Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Our Home UU in Elisville Mississippi

These folks 100 years ago, loved Universalism so much, that they were going to have it preached, even if it had to be held in "Our Home".

At this point it is too early to note what has happened to it, due to Katrina ----
Not too early to ask for your concern and prayers and thoughts.



http://www.universalistchurch.net/boyinthebands/archives/where-is-our-home/



sr

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Messages

from the mid-south UUA and the Our Home minister:

Fri, Sep 2 1:30PM
September 2, 2005

Dear Mid-South District,

Finally, yesterday after a long and difficult wait, I have heard from some of the congregation in the Hattiesburg/ Ellisville/Laurel area ...those of Our Home Universalist Unitarian Church. I serve both that congregation and the church in Jackson, UUCJ, in a shared ministry. Both congregations thus far report no injuries to their people.

The church in Jackson is fine structurally, though of course without electricity. Yesterday, I heard the same is true of the church in Ellisville, MS, from a member that spent 24 hours sheltered within the church during the storm as she and her husband normally live in a lovely mobile home near the church. "Our Home" is celebrating its centennial this year, and it appears it is good for another 100 years! I continue to here that Laurel and Jones County were hit very hard, perhaps from tornadoes as well as Katrina's sustained winds for hours Monday.

I have had an email from Keitha Whitaker, the president of the board of the Gulf Coast congregation at Gulf Port. She had evacuated with her family, and at that point not been able to contact other church members. I spoke with Jim VanderWeele, the minister at Community UU Church in New Orleans, and he spoke of being a minister of a diaspora. I can not imagine how that must feel, to him or the congregants! I understand David Ord, minister of North Shore weathered the hurricane in his home next door to the church. Marta Valentin, the new UU minister in New Orleans has communicated with the UUA, she evacuated and is safe. There is little communication among them and congregants at this time.I met just last Thursday with these ministers as well as Steve Crump and Earle Ramsdale at Ralph's on the Lake( Pontchartrain) in New Orleans for a delicious lunch, and great joy at being together again. Little could we know how drastically all would change in just three days!

Communication has been an enormous problem in MS and LA as cell, as well as land phones are nonfunctional. A few have been restored to service here. Highways and roads below I-20 and Jackson are closed to private citizens trying to go south. They are asking that we not try them as the roads are needed for disaster relief.

In Jackson most are without power, few gas stations are open or groceries because of lack of power. I understand that most businesses open are cash only as they have no way of transacting credit charges, etc. Gas, ice, water and of course generators are the premium items, here. I understand that is true in Hattiesburg/Laurel area also. People are hot, but counting their blessings.

I was not able to minister to the Our Home congregation, or really to check on all those of UUCJ because of the lack of phone communication, or email, so I have been working in the shelter at the Coliseum in Jackson.