Georgia couple gives up everything for hurricane relief

Dee and Jack Boreing are working in Mississippi as full-time site coordinators for work teams helping in recovery efforts. A UMNS photo by Woody Woodrick.



By Woody Woodrick*

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (UMNS) - Many residents of the Gulf Coast lost everything in Hurricane Katrina.

Dee and Jack Boreing gave up everything because of Katrina.

The Boreings are working in Mississippi as site coordinators for work teams helping in recovery efforts. They came to Pascagoula from Douglasville, Ga., where they had lived all their lives.

"We have been in the mission field for many years and knew for the past three years that we wanted to be doing something full time," said Dee Boreing. Members of New Covenant United Methodist Church in Douglasville, the Boreings have made five or six mission trips to Mexico. Family obligations put full-time work on hold, but when that situation changed, the Boreings were ready.

"We told God we were ready to go to Mexico for two years. Nothing came about," said Dee. "We changed our prayer to say, 'We'll go where you want us to go.'

"Less than 24 hours later, we got a call asking us to come to Pascagoula." The call came from the Rev. Nick Elliott, executive director of the United Methodist Volunteers in Mission for the Southeastern Jurisdiction. He asked the couple to go to the Gulf Coast for three months. They arrived in January and have agreed to stay through August.

"Knowing their deep faith, their knowledge and organizational skills and their commitment to Christian service, when we received the urgent request from the Mississippi volunteer office for coordination assistance, it was a 'no-brainer,'" said Joe Hamilton, associate director of the jurisdiction Volunteers in Mission. "The staff almost simultaneously said their name and placed a call.

"With their expressed commitment to volunteer service, their reply was effectively, 'Here am I, send me.'"

Hitting the road
When the Boreings accepted the call to Mississippi - Jack said he had already said yes before even knowing where Pascagoula was - they owned an embroidery business, home and land. Dee said two weeks after agreeing to come to Pascagoula, a neighbor called and asked about purchasing their home and land, and a deal was struck without even advertising. It wasn't easy; Dee had lived all her life in the house her grandfather had built.

A week later, Dee shared their plans to enter the mission field with a former employee and the business was sold to the employee's daughter.

"We gave away everything else," Dee said. "We paid off everything we owed, packed up and came to Mississippi."

The Boreings purchased a travel trailer and a new truck before hitting the road. The trailer sits behind First United Methodist Church and is the Boreings' home.

The couple says they do nothing without first praying for God's guidance. They also search the Bible for additional direction. At the urging of a friend, they created "Side By Side Ministries," which is based on Nehemiah 3, in which Nehemiah rebuilds the walls of Jerusalem in 52 days.

"The only way it could be done was if all the tribes worked side by side, the greatest priest and the have-nots worked side by side. That's the way we do everything, working side by side with the Lord," Jack said.

"It doesn't matter what denomination or what race someone is. This is the way God told me the Gulf Coast would be rebuilt," Dee said.

Long days
Long days and hard work are a way of life for the Boreings, who wake up early and usually don't get to bed until about 10:30 p.m. They coordinate and assign teams to work sites and then spend the day going from site to site ensuring the teams have the materials they need. They meet with homeowners seeking assistance and the needs for repairing homes. They eat most of their meals at Pascagoula First United Methodist Church with the work teams.

"It's basically a seven-day-a-week job," Jack said. "There's Scripture to cover that. If your neighbor has an ox in the ditch, you're going to stay there until he's out. I consider this an ox in the ditch."

Little direct training exists for hurricane recovery, but Jack said he found he had many of the necessary skills for jobs such as mucking out homes and spraying for mold. He spent 33 years as a mechanic for Delta Airlines, and that included hazardous materials training. He received damage control training in the Navy, and his grandfather was a fire chief in Georgia. Jack said he learned from him and working for the Civil Defense, which formerly carried disaster first-response duties.

"Dee and Jack bring outstanding leadership skills and a deep faith in Jesus Christ to their role as UMVIM volunteer coordinators," said Hamilton. "Their gracious gift is empathy and compassion for the survivors of disaster (and) that serves them extremely well in bringing hope to people who may well feel abandoned. They are people of their word; they do not make promises lightly, and the promises they do make are fulfilled."

Dee Boreing runs the "office," a couple of conference tables set up near the kitchen door of Pascagoula First's Family Life Center. Buzzing around town in her bright yellow Jeep, she also delivers materials to work crews, handles scheduling and lends a hand wherever needed. Each site averages about five teams and 70 workers per week. For all this work, the Boreings receive no pay. They are volunteers working out of their love of God.

