran out,” he commented. “But, at that moment, help arrived.” He described the support that arrived first was a church group from Georgia. They were loaded with water, food and cooking supplies. “If it weren’t for the church, we could not have hung on!” He added. The church represented a hurricane of a different kind; a hurricane of compassion! Hundreds of church-based groups and thousands of people have emerged to meet needs.
I left Mississippi inspired. I gained a new motivation for working to unite churches together to meet needs. The witness of Christ’s compassion and Church cooperation was revealed to me in a whole new way! What a powerful example the body of Christ at work in a community! We can do this here in DuPage County. Churches can work together to serve the needs of the poor. LOVE Christian Clearinghouse is the networking resource for reaching needy families locally. We can have our own Hurricane of compassion!
