Newspaper Columns by Bishop Paul V. Marshall
You can help the uprooted people of the Gulf Coast
By Bishop Paul V. Marshall
October, 2005During the recent meeting of the bishops of the Episcopal Church, the bishops of three dioceses along the Gulf Coast shared images and accounts of hurricane destruction even more vivid than those seen on television.
Bishop Charles Jenkins of Louisiana spoke from his heart about the degree of racism and classism this disaster has exposed in New Orleans. He publicly repented of his complicity in the Church's silence about it. His was an example for leaders of government to consider.
“We don’t need to rebuild what was here, “he said a few days earlier from New Orleans. “There were some very sick things here. We’ve seen the horror and the shame of the poverty and racism in this city, and the gross economic system where we had very wealthy and very poor but there were not many of us in the middle class. So I hope that part of the role in the church for me will be a prophetic role: calling the powers that be to a higher vision. This is not a role I’m accustomed to.”
Part of our meeting was devoted to organizing a churchwide response to help those uprooted by hurricane devastation.
The bishops of the three afflicted dioceses asked us not to show up on their doorstep; they asked, rather, that we escrow our goodwill. There will be many ways to help over the next five years, the estimated time for rebuilding.
One aspect of the plan we put together calls for each bishop and one additional person to coordinate lists of resources in their diocese that can be called on as the time is right: general labor, building skills (including electrical and plumbing), health care, or other services.
I have asked Episcopalians and Episcopal churches across the Diocese of Bethlehem, 14 counties in eastern and northeastern Pennsylvania, to identify their willingness to give of their time, energy, or other non-monetary resources. Some people have already volunteered. My wife, Diana, will be taking her nursing skills south as soon as there is a place for her.
Money, of course, will continue to be received at any time by way of Episcopal Relief and Development which provides emergency assistance after disasters, rebuilds communities, and helps children and families climb out of poverty. Ways to contribute funds are outlined at www.er-d.org.
Many of you have ways to offer your service and financial help through your denominations and faith groups and, of course, through the Red Cross. Should you wish to consider the overall plan of the Episcopal Church, however, information may be found at our Hurricane Emergency Links Portal (HELP), www.episcopalchurch.org/help.
I have been amazed – but not surprised – by the depth of generosity our diocesan community of some 15,000 communicants has shown in response to human need around the world. Individuals and parishes of the Diocese of Bethlehem have given, since late 2002, over $300,000 to stave off starvation and to support the people of Kajo Keji in southern Sudan as they rebuild their church and their country, and an additional $80,000 during the first half of this year for tsunami relief.
In General Convention, three years ago, our church asked Episcopalians to contact their elected representatives, urging them to support the United States government’s fulfillment of its commitment to funding international development aid at 0.7% of the U.S Gross National Product. We have similarly challenged our dioceses and congregations. Over the past three years, the Diocese of Bethlehem has, in fact, sent to the developing world a cumulative amount equal to nearly 30%.
We have already begun to see great generosity in response to this third-world scenario taking place in the United States. I cherish this witness to the love of God. It encourages me in my own walk.
Return to the index of Bishop Paul's columns for the secular press
Home Site Map Please direct any questions or comments to the webmaster@diobeth.org