"We weren't prepared for anything we've had to do, but God has provided," Dee said.

The Boreings don't get much time off. Jack laughs while saying they recently took four hours for themselves. They've taken weekends to visit children and grandchildren back in Douglasville, Ga., and the grandchildren have visited Pascagoula.

They plan to take off a couple of weeks in July - to join a mission trip to Mexico where they will help complete construction of a church.

While the work is hard, Jack said the rewards make it worthwhile. "My satisfaction comes when someone comes in so stressed they are losing hope, and we're able to sit down and talk to them and they see there is hope; something will get done," he said. "Our outreach to people is to let them know God loves them and is here."

No arguing with God
When the end of August arrives, where will they go? Jack and Dee say they're not sure. They express a desire to stay in Pascagoula until the work is done but don't know when that will be. Mexico is still a possibility. UMVIM has a two-year position open. Hamilton said people like the Boreings are vital to mission work.

"Without such volunteers, UMVIM would not exist. Each year, thousands of UMVIM volunteers, both short term and long term, are the glue that binds a community of hope together in service to Christ and his church," he said.

Wherever they go, the Boreings say it will be where God leads them.

"We never question what God wants us to do," Jack said. "I'm not about to argue with him. I've done that before, and I end up losing."

*Woodrick is editor of the Mississippi Advocate, the newspaper of the United Methodist Church's Mississippi Annual Conference.

Huge Increase of Mission Volunteers Celebrated and Evaluated

By Mary Beth Coudal

New York, NY, April 19, 2006—In the year 2005, more than 135,000 United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIMs) served in 70 countries and in 48 U.S. states, making it the busiest year ever for short-term mission volunteers.

Kathleen Enzminger, of Jamestown, ND, a director of the General Board of Global Ministries reported the explosive growth of mission volunteers at a semi-annual board meeting held in Stamford, Connecticut, in early April.

She said that the figure for individuals serving on teams was more than double that of 2004, when 68,204 volunteers served in 51 countries and 37 US states. Mrs. Enzminger chairs the committee of directors who oversee the mission volunteer office at Global Ministries.

The topic of mission volunteers figured prominently at the semi-annual meeting. In several forums, bishops, theologians, guests, staff, and volunteers celebrated and discussed the meaning for the church of the tremendous growth of volunteer, usually very short-term, mission trips.

The conversations focused on the excitement and transformative power of volunteer experience and also raised concern about the need for more traditional, professional mission service.

Issues were also raised about the need for deep theological reflection on the impact of such service on those who receive the volunteers as well as on those who travel.

Bishop Oystein Olsen, a director from Oslo, Norway, said, “I see people’s lives changed as a result of short-term mission trips.” Director Karl Baumgardner of Amarillo, Texas, cited the positive impact on his congregation after the church’s youths repaired housing in Lake Charles, Louisiana, during spring holidays.

The Rev. Dr. G. Solomon Gueh, a director from Liberia, acknowledged the strong impact volunteer service has on mission teams coming to his country. “For the first time, it’s an eye-opener. But in Liberia we have had to rebuild from a 14 year civil war. When the volunteers leave, we don’t have any more funds to complete the work.”

Dr. Dana Robert reported that 25 percent of her students at Boston University School of Theology have had a short-term mission experience. She also noted that most of them are middle-class Americans. She asked: “What does this mean when a kid can pay $3,000 for a trip but as a Church we cannot pay to support a local mission doctor in a clinic?”

Dr. M. Thomas Thangaraj, also on the panel on mission theology with Dr. Robert, pointed to an increased benefit from longer-term service. “When people lived, worked, and sang for a sustained amount of time in the community, not simply going, helping, and coming back, the Word became flesh and dwelled among us,” he said.

Volunteer service also figured prominently in a report of a seminary task force looking at how mission theology and history is taught in United Methodist theological schools.

“Local churches are enabled through frequent travel and internet communication to set up short-term mission trips for their own congregants,” said Dr. Maxie Dunnam, chair of the task force in giving the report. “Tremendous energy and activism for mission are bubbling up from the grassroots. Short-term mission trips have replaced camping and conferencing as the spiritual formation experiences of the middle class."

“The proliferation of congregation-based, short-term mission trips is a recent pattern common throughout American Protestantism … [T]here is an inherent danger of repeating mistakes of the past, and of losing commitment to the connectionalism and long-term relationships that are necessary to address larger issues of poverty, justice, and discipleship.”

