Mountain T.O.P. Seeks Volunteers for 2009

ALTAMONT, Tenn. -- Mountain T.O.P. (Tennessee Outreach Project) is now accepting applications for its SpringBREAKOUTreach, Youth Summer Ministry (YSM) and Adults In Ministry (AIM) programs for 2009.

AIM will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2009.

The programs allow volunteers to make a difference in the lives of families from the Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee, either through home repair or youth programming.

Mountain T.O.P.'s 2009 camp season will begin with SpringBREAKOUTreach, which offers college-age students or church youth groups (or any other group of willing volunteers) the opportunity to spend their spring break in ministry. This flexible program includes two days of work for Cumberland Mountain families and two days of work on Mountain T.O.P. camp facilities. The program is less structured than Mountain T.O.P.'s youth and adult ministries, and can even include optional activities like caving, hiking or the low ropes challenge course located at Mountain T.O.P.'s base camp.

Steve Frankenfeld first attended SpringBREAKOUTreach while a freshman at Messiah College.

"I believe that the staff at Mountain T.O.P. did a great job of facilitating that and helping us have an enjoyable experience," said Frankenfeld. "In four days of work, we put a tin roof on a building that was approximately 25 feet by 40 feet, we got about halfway done a smaller tin roof, we framed up a wall, finished some more tin roofing, put in our windows, hung one small room of drywall, puttied and sanded that room.”

"We basically kicked butt."

Frankenfeld had such a positive experience that he later returned to Mountain T.O.P. as a summer staff member.

"I also am planning on leading a trip from Messiah to Mountain T.O.P. this coming spring," he said. "Hopefully, I can help others have the same incredible experience that I did."

SpringBREAKOUTreach camps will be offered between Feb. 15 and April 18.

During the summer of 2009, the Youth Summer Ministry and Adults In Ministry programs will take place.

In the Youth Summer Ministry (YSM) program, volunteers, in small work teams, participate in minor home repair projects for mountain families in need or conduct day camp activities for children from isolated mountain communities. In the evenings, they gather for worship and to share the good news about what took place at their individual work sites during the day.

Bryan Bliss is the youth director at Grace United Methodist Church in Jackson, Tenn. He brought youth from his church to Mountain T.O.P. for the first time in 2008.

“As youth leader, I’ve been on a number of mission trips,” he said. “As a first-timer at Mountain T.O.P., I was thrilled to see God in the staff, feel His presence in the worship, and to serve as the hands and feet of his Son during our week. Like I said, I’ve been on lots of mission trips, but Mountain T.O.P. gave me and my youth group something more – an experience where God came close.”

The AIM program places adults on major home repair work teams, or as volunteers in one of two children's programs: Kaleidoscope, an arts camp for special needs children, and Summer Plus, an enrichment camp for teenagers from the mountains. Volunteers of both genders and all skill levels, from novice to expert, are needed in each of the three programs. Anyone and everyone is welcome.

Julie Reeves of City Road Chapel United Methodist in Madison, Tenn., participated in a fall AIM weekend in 2008.

"My experience at AIM was unbelievable," she wrote in her church newsletter. "I had never been on a mission trip before; never been to Mountain T.O.P. before; never used a power saw before. Honestly, I was a little scared to go. I had always made excuses in the past why I couldn't go, but after hearing so many people say how wonderful it was, I had to try. And I am glad I did.

"I saw God [that] weekend. He was in the eyes of a 3-year-old girl, who, 10 seconds after meeting me, jumped into my arms and hugged me. He was in the smile of an 8-year-old girl, who grinned for two whole days and told me she loved me, a complete stranger."

Two week-long AIM events will be held in 2009: June 21-27 (home repair and Summer Plus) and July 5-11 (home repair and Kaleidoscope). Weekend AIM home repair events will also be held during the fall.

Mountain T.O.P., established in 1975, is an interdenominational ministry affiliated with the Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church. Volunteers in 2008 came from 100 different churches and 11 different denominations; the United Methodist volunteers alone represented 25 different Annual Conferences.

More information about the SpringBREAKoutreach, YSM and AIM programs, as well as applications for 2009 camp events, can be found on the Mountain T.O.P. web site, www.mountain-top.org, by e-mailing info@mountain-top.org or by calling (931) 692-3999.

