Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Command Center build-in begins!

With the help of our brothers from Northport, AL, led by Pastor Joey Turman and Jerry Burroughs, the work of building in the necessary walls and plumbing for the New Orleans Command Center (NOCC) began today!

Chris and Rob are busy at work getting the water set up!






The electric hook-ups are taking shape!





It is our plan to have the facility ready by December 1 and begin housing teams the week of December 4...

When operational, the NOCC will:

  • Serve hot meals daily to residents and relief workers
  • House relief and ministry teams who come to work in the city.
  • Provide free food distribution to residents on a schedule weekly.
  • Provide chaplain services to those needing them in the affected areas.

Interested persons wanting to volunteer to work at the NOCC, should email Operations Coordinator--Ernie Maynard at gem@centurytel.net.

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Teams from Florida and Viriginia are in the state!

We thank God and acknowledge the work of relief teams from Largo, FL and Pulaski, VA who are working in St. Bernard parish this week.

The team from Largo, FL is led by Pastor Anthony McDaniel and they have been working to with Pastor Rick Hager to clean out and gut the Amazing Grace church in Arabi. We were by there today and they have done a tremendous amount of work in just one day. Their plans include removal of the present flooring structure and cleanup of all existing furniture and carpet. A number of appliances and office furniture had to be removed as well. Another team from Alabama will be at Amazing Grace in two weeks to complete the work that is not finished by this team.

The team from Pulaski, VA is headed by Pastor Jerry Collins and they are working with Pastor Terry Hammett to remove everything from the parsonage at Cornerstone. This house will be completely gutted and then decisions regarding our future plans will be determined. The homes in this neighborhood were flooded and most are not inhabitable.

Additional teams arrive from Pennsylvania next week. All our teams are being housed at the Manantial de Vida church in Metairie where Ernie and Gayle Maynard are serving as hosts and cooking their meals.

Thank God for all that is being done to help our churches who are in need. What a great family the Church of God is!

New Orleans Command Center Established!


We are pleased to announce that the State Council has approved today the acquistion/lease of a Command Center facility which will be located in Chalmette at 1010 Judge Perez Avenue. The 12,000 square foot facility will provide the hub of our work in the city and will enable us to mobilize our efforts to reach and help the citizens of New Orleans. This will be funded by a joint partnership with the International Executive Committee, Operation Compassion and Louisiana Church of God, Inc.

Our Disaster Response Team has done a tremendous job to this point in coordinating relief, recovery and reconstruction. We presently have projects on-going at Manantial de Vida, Amazing Grace, Faith Temple, Friendswood, Sharp's Chapel, Bedico and Cornerstone.

The facility will serve us in three initial areas of mission:

1. The distribution center for water, non-perishable food supplies, medical supplies and necessary items for local residents who need them. We envision that we will distribute items on a scheduled basis from this location and also transport via smaller trucks/vans to regional neighborhood locations.
2. We will house our relief and ministry teams in this location, getting them as close as possible to the ministry sites. This will allow teams to have a single location from which to work and will allow for maximize coordination on our part.
3. The work of chaplains and Men of Action teams through our denominational headquarters will be stationed out of the command center. This will enable networking within the Church of God and with para-church organizations to be done smoothly.

Our Disaster Response Team has done a tremendous job to date with the coordination of relief, recovery and reconstruction. We presently have projects ongoing at Faith Temple, Manantial de Vida, Amazing Grace, Cornerstone, Bedico, Sharp's Chapel and Friendswood. Until we are able to make the necessary adjustments, we are housing relief teams at the Manantial de Vida church in Metairie. More details will be forthcoming in days ahead.

We thank God for the efforts of so many in this time of need.