Director Mary Gates of Minneapolis warned in a plenary discussion against service “just to feel good about ourselves.” Such an attitude, she said, can institutionalize a kind of “learned helplessness” among beneficiaries.

Director Nancy Eubanks of Brownsville, Tennessee, said that she felt that the value of volunteer service lies in the relationships established, often across cultural and national lines.

UMCOR/Tennessee Conference Aids Community Aid Agencies

With the aid of an UMCOR emergency grant and donations to the Tennessee Conference Disaster Response, Goodlettsville Help Center and Gallatin Cares have been provided intial grants to provide for unmet needs of those affected by April 7 storms. They will be important partners in aiding those who are uninsured and underinsured in these communities.

The Goodlettsville Help Center is directed by Judy Vecchione, a member of Connell Memorial UMC. Gallatin Cares is directed by Jane Ann Murray, a member of Rehoboth UMC.

UMCOR emergency grants are made possible by donations to One Great Hour of Sharing, one of the Special Sunday offerings across the church each year.

FEMA Declaration for 8 counties in Tennessee Conference

FEMA has approved 8 counties in the Tennessee Conference as eligible for federal disaster assistance: Cannon, Cheatham, Cumberland, Davidson, Dickson, Maury, Sumner, and Warren.

Persons affected by the April 7th storms have a very short period to apply for federal assistance, so it is important that everyone who suffered damage register ASAP. Affected households should register, even if they don't think they qualify or need the assistance because if you decide later you need help you cannot register after registration closes (no close date available).

Assistance may include temporary housing, repair, other personal needs, disaster loans, and special tax considerations. Persons can register at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or the TTY line for individuals who are speech and hearing impaired at 1-800-462-7585 or at http://www.fema.gov/assistance

Monetary Donations

If you wish to make/collect a donation to aid in disaster recovery, please send them through the local church to the Conference Treasurer with the note, "Tennessee Conference Disaster Response." Funds we receive from local churches and UMCOR are used to provide for immediate needs, as well as, aid in Long-Term Recovery. For example, in the last month this fund has provided 5 new beds to storm survivors in Hickman County, 52 tarps and 1,000 trashbags to Gallatin, emergency housing for a storm victim, and will be used to aid assitance requests local churches and our other Disaster Response partners recieve. This fund also helps keep our Disaster Response Truck on the road and helps us provide training in disaster response.

A Short Word on Response Roles

In response to disaster, each group has a role to play. Many times we will all participate, but some will take a larger role. Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) depends on this cooperation and division of labor. The Red Cross, Southern Baptists, and Church of Christ take the lead early in disasters in shelter and feeding ministries, with the Baptists also doing a lot of debris cleanup. The Adventists focus on collections, warehouses, and clothing. United Methodists focus on the Long-Term Recovery in supporting families through the long process of rebuilding.

As a side note, if you see a lot of Southern Baptists in new coverage and in early relief, remember in the state of Tennessee there are approximately 4 Southern Baptists for every United Methodist.

"Don't leave home without it!"--VIM Team Leader Training, next session scheduled is May 5-7, Lineville, AL

" Don't leave home without it!" Borrowing a phrase from the old AMEX commercial seems appropriate at this time of year as many teams are fully involved in the planning process for summer UMVIM teams. "Don't leave home without it..." training, that is.

Team leader training can make the vital difference between a successful mission and an experience better forgotten.

Prepared team leaders have the tools, insight and knowledge to successfully lead their groups in a mission experience that glorifies God through service done effectively, or to borrow a phrase from Paul, "...decently and in order."

Training is being offered on May 5-7 by UMVIM SEJ at the campus of SIFAT in Lineville, AL. Join us for a wonderful weekend of learning, sharing, fellowship and fun as we come together with other motivated mission servants to enhance our skills as team leaders. The weekend is useful for both new team leaders and those who have "been there...done that."

The cost is $140 (includes everything). More info and on-line registration (or a downloadable & printable form) is available on line at http://umvim.org/Training.htm .

UMCOR Directors Approve $52 Million for Hurricane Recovery

STAMFORD, Conn., April 4—United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is fielding a robust hurricane recovery program serving thousands of families in the Gulf Coast of the United States over the next three years.

The board of directors of the relief agency, meeting here, approved $52.3 million to support extended rehabilitation, direct assistance, family-by-family problem solving, and ministries to evacuees in a seven-state area devastated last year by multiple hurricanes. Funding also went to recovery efforts in South America.