Advent devotions program with a mission emphasis

Finding Christ in Christmas turns our hearts to those in need

Finding Christ in the chaos of Christmas can be daunting. The Society of St. Andrew (Advance #801600) offers an Advent devotional program that will help you navigate the secular maze that envelops this holy holiday so that you and your family can find and put Christ in the center of the season.

Through the scriptures, daily devotions and prayers presented in the Society of St. Andrew’s (SoSA) Advent booklet, readers discover new ways to bring Christ to the center of their lives as well as reflect on and share in the work and mission of the baby in the manger, who is Emmanuel … “God with us.”

From the differing perspectives of contributing clergy and laity, this year’s theme, “Finding CHRISTmas,” focuses on ways to nourish your spirit. The program also provides an opportunity to feed your hungry neighbors, as directed by Jesus, himself. As Christians, we know that God gives us His best and calls us to give our best to Him … “just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40.

The Society of St. Andrew is a national nonprofit hunger-relief ministry that saves 20-30 million pounds of fresh, nutritious, excess produce each year that will go to waste for various marketing reasons. This food is then distributed to critical service agencies across the country at no cost to the agencies or the hungry people they serve.

During the season of Advent, SoSA asks participants to prayerfully reflect on the scriptures and devotions and then join in their ministry of feeding America’s hungry by making a financial donation. Last year donations made through SoSA’s Advent devotional program provided more than 1.2 million servings of food to the hungry. This year the need is even greater because the economic difficulties we all face affect those who have the least far worse, hurting their families at the most basic level – food for nourishment and life itself.

This year, as you celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, use “Finding CHRISTmas” to nourish your spirit during Advent as you feed your hungry neighbors in response to God’s command, “You give them something to eat.”

All materials for this Advent devotional program are free from the Society of St. Andrew. For a church sample kit or a personal packet, order online: www.endhunger.org/advent.htm; by phone: 800-333-4597; or by email: church@endhunger.org.

More information about the Society of St. Andrew and its hunger-relief programs – Gleaning Network, Potato & Produce Project, Harvest of Hope and Hunger Relief Advocate Initiative – is available online at http://www.endhunger.org/ or by email at sosausa@endhunger.org.

Fairly traded chocolate is sweet treat for Halloween

By United Methodist News Service*
Fair Trade Certified mini chocolate bars can be ordered for Halloween through the Equal Exchange Interfaith Store. UMNS photos courtesy of Equal Exchange.

Fairly traded chocolate is all treat and no trick for United Methodists wanting to put their faith into action this Halloween.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief and the United Methodist Board of Church and Society are partnering with Equal Exchange, a Massachusetts-based cooperative based on fair trade practices, to raise awareness about the topic this Oct. 31.

Fairly traded products provide small-scale farmers a fair living wage and an opportunity to break out of the cycle of poverty.

The three organizations have created a Halloween resource to increase awareness about the Equal Exchange Interfaith Program, UMCOR Coffee Project and the need to advocate with "wallets and voices" for better working conditions and prices for cocoa farmers throughout the world.

This Halloween, with orders of fairly traded mini chocolates and trick-or-treat bags from the Equal Exchange Interfaith Store, customers receive 300 postcards with educational information about cocoa and ways to make an impact on the chocolate industry. Orders should be placed by Oct. 17 to guarantee delivery by Halloween.

"Chocolate should be a source of joy for all children, including those where chocolate's main ingredient, cocoa, is grown," the postcard reads. "Yet, it isn't."

Calling chocolate "a tricky treat," the cards note that the United States imports 50 percent of its cocoa from the Ivory Coast in West Africa, where thousands of children as young as age 5 have been trafficked into slavery to work on cocoa farms.

Reuseable trick-or-treat bags with a message are available for $3 each.

"Most children of the world's 2 million cocoa farmers are trapped in poverty. Regrettably, the corporations who control the chocolate market are doing little about this," the card says.

The resource outlines easy steps to encourage change, including buying chocolate or cocoa with the Fair Trade Certified seal, asking stores to carry Fair Trade Certified products, encouraging churches to join the Equal Exchange Interfaith Program and introducing fairly traded chocolate to local schools.

