Site
Contents
 |
General Information about the Area Office
North Indiana Conference Office
South Indiana Conference Office
Prayer Guides
(Courtesy of the NIC Prayer Team)
Area United Methodist
Foundation
For resources to assist your congregation in welcoming guests,
click here
Seashore District Volunteer Center VIM project -- Completed
Hoosier United Methodist News Archives
| Hoosier United Methodists together |
July/August 2006 |
Pastor who lost everything now works with thousands in hurricane recovery efforts in Louisiana
By Matthew Oates
"We lost everything," a Louisiana pastor told both North and South Indiana Annual Conferences in June at West Lafayette and Bloomington. "Stuff can be replaced. People cannot be replaced."
The Rev. Darryl Tate, now executive director of the Louisiana Disaster Ministry, addressed the conference members with a video of gripping images of the destruction and slow rebirth in the South after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. He thanked Indiana's connectional members for their part of the $77 million in donations to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR).
"All of those dollars are for humanitarian aid only," he told both conferences.
Currently, Louisiana Conference case managers are working with more than 7,000 people; 2,000 have been completed; 4,000 are being reviewed; and 3,000 are on hold.
In the nine months that have passed, 10,000 teams of United Methodists have volunteered more than 900,000 hours of work, which is the equivalent of $18.5 million in in-kind gifts.
"Thanks be to God for the volunteers," said Tate. "UMCOR will be there until the last dollar is spent and the last nail is nailed!"
The destruction also had a great effect on the church. Never before in the history of the denomination has an entire district been lost. 78 churches were lost, 98 pastors displaced and 39 inner-city churches are still closed. Many conferences, including the Indiana Area, have donated funds for displaced pastors during this time. The Council of Bishops will be sponsoring a three-year appeal to continue funding for the renewal of the church in the bayous of the Southeast.
Originally a pastor in New Orleans, Tate and his family were relocated to Baton Rouge, near the Louisiana Conference's offices. He is in the office by 7 a.m. each day, reviewing e-mails and calls from his 70 employees over their various needs for the day.
His family lost everything. Because UMCOR donations go to fund humanitarian projects, they are not allowed to clean out churches or church property unless there is special need. "UMCOR can't clean out parsonages."
So, instead, bishops and district superintendents from across the nation have been pouring in with volunteers in mission helping displaced pastors bring closure to their lives by cleaning out parsonages for them.
"It's a mindset," says Tate of the cleaning out of houses instead of bulldozing them. "You have to have closure."
A team including Bishop Violet Fisher of Rochester, New York worked on his house. They mucked it out and carried all items that could not be recovered to the curb for the Tates. She called him after they were done and said, "We have sacredly brought all your items out. I wanted to hear your voice and let you know it was all right," he recalled.
The smell of salt water, fresh water, oil and mold are the worst part of the disaster. Anything that is recovered from houses has to be sealed and then highly sanitized.
In 28 years of ministry, Tate has never seen anything like this. "God works in mysterious ways. You learn to adapt to situations."
Volunteers are still needed, especially as people recover, physically, spiritually and emotionally. "They're very resourceful folks," said Tate after sharing that it will be at least 10 years before the recovery is completed. "I just thank the people of Indiana for their help."
For more information about how you can help in Louisiana, log on to www.laumcstormrelief.com.
Matthew Oates serves as a reporter to the Indiana Area. He is a member of Trinity United Methodist Church in Lafayette.
Last updated on 25 Apr 2008