UMCOR’s response is focusing on six regions (annual conferences) where the most destructive storms in US history wiped out some 300,000 houses and scattered more than a million people to all fifty states and Puerto Rico. Specifics in various conferences include:

Louisiana
With more than 1.4 million FEMA registrations within its borders, the Louisiana conference is building four sites primarily serving Katrina survivors: Metarie, Slidell, West Bank (Aurora), and New Orleans (First Street). Two other sites, in Abbeville and Lake Charles, are serving Rita survivors.
As in other conference recovery plans, the heart of Louisiana’s response is the family-by-family problem solving process known as case management. UMCOR has a national reputation for its expertise in this long-term recovery methodology that restores self sufficiency and, in the words of one survivor, “gives me my life back.” Louisiana’s three-year program will cost $18,238,798, with 44 percent earmarked for direct assistance.

Mississippi
A $10,531,333 three-year program in Mississippi incorporates a multifaceted approach of case management, supply distribution and rebuilding, centered in five recovery sites. Nearly half—48 percent—of the funding is identified for direct assistance to survivors. Hurricane Katrina flattened or flooded some 65,000 homes along Mississippi’s Gulf Coast.

Texas
The two-pronged recovery effort under way in Texas serves survivors of Hurricane Rita and evacuees of Hurricane Katrina. One, implemented by the Texas Annual Conference operating from five service centers, assists families uprooted by Rita. This three-year program is budgeted at $3,845,933, and includes about 42 percent in direct assistance.

A second program focuses on the thousands of displaced in the Houston area, evacuees from Louisiana and Mississippi. Receiving $4,084,186 for a three-year effort is Grace Ministries, a partner of the Texas Annual Conference founded by a former case manager who trained under UMCOR during tropical storm Allison recovery. Ruama Camp established the nonprofit humanitarian operation to strengthen the disaster preparedness and response capability of African American churches in the Houston area. Working across denominational boundaries, Ms. Camp is providing case management for vulnerable families as well as a learning lab with literacy specialist, computer skills, job readiness, and entrée for volunteers to prepare for and respond to disasters.

Alabama-West Florida
Well seasoned from recent recovery efforts following Hurricane Ivan in 2004, the Alabama-West Florida conference is directing its recovery operations from the town of Bayou LaBatre, where waters from the Gulf swept more than five miles inland, burning trees and foliage and washing debris into the woods from an island eight miles out to sea. The Alabama West Florida allocation of $1,837,436 covers a two-year recovery effort. Some 54% is set aside for direct aid.

Florida
Broward, Dade and Monroe counties in Florida are the focus of a two-year recovery effort following Hurricane Wilma. These counties are also continuing their long-term recovery from hurricanes in 2004. The board approved $1,584,468. The conference will use 63% for direct assistance and also support case management. The storm recovery center continues to register and assign volunteer teams to rebuilding efforts across the region.

North Carolina
Hurricane Ophelia thrashed 37 counties in North Carolina on Sept. 13, 2005, destroying many uninsured homes. The board approved a grant of $102,900 for direct assistance and case management.

Grass Roots Grants
A $500,000 grant to the Missouri Annual conference approved by the board is supporting conference ministries to evacuees. The state received more than 16,000 people from the Gulf area. Nearly all the grant—86 %—is designated for direct assistance, distributed through the conference affiliation with several long-term recovery unmet needs roundtables in its region.

The Missouri grant is one of several anticipated as UMCOR works to strengthen capacity of small organizations that fill niche specialties in long-term recovery work. The board approved another $1.8 million for additional grass roots grants. Katrina Aid Today, the federally funded program led by UMCOR, will also award private grants through a proposal process that is expected to attract dozens of bidders. Board directors earmarked an additional $5 million for these grants and named a director to the RFP review panel that will award the grants.

International Response
Long-term recovery efforts in Central America and the Caribbean amounting to $1.5 million were approved by the board. UMCOR is responding in Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua working with ecumenical coalitions and local partners. Shelter, restoration of crops, fresh water and psycho-social support are among the efforts under way.

Other Grants
Additional grants totaling $2,750,000 are supporting four other programs:

+housing for volunteer teams;
+funding to bring national mission institution properties back into full operation so they can continue to serve those in the disaster zone;
+upgrades to UMCOR disaster response capacity such as more robust, accessible and secure information tracking;
+cultural competency training.

A key issue of the Katrina disaster is its revelation of race and class discrimination in local communities and state and government planning and practices. Cultural competency training is assisting case managers to serve vulnerable populations—many of whom live below the poverty line—more effectively.