Susan Burton, director of the United Methodist seminar program at the Board of Church and Society, became interested in the alternatives while trick-or-treating last year with her 3-year-old. While sorting through her daughter's candy, Burton found a postcard encouraging the purchase of Fair Trade Certified chocolate.

“I realized that was another way that I could put my faith into action, and I wanted to make this opportunity available to United Methodists," she said.

Fair Trade Certified cocoa is monitored—from the farmers to the store shelf—by independent nonprofit certifying organizations. FLO International and TransFair USA guarantee that no child labor or forced labor was used in the production of cocoa. They also make sure the cocoa was bought directly from a democratically controlled cooperative of small-scale farmers and that the farmers are paid enough money to support their families with food, education and other essentials.

Organizers say the partnership offers United Methodists an opportunity to address systems that contribute to global poverty. Ministry with the poor has been identified as one of the denomination's four areas of ministry focus.

People can support cocoa farmers, their families and children by purchasing fairly traded chocolate through UMCOR’s 100-Ton Challenge. The 12-month campaign began in May and encourages United Methodists to support purchase of fairly traded products from Equal Exchange through the UMCOR Coffee Project.

Michelle Brooks, director of digital communications for the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, provided information for this report.

It's been a while . . .

by Abraham "Abe" McIntyre

KP, Andre, myself, and the whole Patmos group (28 strong) left Inagua last Friday, October 3rd after another very hard and very hot week of serving the families of Inagua. We left Emily Bagwell, our long term volunteer, in charge and there to keep things rolling with our other volunteers.

Our BMH staff flew back to Nassau for the Bahamas Conference of the Methodist Church’s new church year celebration (our parent ministry of which we are one of five outreach ministries of). We were blessed with a Friday night and a Saturday morning seminar on Servant Leadership, a Saturday night grand celebration of our outgoing BCMC conference executives and a beautiful consecration and installation service of our new conference staff. During the new President’s, Rev. Bill Higgs, inaugural address, he recognized and thanked BMH publically for all the work that we have been able to accomplish and the lives we have changed…I now pass his thanks and remarks on to you for the parts that each of you have played in BMH’s history and most recently in the response to Hurricane Ike.

I ended up being in Nassau all week because of meetings, flight schedules, broken avionics on the Royal Bahamas Defense Force plane and a leadership class I have begun but here is the week in review.

Chet Lowe, Thomas Cartwright and the Patmos crew rebuilding Mr. Cartwright's home.

Sunday: The Men of Faith crew from Eleuthera and Ormond Beach, FL finished re-shingling the Methodist Church roof. I am told it looks outstanding. Angel Flights dropped off volunteers Josh Shapiro and Herman Small.

Monday: Men of Faith team left and Freddie Ferguson arrived from James’ Cistern (JC), EL. He is the Congregational Board Chairperson at the BMH home church, JC Wesley Methodist Church. Emily, Bryan, Josh and Herman begin work on the oldest person’s home in Inagua, Mrs. Inez Faulquerson. She was in her home for the storm but has been in Freeport since, and is now making her plans to come back home because after three days of hot work on her roof, it is now safe to come home. Her son George, who had been helping, said that if his daddy, “walked down the hill from his grave he wouldn’t even recognize the street because of the damage” but his momma will be, “ecstatic when she arrives home to see her roof looking so good”.

Work begins by Men of Faith at the Methodist Church.

We had a meeting Monday with Commander Stephen Russell to thank him for all his good work at directing NEMA and we gave him some suggestions so that BMH can partner with them more effectively in the future. It was a very positive meeting.

Tuesday: Work continued on Mrs. Faulquerson’s home, which by the way is 94 years young.

Wednesday: KP and Andre returned to Inagua from Nassau and immediately began working on Gloria Scavellia’s home that, until they arrived, still had not been touched even though almost half her roof had been blown off.

Thursday: The Patmos group began Thomas Cartwright’s roof last week, Men of Faith felted it last Thursday, and BMH finished it off today at sunset! True teamwork!

