August 31, 2005

VALLEY FORGE, Pa. – American Baptists are being urged to pray for and assist the victims of Hurricane Katrina, which left a trail of devastation Monday as it hammered Gulf Coast states with 140 mile-per-hour winds.

An initial One Great Hour of Sharing emergency grant of $10,000 has been sent to Church World Service, which will provide Gift of the Heart Kits, seed grants to long-term recovery organizations, and other assistance.

American Baptists can respond immediately to emergency relief needs by contributing online to the "Give Now" option available on either http://www.abcusamissions.org/ or http://www.abc-usa.org/. Churches so doing will receive credit for OGHS giving. Contributions also may be made through normal channels using the Monthly Report of Mission Giving. All contributions should be marked "OGHS-Hurricane Katrina."

Hardest hit were coastal areas of Mississippi, Alabama and western Florida. Storm surges destroyed an estimated 90% of the buildings along the coast in Biloxi and Gulfport. New Orleans, while not hit as directly, is now dealing with the collapse of its levee system that has resulted in 80% of that city being covered in water.

More than 100 lives have been lost, and the toll is expected to rise. Approximately five million people along the Gulf Coast have lost electric power.

The Rev. Dr. Walter Parrish II, executive minister of the American Baptist Churches of the South, reported today that six of the region's churches-three in Baton Rouge, two in New Orleans and one in Mobile-have been severely damaged by the storm.

Updates on the situation, and the response of American Baptists to it, will be forthcoming.

American Baptist News Service