A Pastoral Letter Concerning WPC Gulf Coast Relief    September 12, 2005

Dear ones,  

For the past two weeks your staff has been praying about how our congregation can most appropriately respond to the disaster on the Gulf Coast.  

We had two amazing phone calls last week.  On Wednesday, the Coordinator of the Presbyterian Disaster Relief for the entire Denomination, called and said in effect: “Your church is expert in flood relief.  We know about what you did in Edgecombe County 6 years ago and in Hyde County last year. You evidently know what is needed and how to do it..  We want you to send a team of folks down to the coast and set up a camp for volunteers who will be coming from Presbyterian Churches all over the US … a small city which will house, feed and care for 120 volunteers at a time.  

For the past few days Paul has been scrounging and pricing tents, cots, and other camp stuff, and is preparing to take about 35 tents and tables,  120 cots and chairs, and other camp gear down south on Sunday, September 18^th.  

We need two things to respond to this call.  The first of which is a handful of sturdy volunteers who will travel with Paul (now known as “The Disaster Pastor”), help him set up tents, sanitary and bathing stations, electricity, trash removal and so forth for 120 people. If you want to go and help, please call Julie Beckwith at 489.0305, or email Dorene Palermo at dpalermo@attglobal.net or contact either at WPC (489.4974) any afternoon this week. 

The second phone call came to me Friday afternoon from a 37-year old man who lives in Boston – a man who has never been a member of this congregation –  but who gave us some money for our Edgecombe County flood relief work a few years ago.  He called to ask what Westminster was planning to do about the Gulf Coast, and I told him about what Paul was getting ready to do.  He said, “That’s the right thing.  What can I do to help?” (Wrong question to ask this particular pastor.)   I said, “How about sending us $10,000 and I’ll see if our congregation will match it on Sunday.”  He said that the check would be in the mail that evening.  Yesterday, the congregation double-matched his challenge, by contributing another $20,000.  This combined amount should more than pay for the materials for this first trip, and we should have some left over for future work trips which will be announced in our newsletters. 

I realize that many of you have already contributed to a number of groups doing important work on the Gulf Coast, but here is another opportunity.  Make your checks payable to Westminster and earmark them “Katrina.”  We will need much more in order to continue to reach out to our sisters and brothers down south.  Keep your church as well as our neighbors in your prayers. 

Thanks be to God for people who understand what it means to follow Jesus!    

Sincerely, 

Haywood Holderness                                                                   Non-Profit Organization

Westminster Presbyterian Church                                     U.S. Postage Paid

3639 Old Chapel Hill Road                                                       Permit No.  760

Durham, NC  27707