Friday: Freddie headed back to EL and work continued on all homes. I was scheduled to fly down to Inagua on the Defense Force plane and was all loaded up and ready to go shoot a TV segment but the avionics didn’t want to work so the trip was postponed; as was my delivery of 45 lbs. of fresh fruit and vegetables, a case of Vita Malt and barrel of KFC. But God worked a miracle and I was able to get them shipped down on Bahamas Air, and it all arrived! A true miracle…well they still haven’t seen the KFC but 2 out of 3 ain’t bad.

Saturday: Walter Penn’s home was finalized by KP and Andre as well as they lent a helping hand at Matthew Town’s CBC, Chris Pinder’s home. Josh and Herman got their tour of the island complete with flamingos and lots of shells. Josh celebrated his birthday by blowing out a lit match in a homemade piece of bread. Happy Birthday Josh!

Sunday: Andre is on call to preach tomorrow, Bill Shivers, Angel Flights Coordinator and Bahamas Habitat Board Member will be flying Josh and Herman out and delivering two more Georgia peaches Traci and Barbara, and rest will be had by all to get ready for our last week in Inagua.

Our Last Week and Future Plans:
This is it, one more week in Matthew Town, Inagua. We will be flying out next Friday, October 17th to move back to Eleuthera. We will then host a volunteer group from Macedonia UMC, Cary, NC at Camp Symonette and get ready for our next Hurricane Relief mission to Grand Turk.

If you would like to join us in Turks and Caicos it is not too late. Our tentative plan is to fly down on Sunday, November 2nd and begin work Monday. We do not have an established time frame yet, we are waiting to hear back from their government, but we are hoping for at least three weeks of volunteers and possibly more.

Please let us know asap if you or your crew are willing to come serve with us.

Thank you all for your continued support and encouragement! The blessings continue to flow!

Peace and Love.
Abe

To donate to the Bahamas Methodist Habitat and its relief work click on the following address:

http://www.bahamashabitat.org/wordpress/?page_id=81

Local church kids find no mission impossible

Members of Mission Possible Kids at Custer Road United Methodist Church in Plano, Texas, collect items for flood buckets. From left are Courtney Slay, 10; Zoe Pitts, 7; and Taylor Myers, 7. UMNS photos by John Gordon.

By John Gordon*

Oct. 8, 2008

PLANO, Texas (UMNS)

They’re kids on a mission, packing flood buckets for victims of recent hurricanes and making blankets for wounded soldiers.

“It’s really fun because you get to help people,” says Zoe Pitts, 7.

Mission Possible Kids are proving children can make a difference, addressing problems in their own neighborhoods and around the world. The program started at Christ United Methodist Church in the Dallas suburb of Plano and now includes chapters in 17 states.

“There are so many different spy things and movies, and the kids just all love to pretend that they’re spies. The concept with this is they get to be special agents doing God’s work,” explains Kathy Meadows, founder and executive director of Mission Possible Kids.

“God has missions that he wants these kids to go on to help other people,” she says. “So we give them those missions to go on.”

Meadows, a member of Christ United Methodist Church, started the program in 2003 as a hands-on experience for kids—and was surprised when 160 showed up for the first meeting.
“We knew, immediately, we had struck a nerve, for something that parents and kids alike were looking for,” she says.

Kathy Meadows, a member of Christ United Methodist Church in Dallas, started the mission program in 2003.

Meadows started a nonprofit organization to help other churches and organizations set up Mission Possible Kids programs.

Reaching Antarctica
Some missions are close to home, such as collecting donations for local food banks, volunteering at hospitals and making blankets for animal shelters.

Other projects span the globe, such as making “bandana buddy” toys for orphans in Guatemala and collecting eyeglasses for children in Cameroon.

Scientists at a remote base in Antarctica, accessible by air only once a year, are among the estimated 120,000 people touched so far by Mission Possible Kids’ projects.

“We worked out a way, during that one time a year, to fly in a jar of warm wishes to them,” says Meadows. “The kids packed this jar with tons of warm wishes. They could pull out one every day of the year and know the kids were thinking about them.”

Kids feel different
As more chapters are launched, Meadows expects her “secret agents” will reach a milestone of helping 500,000 people by the middle of 2009. The program is aimed at kids in kindergarten through the sixth grade, though older children also participate as mentors.

“It makes me feel like I’m being a good person,” says Alex Paul, 9, a member of Custer Road United Methodist Church in Plano. “No matter what age we are, we can still contribute.”
His mother, Lynn Paul, notices a difference.

Children launch balloons to kick off a new year of mission projects.

“It’s just been a real surprise to me about how much Alexander loves to come and be part of this, and he thinks a lot more about others,” she says. “It starts the conversations at home about the other people in the world who need things.”

Brayden Bishop, 11, enjoys helping others and spending time with his friends working on Mission Possible Kids’ projects.

“We raised money for people in Mexico to build homes,” he says. “Not only do we get to help people all the time, but we get to help people while doing it with our friends. And it just makes it that much more special.”

Every church needs one
The young agents do “some amazing things,” says the Rev. Don Underwood, pastor at Christ United Methodist.

“They’re really learning a philosophy of life that will sustain them through the years,” he says. “As far as I’m concerned, every (United) Methodist church in the country would be stronger if they had a Mission Possible Kids chapter.”

Meadows sees no limits to the work of Mission Possible Kids. She hopes to continue expanding the program in the United States and organize chapters in other countries.

“There’s just many different ways that these kids learn and open their eyes to the needs of the world,” she says. “They’re changing themselves, they’re changing their families—and we fully believe that these kids are going to change the world in the process.”

*Gordon is a freelance producer and writer based in Marshall, Texas

Lack of donations poses problem for Hurricane Ike recovery

Janie Montellano cleans out storm-driven mud and debris from the home of a neighbor in Surfside Beach, Texas, following Hurricane Ike. UMNS photos by Mike DuBose

By Kathy L. Gilbert*

HOUSTON (UMNS) - Hurricane Ike's arrival was bad timing.

Even though the Sept. 13 storm left behind miles of demolished homes, businesses and churches along the Texas Gulf Coast, the Wall Street debacle and presidential debates stole its thunder in the national spotlight.

Hurricane Ike damaged more than 200 United Methodist structures in the Texas Annual Conference, making it the biggest disaster the conference has faced to date.

"For communities recovering from Hurricane Rita just three years ago, Ike's blow threatens to overwhelm their sense of confidence in the future," said Bishop Janice Riggle Huie. "In addition, the economic uncertainty in our nation and world is eliciting anxiety in almost everyone."

Media attention quickly turned away, added the Rev. Tom Hazelwood, United Methodist Committee on Relief's domestic relief director. "Media coverage is important. It keeps the disaster in front of the public.

"All my colleagues in the Red Cross, United Way, Southern Baptists-everyone is hurting (from lack of donations)," he said.

"It is still too early to have a good number, but I fully expect our donations will be down," Huie said. "Folk outside of Houston/Galveston/Beaumont are wondering, 'What hurricane?' I'm preparing for the worst, working for the best and hoping for at least somewhere in between."

United Methodists are no different from the rest of the nation, according to Hazelwood.

Everyone is suffering from the bad economic news. "However, our normal supporters of UMCOR will still be there, but the amount they are able to send may change," he explained.

Hazelwood doesn't believe in "donor fatigue. People still believe in the mission of UMCOR, and that is encouraging."

Appeal for help
In a Sept. 29 e-mail letter appealing for help, Huie is asking pastors across the United Methodist Church to take a special offering for Hurricane Ike recovery on Oct. 5. She made a similar appeal a week earlier.

"We need your generous financial support to deal with catastrophic expenses in communities and congregations," she said.

"We have learned a great deal in the last three years," she said in the letter. "For example, we have learned that volunteer hours double every dollar given to recovery. We know that the early response of The United Methodist Church invites other groups to engage with us and stay committed to long-term recovery. Whatever you give in time and money is multiplied many times over."

Hazelwood said the conference and churches are working on DVDs and other ways to get the message of Ike's destruction before congregations.

The Rev. Cynthia Harvey, director of missional excellence for the Texas Conference, said 83 teams have registered online to work on recovery efforts. More than 60 churches from the conference have engaged in relief efforts such as serving as Red Cross shelters, putting together flood buckets and hosting and sending work teams.

