A Year Beyond Hurricane Katrina – The Board of World Mission of the Moravian Church in North America Is STILL Making A Difference

August 31, 2006

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina changed the landscape of the United States forever when it struck the Gulf Coast region destroying everything in its path. Immediately upon seeing the damage and devastation reports, the Moravian Church in North America responded through its mission division, the Board of World Mission and the Board of Evangelism and Home Missions agency of the Southern Province. Accustomed to doing mission work all over the world, the focus became how to help those in the United States who were in desperate need of help and hope. Since that day in August a year ago, 46 teams have gone to the Gulf Coast through the Moravian Disaster Response program of the Board of World Mission. These teams travel to the regions where devastation exists and for a week or more, they volunteer their time, services, supplies, and emotional and spiritual support to rebuilding the homes and lives of those in need.

The denomination has connected with faith based relief organizations such as Samaritan’s Purse, Lutheran Disaster Response, the North Carolina Baptist Men, and others to make the most of their efforts to reach out. The organized teams are sent to work sites in various stages of completion where they do whatever is needed from demolition to repair with some of the most rewarding experiences coming from moving people back into completed homes so they can make a new beginning.

In 2006, the Board of World Mission purchased a house in the Pinehurst Subdivision of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to commit themselves on a long-term basis to the work of rebuilding. The Pinehurst neighborhood alone had approximately 100 homes that were flooded with up to 6 feet of storm surge, all of them needing to be gutted and rebuilt. The house that was purchased will be used as a base where volunteers will live and serve the surrounding communities. The goal is to have the house habitable by November 2006, but until then the work does not stop. The Moravian Church will continue to partner with other organizations making regular trips to the Gulf Coast to make a difference, one house, one home, one family at a time. At this writing, seven more teams are currently in the process of preparing to serve in the Gulf.

Another huge purchase since Katrina was the buying of a Moravian Disaster Response truck and trailer, which was made possible by a substantial contribution of the Salem Congregation, an incorporated entity which manages assets jointly owned by these congregations of the Winston-Salem, North Carolina area: Ardmore, Bethesda, Calvary, Christ, Fairview, Fries Memorial, Home, Immanuel-New Eden, Konnoak Hills, Messiah, Pine Chapel, and Trinity. The trailer is now stationed in Mississippi full of supplies for the work teams as they arrive. Inside it houses painting supplies, ladders, generators, and carpentry/landscaping tools.

Mark Ebert, Director of Volunteer Services for the Board of World Mission, states, “There is much work to be done. Just because a year exists between the time Katrina made her presence known, and now, does not mean that the work is done. The anniversary of Katrina just reminds us that we are amidst hurricane season and we could at any time be devastated again in areas that are not yet healed – the potential exists for more damage. We have been blessed to serve the people of this region in the spirit of Christian love, reaching out to our brothers and sisters in need. No denomination or group is too small to make a difference.”

Among the 46 teams that have already gone to the Gulf region, 43 of the Moravian denomination’s 157 congregations and the Moravian Theological Seminary, Moravian College, and Salem College have had participants volunteer with more and more signing up for continued, scheduled short-term mission trips. The denomination, though relatively small in numbers with its approximately 40,000 members, doesn’t see size as a problem when it comes to mission and ministry. With no churches in the region affected by the hurricane, the denomination has sent a team from great distances for almost every week since the hurricane hit. Some volunteers have gone more than once, and the 46 teams were often mixed with members of congregations from a variety of states, building relationships within the Moravian community as well as those whom they serve in their efforts.

Ebert continued by saying, “We often find the need is so great that as we work on one home, others in need approach us asking for help. It tugs at our hearts to know we are making a difference and yet we can’t do it for everyone. This continued need only strengthens our commitment to our mission of loving others through our actions.”

For more information about the program of rebuilding the Gulf Coast through the Moravian Disaster Response program of the Board of World Mission of the Moravian Church, contact Mark Ebert or Sheila Beaman at 336.773.1732 or the Board of World Mission at 800.732.0591. Teams can be comprised of people of all ages from all regions of North America. Mark Ebert says, “no building experience is needed, just a desire to dig in and make a difference.”

Congregations & Moravian Organizations who have had volunteers participate in the Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts through the Moravian Disaster Response program of The Board of World Mission of the Moravian Church in North America:

Good Shepherd Moravian, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
West Salem Moravian, West Salem, Illinois
Hope Moravian, Hope, Indiana
Second Moravian, Indianapolis, Indiana
Graceham Moravian, Thurmont, Maryland
Our Saviors Moravian, Altura, Minnesota
Waconia Moravian, Waconia, Minnesota
Good Shepherd Moravian, New Hartford, New York
Advent Moravian, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Ardmore Moravian, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Board of Evangelism and Home Missions, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Calvary Moravian, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Christ the King Moravian, Durham, North Carolina
First Church, Greensboro, North Carolina
Friedberg Moravian, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Friedland Moravian, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Fulp Moravian, Walnut Cove, North Carolina
Good Shepherd Moravian, Kernersville, North Carolina
Grace Moravian, Mount Airy, North Carolina
Home Moravian, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Hope Moravian, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Kernersville Moravian, Kernersville, North Carolina
King Moravian, King, North Carolina
Konnoak Hills Moravian, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Little Church on the Lane, Charlotte, North Carolina
Macedonia Moravian, Advance, North Carolina
Moravia, Oak Ridge, North Carolina
New Beginnings Moravian, Huntersville, North Carolina
New Philadelphia Moravian, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Olivet Moravian, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Rural Hall Moravian, Rural Hall, North Carolina
Trinity Moravian, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Salem College, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Canaan Moravian, Davenport, North Dakota
Goshen Moravian, Durbin, North Dakota
Advent Moravian, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
College Hill Moravian, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Covenant Moravian, York, Pennsylvania
East Hills Moravian, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Lancaster Moravian, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lititz Moravian, Lititz, Pennsylvania
Moravian College, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Moravian Theological Seminary, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Mountainview Moravian, Hellertown, Pennsylvania
Glenwood Moravian, Madison, Wisconsin
Lake Mills Moravian, Lake Mills, Wisconsin
Rudolph Moravian, Rudolph, Wisconsin
Sister Bay Moravian, Sister Bay, Wisconsin
Wisconsin Rapids Moravian, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin