One of the valuable things about our week in DIberville, Ms last week was the realization that we are part of a connectional church that has staying power. After Hurricane Katrina devastated the gulf coast, FEMA, the Red Cross and a number of church organizations went there to help with the clean up and rebuilding, stayed for a while or several months, maybe a year. But the United Methodist Church made a commitment to go and to stay until lives and hearts and homes were healed.
Of course new storms, new crises, new devastation come along and people's memories tend to be short and the help goes elsewhere. But where people continue to hurt, live in awful conditions and feel destitute, help is still needed. We were a part of the continuing effort living out a commitment we made four and a half years ago to the people of the D'Iberville/Biloxi area to go back and go back and go back until there are no long people living in deplorable conditions. Christians don't abandon people who are hurting. Like the Good Samaritan, we stay with the injured until they are healed.
We were a little less than half of the total group there last week, but the people of Knightdale UMC were the core and the drivers of th overall effort. We did good work and did a lot of it. You can be proud of the disciples from among our community of faith. We did truly "grow in grace, faith and discipleship" among the wreckage. We were the hands, the arms, the legs, the feet of God in that place and were the face of hope to those people. And we will return until the hope is realized. Amen and amen.
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