"Truckloads of water, food and other supplies have appeared on our doorstep, thanks to the extravagant generosity of United Methodists across the country," Harvey said. "Many teams are now registering to be in the area over spring break, and we are working on a spring break package."

How to give
Huie wrote, "To another church facing suffering, hardship and even persecution, the Apostle Paul wrote, 'Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints. Extend hospitality to strangers.' (Romans 12:12-13)

"I am confident that your joy, patience, prayer, hospitality and generosity in response to this disaster will change lives and re-shape futures for Jesus Christ."

To aid in Hurricane Ike disaster relief in Texas and Louisiana, give online (http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/umcor/donate.cfm?code=3019695&id=3019695), drop checks in United Methodist church offering plates or send them to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087, with "Advance No. 3019695, Hurricanes 2008" on the memo line.

*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

Pastor stayed behind in hurricane to minister to flock

The Rev. Marty Boddie, pastor of St. Matthews United Methodist Church in High Island, Texas, says he felt called to remain behind with area residents who chose not to evacuate during Hurricane Ike. A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose

By Kathy L. Gilbert*

HIGH ISLAND, Texas (UMNS) - The hurricane winds howled constantly, like "a woman screaming bloody murder," and the waters rose all around them, but the Rev. Marty Boddie, with his wife Nicole, felt at peace inside St. Matthews United Methodist Church.

As Hurricane Ike approached, officials warned residents that if they decided to ride out the storm in this small coastal town, they should write their Social Security numbers on their arms so their bodies could be identified later.

Boddie knew many in his congregation and many in his community would not leave. He felt called to stay with them. "It gave me a great opportunity to minister to strangers and they also minister to us," he said. "I knew there would be a need for pastoral help after the storm."

Hurricane Ike barreled into the Texas Gulf Coast around 2:30 a.m. on Sept. 13. Water started rising in High Island the day before, on Friday morning, and by early afternoon it was already over five feet. "By Friday, all you could see was miles of water," Boddie said.

The Boddies went door to door in the community, checking on people before and after the storm. In the town of 500, more than 100 choose to stay on the island.

"High Island has never flooded before," he explained. "We are 20 to 30 feet above sea level, so many people felt safe."

Trapped at home
On his rounds through town on Friday, Boddie found an elderly couple trapped in their home. The woman lived in an assisted living facility in Winnie, a town 18 miles inland from High Island. When Winnie was evacuated, her husband brought her home to the island.

"They wouldn't have survived," he said. The couple was airlifted from the church's parking lot by a U.S. Army helicopter after Boddie called for help. Another 60 people were also rescued from the parking lot that day.

"One of the town constables was trying to rescue people in his dump truck," Boddie said. "The wind and water knocked the truck on its side and all the people were dumped into the raging water. They were scared and soaking wet."

For three days after the storm, the island was completely cut off. Game wardens, the National Guard and members of the Rita Recovery Team for the United Methodist Texas Annual Conference were the first to bring in water and MREs-ready-to-eat meals. "I called Angela Baker (director of Rita Recovery) and they had supplies out to us right away," he said. The Federal Emergency Management Agency did not respond for six days, he added.

Mrs. Boddie provided a taxi service for rescue workers, transporting them back and forth from the church in the back of her truck for meals. The Red Cross and Salvation Army still bring hot meals to the church every day.

"Our families begged us to evacuate," she said.

Hard-hit district
The Rev. Richard Burnham, superintendent of the southeast district of the Texas Conference, visited with the Boddies as part of a tour through portions of his district hit hardest by the hurricane.

Bay Vue United Methodist Church and the parsonage a few miles down the coast in Crystal Beach are destroyed. Canoes and surfboards from a business down the road are lodged in two of the church's front windows.

Boddie salvages family china at the church parsonage home of the Rev. Jeff and Sandy Craft at Bay Vue United Methodist Church in nearby Crystal Beach.

"This is the third parsonage I have seen where the pastors have lost everything," Burnham said, as he carefully picked up some china from the toxic black mud to bring to the couple. "I am numb and so very, very sad."

Thirty percent of the houses around Orange, Texas, were flooded, including about two-thirds of the homes of United Methodist congregation members. In Bridge City, 95 percent of homes were flooded.

During a worship service in Bridge City after the hurricane, Burnham asked the congregation of 150 how many had flooded homes. "Only two had homes that didn't flood," he recalled.

Waiting in his white pickup truck outside the historic African-American St. Paul United Methodist Church, trustee Modesto "Butch" White was happy to report to Burnham that the 138-year-old church survived intact.

"My grandmother helped build this church," he said. The roof is missing a few shingles and a couple of the stained glass windows were broken.

Smiling, White said, "My life is saved, my house is saved, I'm fine."

To aid in Hurricane Ike disaster relief in Texas and Louisiana, give to the United Methodist Committee on Relief. Give online (http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/umcor/donate.cfm?code=3019695&id=3019695), drop checks in United Methodist church offering plates or send donations to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087, with "Advance No. 3019695, Hurricanes 2008" on the memo line.

*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

Bayous, bays and oceans sent waves of destruction over Texas

By Kathy L. Gilbert*

Homeowner Sully Griffin, 73, takes a break from clearing debris at his home in Surfside Beach, Texas, to visit with United Methodist Bishop Janice Riggle Huie following Hurricane Ike. UMNS photos by Mike DuBose.

SURFSIDE, Texas (UMNS)-Sully Griffin has an even better ocean-side view since Hurricane Ike chewed up the houses that once lined the beach in front of his home.

The 73-year-old U.S. Army veteran has traveled all over the world and seen all the planet's oceans. "None are prettier than this right here," he said, gesturing to the Gulf of Mexico as its waters lapped at the beach.

Looking at what is left of his neighbor's home-black pilings peaking out of the water-Sully philosophized that hurricanes are one of the hazards you learn to live with to be in paradise.

Griffin was one of the people who United Methodist Bishop Janice Riggle Huie met during a tour of communities mowed down or flooded by Ike in the South District of the church's Texas Annual (regional) Conference. The Houston-based conference extends along the coast from Bay City to Port Arthur.

Bayous and bays
When Ike hit on Sept. 13, placid bayous and quiet bays spewed crashing waves of destruction over churches, homes and businesses.

The Rev. Tommy E. Lyles Jr. dumped three inches of Cedar Bayou out of his desk drawer on the first day he was able to get back to his office, located a few hundred feet inland.

The Rev. Tommy E. Lyles Jr. surveys damage at Cedar Bayou United Methodist Church in Baytown.

Cedar Bayou United Methodist Church suffered major water damage from the surge. "There were white caps in our parking lot," Lyles said.

However, behind the large brick church, the historic white, wooden Alexander Chapel built in 1844 was untouched, as was the former parsonage now occupied by the church's youth director.

Youth director Greg Seay, 24, was raking sludge from his back yard. "Everything in the bayou is in my front yard, even a staircase from somewhere," he said.

Seay said one of the youth in his group had a tree land on his house, but most everyone else fared well. "This is an awesome congregation, and they are going to be very supportive," he said.

Helping Seay clean up was Lori Tadlock, a Sunday school teacher and co-chair of the building committee at Cedar Bayou.

"We had Hurricane Katrina evacuees stay here and also people from Hurricane Rita," she said. "Church is supposed to be a safe haven so it is upsetting when something happens to it."

Galveston drenched
The Rev. Don Waddleton, superintendent of the South District, visited churches in Galveston after the hurricane-whipped coastal city reopened to residents on Sept. 25.

The largest church in the area, Moody Memorial United Methodist Church, lost part of its roof to the storm but proudly proclaimed on its Web site that it was "Still Standing to Serve." Large plastic tubes and big blue fans blew warm air into the soaked sanctuary in an attempt to hold off the mold and save as much as possible. Even with all the efforts, the wooden floors were buckling.

Lowell Baggett, director of student ministries, said the church has started serving about 3,000 meals a day since Galveston residents were allowed back.

St. Paul United Methodist Church, a nearby historic African-American congregation, sustained extensive damage to its sanctuary, fellowship hall and parsonage.