Record Giving from United Methodists
United Methodists responded with record giving to appeals for donations following the widely televised devastation of Hurricane Katrina and subsequent storms that set their own records for scope of destruction. More than 247,000 gifts poured in from all over the world—compared with the annual average of 100,000. As of Feb. 28 cash gifts totaled $63,774,914. About 70 percent came from annual conferences. Another $7.6 million of relief and emergency supplies shipped from UMCOR’s supply depot to conferences in the Gulf region. Total giving to all charities doing hurricane relief and recovery topped the $3 billion mark.

United Methodist churches picking up pieces, providing shelter

Apr. 4, 2006
By Kathy L. Gilbert

Deadly storms swept through eight states leaving behind grieving families, destroyed churches, homes and businesses.

The death toll has increased to 28, including one member of Christ United Methodist Church, Dyersburg Tenn., and one member of Bradford (Tenn.) United Methodist Church after tornadoes criss-crossed the Midwest April 2.

Estelle Hickman, a member of Christ United Methodist Church, Dyersburg, Tenn., and her son Travis died when the evening storm tore through their home leaving behind only a concrete slab.


The Rev. Walt Asher sits in the rubble of Christ United Methodist Church, Dyersburg, Tenn., after a tornado swept through the state April 2. A UMNS photo by Cathy Farmer.


The Rev. Walt W. Asher said Hickman, who was in her 80s, was a faithful, active member of Christ church.

"Whenever the church doors were open she was here," he said. Christ United Methodist, part of a three-parish charge in Millsfield, has four rooms left standing, said the Rev. Mickey Carpenter, Dyersburg district superintendent.

"The sanctuary is completely gone," he said. "The volunteer fire department was destroyed and a mile-long swath of forest and trees were left knee high."

Patsy Lewis, a member of Bradford United Methodist Church died in the storm. A young family of four connected to the church also were killed.

United Methodist buildings known to be destroyed or heavily damaged in Tennessee include Christ United Methodist Church in Millsfield, Bradford United Methodist Church, Griffins Chapel church and parsonage in Rutherford.

In Rutherford, Tenn., the Rev. Garret A. Sweeney along with his wife Lavonna and their son Aaron, survived the storm in a closet. Sweeney is pastor of the Rutherford-Salem-Antioch Charge.



The Rev. Garret A. Sweeney and his family took refuge in the closet of their parsonage when a tornado ripped through the area April 2. A UMNS photo by Joe Moseley.



"Brother Sweeney told us the storm come over so full of dust and dirt that their mouths were filled with dirt," said Arland Holt, chairman of the Salem United Methodist Church council. The twister picked up the house and moved it 10 feet off its foundation. All that was left standing was the small closet and the wall to the bathroom.

As many as 15 people died in the Millsfield and Newbern areas, Carpenter said. The latest death toll for Tennessee is 24.

First United Methodist Church, a certified Red Cross response center, has been open to the Dyersburg community since April 2, said the Rev. Phillip Cook, pastor. State officials including Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, were touring the state April 4, bringing emergency supplies to the church.

"There are a lot of hurt people here," Cook said. "They set up a computer in the parking lot of the Dyersburg Hospital Sunday night to meet the people as they came in."

"We're in a tornado alley here. We get tornadoes in the spring and the summer, but this one was amazing," Bredesen told CBS's "The Early Show" as he prepared to tour the destruction.

Griffins Chapel United Methodist Church, Bradford, Tenn., was heavily damaged and "the parsonage has two trees in it," Bellew said.

Tennessee suffered the brunt of the storms, but heavy damage has also been reported in Arkansas, Kentucky and Missouri. The National Weather Service also reported Iowa, Illinois, Ohio and Indiana were hit when thunderstorms packing tornadoes and hail as big as softballs ripped through the Midwest.

"There is a lot of damage in a lot of places," said the Rev. Tom Hazelwood, disaster response executive for the United Methodist Committee on Relief. He said an emergency grant has already been sent to the Memphis Annual Conference. Hazelwood said Kentucky and Arkansas will most likely receive grants from UMCOR.

Flood buckets will be needed to send to all the affected areas, Hazelwood said.

In Arkansas, members of Marmaduke United Methodist Church, held hands and prayed as the storm swept through their community, destroying about 70 percent of the town. First United Methodist Church, Paragould, Ark., is serving as a shelter for about 700 evacuees from Marmaduke, Hazelwood reported. The church is collecting relief supplies.

Power lines are down in many areas of Kentucky making it difficult to assess the extent of damage there, Hazelwood said.

