In first Kings 19, the prophet Elijah experiences an earthquake, a windstorm and fire, yet as scriptures record it, God wasn’t in any of those natural disasters, but instead in a quiet voice after the storm.
Here in New Orleans and points south we are no stranger to natural disasters and Algiers UMC has a history of helping after them – hoping to be that quiet voice that brings good news after the roar of a hurricane or other crisis. In fact, we have been working on Ida relief since August 30, 2021 as supplies began being collected in Memphis, TN to be brought back as soon as the roads were open.
Through our partnerships with our sister congregation Belle Chasse UMC, the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church, the United Methodist Committee on Relief and others we have been hosting relief teams who have assisted people with roof tarping, debris removal, muck outs and mold remediation. We have sent over a dozen loads of supplies, food and hygiene items to people in need and have helped people find other resources as needed. If you would like to financially support our efforts directly please click “contributions” and donate with “ida” or “relief fund” in the memo line. If you would like to financially support the broader efforts of the Louisiana Conference UMC relief efforts, please visit www.la-umc.org/relief or text “relief” to 800-500-5858.
Please keep all recovering from Ida in your prayers and also take a few minutes to watch Rev. JoAnne Pounds and some of the volunteers we hosted in action doing hurricane relief south of New Orleans.