"It is an unholy mess," said church member Dorethea Wynn as she walked through the sanctuary. "This is just terrible. I donated that piano to the church in 1986. Just a few days before the storm, I celebrated my birthday here. My mother attended this church, my grandmother attended this church …"

Waddleton said many of the flooded churches and parsonages in the Texas conference will be saved and open for worship again.

However, one church that probably won't be repaired is Seabrook United Methodist Church, where several feet of water covered its sanctuary, offices and gym. The congregation was in the midst of a fund-raising campaign to build a new sanctuary in a new location.

Mold grows on waterlogged pews at Seabrook United Methodist Church.

The Rev. Tony McCollum, pastor of Seabrook, was taking all the chaos with grace. "This just moves up our plans," he said.

To aid in Hurricane Ike disaster relief in Texas and Louisiana, give to the United Methodist Committee on Relief. Give online (http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/umcor/donate.cfm?code=3019695&id=3019695) or drop checks in United Methodist church offering plates or send to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087, with "Advance No. 3019695, Hurricanes 2008" on the memo line.

*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn

Little church feeds multitudes after Hurricane Ike

Community volunteers distribute food to Hurricane Ike survivors at a supply center set up at Grace United Methodist Church in Manvel, Texas. A UMNS photo courtesy of Grace United Methodist Church.

By Kathy L. Gilbert*

MANVEL, Texas (UMNS)-With a handful of volunteers, the contents of a small church's pantry and the "absurb notion" that she could, Elaine Warner fed hot meals to more than 400 stranded survivors of Hurricane Ike in the first days after the storm hit.

Warner was one of about 12 members of Grace United Methodist Church who believed that they could feed the multitudes like the little boy who offered Jesus fishes and loaves, said the Rev. Donald Brown.

"And we did!" he said.

The soft-spoken Warner earned the nickname "kitchen nazi" after taking charge of the feeding ministry when Ike struck Texas on Sept. 13. "Everybody raved about the food," she said, shaking her head in amazement. "I just dumped some generic gallon cans of tomato sauce into a pot and made spaghetti."

Elaine Warner helped feed stranded victims of Hurricane Ike. A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose.

Like many places on the Gulf Coast, the small town of Manvel was without water, electricity and food after the hurricane. No stores were open, and Manvel was not on anyone's radar to receive assistance, according to Brown.

Because Grace recently had started a food pantry, members of the community began coming to the church for help. With an average Sunday worship attendance of about 50, the small church was used to serving about 125 families a week. In the first few days after Ike, Grace fed more than 13,000 people.

"It was the Holy Spirit, it was a God thing," said Brown, explaining how the small congregation was able to do so much.

Brown called everyone he could think of for help, and trucks of water, food and ice started arriving in the church parking lot. "One pastor from Austin, Texas, told me he had just written the biggest check in his life to Costco for water," Brown said.

Soon, helped began arriving from United Methodists from across the United States.

"On Wednesday, we had four 24-bottle packages of water and 50 volunteers. By Thursday we had 30 pallets of water," Brown said. "Volunteers started appearing out of nowhere. … They came from every local church-the Marines, Boy Scouts-it was just a blur."

It took several days for FEMA to set up a pod to distribute food, water and ice to the community. Brown said many officials he had called for help had a "let-them-eat-cake attitude." One county official told him to send the needy people to Wal-Mart since it recently had reopened.

"These are economically disadvantaged people," Brown said. "They don't even have transportation to get to Wal-Mart.

"It was truly a loaves and fishes story. Food was so abundant and came so fast we didn't know what was happening."

Visiting with Brown 12 days after the storm, Bishop Janice Riggle Huie told the pastor that "people looked at you and saw the face of Jesus."

Huie later wrote about her visit to Grace church in one of her daily letters updating United Methodists about storm response and needs. The letters were posted on the Web site of the church's Texas Annual (regional) Conference, which Huie leads.

"The practice of operating a food pantry week after week can easily feel more like hard work than some grand example of 'risk-taking mission and service,'" she wrote.

"However, that practice gave these dear Methodists the eyes to see the 'least of these' in their community. They saw them as friends who needed their help, and Christ multiplied their generosity many times over to serve far more people than they could ever imagine. Truly, the presence of God was in that place."

*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.