In Missouri, Susan Jespersen, administrative assistant in the southeast district, said Caruthersville received extensive damage to homes and property.

The Rev. Dwight Chapman reported that there were injuries but no known deaths. Most of the area is without utilities and roads are closed. He is pastor of Eastwood Memorial United Methodist Church in Caruthersville and Cottonwood Point United Methodist Church in Seneath.
"There was no major damage at the church or parsonage, but several members of the Caruthersville church have lost their homes," he said.

Other areas of Missouri reporting damage from the storm include Hayti, Deering, Kennett, Caruth and Charleston.

The roof of the 58-member Flat Rock (Ind.) United Methodist Church was blown off by high winds that crossed Indiana March 31. Flat Rock is a small rural town 40 miles southeast of Indianapolis.

According to the Rev. Ida Easley, Rushville district superintendent, the roof damaged the parsonage next door to the church, pushing in six inches on one side of the house. Members removed pews and other furniture on April 1 and damages are being assessed. No one was injured.

In summing up the damage, Bellew said, "It has been bad, but the Lord has been with us."

*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn. Cathy Farmer, director of communications for the Memphis Annual (regional) Conference; Jane Dennis, editor of the Arkansas United Methodist newspaper, a publication in the Arkansas Annual Conference; Fred Koenig, publications editor for the Missouri Conference Review; and the Rev. Daniel Gangler, communications director for the Indiana Area contributed to this report.

Prayers answered as storm passes by Arkansas church

By Jane Dennis

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.--Members of Marmaduke (Ark.) United Methodist Church held hands and prayed in the church basement during evening worship on April 2 as a powerful storm swept through the community, wrecking homes, businesses and property.

Prayers were answered and the congregation remained safe. In the town of 1,100, an estimated 45 people were injured, but there were no deaths. The tornado demolished the city's school, a residential neighborhood and a railroad car factory.

"It was about 6:15 and we had just started our Sunday night worship service," said the Rev. Dan Walker, pastor of the 150-member church. "I don't know why - I guess the Lord gave me some sense -but while everyone was singing I went outside and looked and something told me to get everyone in the basement."

After about five minutes in the basement, Walker thought perhaps he had made a mistake. "We didn't hear anything, and I thought there's nothing to this. So I went outside and the tornado was about a block away. It was huge - a big black cloud, two or three football fields wide. I could see debris swirling around and white looking dust. It was so big and massive that I was just floored."

Seconds after he retreated and closed the basement door, "it hit," Walker said. The congregation was holding hands and praying as the storm passed over. An eerie calm and a burst of sunshine followed. The storm produced no rain, only strong winds and, in some places, golf ball-sized hail.
"We looked out the door and saw that it got about 60 percent of our town," Walker recounted. "It's bad, real bad."

The church and parsonage suffered "about $4,000 (to) $5,000 in damage," mainly roof shingles ripped away and blown out windows, Walker said.

The hardest hit area in the town is about two blocks away from the church. "You look down Highway 49 at what I've always thought was a real pretty little town and it's barren, dead. The trees are stripped bare. Streets are blocked with debris … It's a mess. I would estimate that we've probably lost 60-70 percent of our housing."

The morning after the storm, with no phone service available, Walker rode his four-wheeler on the few passable streets, trying to check on elderly members of his church.

"We've got many elderly people in our church, and I know some of their homes were destroyed," the pastor said. "I don't know what's going to happen to them. I'm worried about them."

City, county and state emergency response teams, along with the National Guard, arrived almost immediately. Once initial assessments are finished, Walker said he expects members of his congregation will need housing, food, water, blankets and other basic necessities.

"We've already had lots of calls from churches throughout the state wanting to help," Walker said.

The Sunday thunderstorm spawned tornadoes that damaged or destroyed homes in the Shannon community in Randolph County, north of Searcy in White County and south of Wynne in Cross County.

According to the Rev. Tom Hazelwood, disaster response executive for the United Methodist Committee on Relief, 600 to 700 people took refuge at First United Methodist Church in nearby Paragould, Ark. The church is collecting relief supplies to assist in recovery response.

Youth ministry activities and the sixth-grade confirmation class were gathered at Searcy's First United Methodist Church when sirens sounded the storm's approach.

"Everyone was moved to safe areas - inside halls with concrete walls and no windows - until we got the all-clear signal and went on with activities," said the Rev. Mike Morey. "It was about a 40-minute interlude for us."

*Dennis is editor of the Arkansas United Methodist newspaper, a publication in the Arkansas Annual Conference.