Hurricane and Storms

Some of you have asked how we can best respond to the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Of course we can pray and give. I will be letting our congregation know ways in which we can give tangibly during the coming weeks but I also wanted to include information from our denomination - Foursquare in regards to specific ways we can pray and of course give financially. Read below the piece sent to me by our Foursquare New Service which includes some edits I made.

August 31, 2005
During the past 72 hours, people all over the world have been moved by the destruction and personal loss suffered by those in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. The televised images alone are enough to leave to move us deeply. Countless numbers of lives have been completely changed. Those who once had jobs and homes, neighborhoods and families, make the gruesome discovery that they may have lost everything in what is being called one of the worst natural disasters in United States history. As people who are called by God to represent Him on earth, these images compel us to respond in the Name of Jesus to relieve the hopelessness that might otherwise characterize the circumstances of this disaster.
Not since Hurricane Camille killed 256 people in Louisiana and Mississippi in 1969 have residents of the region seen the devastation they now face in the wake of Katrina. Mayor A.J. Holloway of Biloxi, Mississippi called it, "our tsunami," and Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco said the scene is overwhelming. In initial reports by the Associated Press, the death toll from Katrina was as high as 100 in one county alone and will no doubt rise to 1,000s in the future tallies. Electricity and water service were lost to millions of people from Louisiana to the Florida panhandle, with predictions of service interruptions for months in some locations. Roads were blocked by debris and homes were destroyed by the thousands as the hurricane raced through the Gulf Coast before being downgraded to a tropical storm. Rain and flooding soon followed as Katrina moved into Alabama and points north.

Foursquare churches in the areas hit by the hurricane and related storms report no serious damage and no casualties among pastors and members of their congregations. However, not all of our Foursquare leaders have been reached for confirmation of their safety. The National Church Office continues to attempt contact with pastors and ministers to assess actual damage and the status of congregants and their families. In the midst of this crisis, Foursquare ministers, lay-people, and chaplains are being mobilized to reach out to people who have been afflicted by Katrina and the aftermath of the related storms. Ministering to the tangible needs of individuals who are traumatized, despondent, and without hope will be a priority within the weeks and months ahead.
A Foursquare Disaster Relief Task Force is currently addressing the following steps in order to effectively respond to the mounting concerns of the region:
*Assessment-Local leaders currently determining actual conditions and
needs
*Communication-National, weekly updates via email, print, and Web
communiqués
*Coordination-National Church, districts and local field oversight
*Mobilization-Resource churches in the region will facilitate
volunteer outreach
*Distribution-Food, water, and resources from U.S. churches to
affected areas
Pastor Jack Hayford, President, and Glenn Burris, Jr., General Supervisor of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, prayerfully request that every Foursquare church in the United States join the relief effort in the following expressions of love and compassion:
1. Offer corporate prayer for the safety and preservation of life, and
for God's provision in the months ahead during clean up and rebuilding
of the region.
2. Extend tangible expressions of hope to the people of the Gulf Coast
who are affected by these natural disasters.
3. Become involved in organized, coordinated relief efforts through
the Foursquare Disaster Relief Task Force through Lompoc Foursquare Church. We will also post updates here as they become available to us.
4. Give a special offering (above and beyond your tithe) through our church to the Foursquare Relief fund efforts. Or you may choose to give to the American Red Cross or other reputable relief agency.

We do have Foursquare Chaplains Ministering in the Region as well as Foursquare Pastors and congregations. We have 8 Foursquare churches in the Louisiana District.
Foursquare Chaplain, Ann Luna, is stationed at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, MS and provides an eye-witness account of Katrina's invasion of the area. She reports that she has been on base and without power since Sunday night. Many of the buildings on base are 6 feet under water and the base hospital as well as the commissary and other buildings have been destroyed by the flooding. Chaplain Luna shares stories of flying metal and wood, and downed trees that makes the base looks like a war zone.
*We also have 15 Foursquare churches in the Gulf-Atlantic District.
*38 Foursquare ministers who serve the people of Mississippi, Alabama,
and Georgia.
*We have 37 Foursquare churches in the Florida District with over 114 Foursquare ministers who serve the people of the Florida District.
As our hearts are moved with compassion and the grace of God ministers through us, the natural outgrowth will be wholeness for those most affected by these recent disasters. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your works
and glorify your Father who is in heaven. - Jesus in Matthew 5:16
More to come! God's grace on you and our country, Pastor Bernie