Racial Justice Re-creating Communities and Crying out for Justice: The Work of Churches Supporting Churches in the (new) New Orleans
At the New Orleans Convocation, LeDayne McLeese Polaski, of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America, led a discussion of a panel consisting of three pastors and one lay leader from four African-American churches that had been devastated in Hurricane Katrina. Each panelist spoke about their own survival story, then about the story of their church. The churches that did not completely lose their buildings still suffered serious damage, and also serious loss of membership. Members either were killed in the storm, or have been spread around the country. The pastors have to travel to support their members in Houston, Memphis, and many other cities.
LeDayne also shared information about “Churches Helping Churches”, an effort to support this rebuilding of these churches. Churches Supporting Churches (CSC), a working group initiated by six denominations and three ecumenical movements and supported by the National (US) Council of Churches, is working to recreate a city, a network of communities, from the ground up. CSC has identified twelve devastated neighborhoods of New Orleans and has committed to restart, repair, and rebuild three churches in each. The churches, all of which have a history of commitment to community development, are serving (even as they re-establish themselves) as anchors for the re-creation of all that makes community life possible. These congregations and their pastors are working to replace the structures and the support systems that will make it possible for more and more of the citizens of New Orleans to return home. The vision is to find 10 partner churches for every church that is trying to rebuild. Besides the obvious need for financial support, sometimes the needs are for spiritual support, encouragement, and even organizational help.
If your church would like to participate in the rebuilding of New Orleans in this way, please contact LeDayne McLeese Polaski or read more about Churches Supporting Churches.
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