Monday, July 25, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Kerry Richardson
Weary workers from Winston-Salem, NC and St. Augustine, FL will be leaving us tomorrow... and we will welcome a group from Fort Worth tomorrow evening, a group from Marietta, Ga on Sunday, and a group from Ocala, FL Monday. Plans right now will be to work on Thursday afternoon and shut down this phase of our tornado relief efforts.
Weary workers from Winston-Salem, NC and St. Augustine, FL will be leaving us tomorrow... and we will welcome a group from Fort Worth tomorrow evening, a group from Marietta, Ga on Sunday, and a group from Ocala, FL Monday. Plans right now will be to work on Thursday afternoon and shut down this phase of our tornado relief efforts.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Kerry Richardson
Bid farewell to two groups from the Dallas area yesterday... and had a group come down from Midway (Jasper, AL) on Wednesday. Good week with a lot of terrific things accomplished. Looking forward to having groups from Winston-Salen (NC), St. Augustine (FL), and Paris (TN) coming in over the next few days. Two more weeks of work to go... please continue to keep the efforts in your prayers.
Bid farewell to two groups from the Dallas area yesterday... and had a group come down from Midway (Jasper, AL) on Wednesday. Good week with a lot of terrific things accomplished. Looking forward to having groups from Winston-Salen (NC), St. Augustine (FL), and Paris (TN) coming in over the next few days. Two more weeks of work to go... please continue to keep the efforts in your prayers.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. --
To some, the empty concrete slab amid a neighborhood in ruins is a sign of desolation and despair.
To others, though, it was a chance to spread hope and love.
On June 24, a group of Enterprise volunteers met with disaster relief organizers on that concrete slab on Hargrove Street, which now serves as a temporary base for teams from Disaster Assistance CoC.
The slab was once home to the Central Church of Christ, one of many buildings in Tuscaloosa destroyed by a massive April 27 tornado.
Twenty-one volunteers from Enterprise’s College Avenue Church of Christ worked through Central’s volunteer base from June 23 to June 27 under the leadership of College Avenue’s Youth Minister Brendan Chance.
“It’s always good to come into this type of environment for young people,” Chance said. “We have a lot of comforts, and it’s good to be reminded that stuff can be taken away from you and how blessed you really are. It’s a Biblical principle to help those who are hurting, to take a ‘cup of cold water’ to the thirsty.”
Trae Durden, University of Alabama campus minister for Central Church of Christ, has organized volunteers all summer and continues to work with teams that arrive daily in Tuscaloosa.
He reported that by the end of the summer, around 2,000 non-residential volunteers will have worked with what he calls “The Hargrove Project,” named for the street where the remains of Central Church of Christ lay.
“We just take care of (victims) as best we can,” Durden said. “From our standpoint, this is all about Jesus. It’s all about showing God’s love to our community and letting everyone know God’s here, God’s people are here and God wants to love them and help them through this disaster.”
At the volunteer base, the disaster relief groups have taken on several roles.
The Saturday after the disaster, an estimated 3,600 storm victims were fed hot meals by Disaster Assistance for the Church of Christ Since then, nearly 40,000 victims, volunteers, power company workers, contractors and others in the area have been fed at the site.
The site also houses a disaster relief distribution supply center and sends out teams of volunteers to clear debris, tear down houses and provide other services. The Central team and volunteers have worked at600 houses since the effort began.
The College Avenue group included volunteers of all ages, from 13-year-olds to college students to parents. Among the group was Madelyn Kelley, 13, a member of College Avenue’s youth group.
“I wanted to come here and help people. I wanted to make a difference and try to make this place look just a little bit better,” Kelley said. “It was worth it.”
Leanne Dunaway, a volunteer and former Enterprise resident, had the unique experience of experiencing her town being torn apart by a tornado twice, as she and her husband Tyler were living in Tuscaloosa when the April 27 tornado hit.
“Being from Enterprise, and seeing the tornado there, I saw how much damage it does to people and their physical possessions, mentally and emotionally,” Dunaway said. “Seeing how much it helped to have so many people pour in and help, we really wanted to come back and help here because I knew how much it meant to people.”
As the Enterprise group cleared trees from yards and tore down the remains of storm-shattered houses, many could not help but think of their own hometown’s past.
“It brought back a lot of memories,” Chance said. “Just going through the area by the church that was destroyed, it was almost like the area around the old EHS. It was eerie how similar it looked. I was just thinking about how this may be how we can give a little bit back because I know how much people gave to us as a church and as a city, and this may be being able to do what others did for me.
"It seemed like the natural thing to do.”
To some, the empty concrete slab amid a neighborhood in ruins is a sign of desolation and despair.
To others, though, it was a chance to spread hope and love.
On June 24, a group of Enterprise volunteers met with disaster relief organizers on that concrete slab on Hargrove Street, which now serves as a temporary base for teams from Disaster Assistance CoC.
The slab was once home to the Central Church of Christ, one of many buildings in Tuscaloosa destroyed by a massive April 27 tornado.
Twenty-one volunteers from Enterprise’s College Avenue Church of Christ worked through Central’s volunteer base from June 23 to June 27 under the leadership of College Avenue’s Youth Minister Brendan Chance.
“It’s always good to come into this type of environment for young people,” Chance said. “We have a lot of comforts, and it’s good to be reminded that stuff can be taken away from you and how blessed you really are. It’s a Biblical principle to help those who are hurting, to take a ‘cup of cold water’ to the thirsty.”
Trae Durden, University of Alabama campus minister for Central Church of Christ, has organized volunteers all summer and continues to work with teams that arrive daily in Tuscaloosa.
He reported that by the end of the summer, around 2,000 non-residential volunteers will have worked with what he calls “The Hargrove Project,” named for the street where the remains of Central Church of Christ lay.
“We just take care of (victims) as best we can,” Durden said. “From our standpoint, this is all about Jesus. It’s all about showing God’s love to our community and letting everyone know God’s here, God’s people are here and God wants to love them and help them through this disaster.”
At the volunteer base, the disaster relief groups have taken on several roles.
The Saturday after the disaster, an estimated 3,600 storm victims were fed hot meals by Disaster Assistance for the Church of Christ Since then, nearly 40,000 victims, volunteers, power company workers, contractors and others in the area have been fed at the site.
The site also houses a disaster relief distribution supply center and sends out teams of volunteers to clear debris, tear down houses and provide other services. The Central team and volunteers have worked at600 houses since the effort began.
The College Avenue group included volunteers of all ages, from 13-year-olds to college students to parents. Among the group was Madelyn Kelley, 13, a member of College Avenue’s youth group.
“I wanted to come here and help people. I wanted to make a difference and try to make this place look just a little bit better,” Kelley said. “It was worth it.”
Leanne Dunaway, a volunteer and former Enterprise resident, had the unique experience of experiencing her town being torn apart by a tornado twice, as she and her husband Tyler were living in Tuscaloosa when the April 27 tornado hit.
“Being from Enterprise, and seeing the tornado there, I saw how much damage it does to people and their physical possessions, mentally and emotionally,” Dunaway said. “Seeing how much it helped to have so many people pour in and help, we really wanted to come back and help here because I knew how much it meant to people.”
As the Enterprise group cleared trees from yards and tore down the remains of storm-shattered houses, many could not help but think of their own hometown’s past.
“It brought back a lot of memories,” Chance said. “Just going through the area by the church that was destroyed, it was almost like the area around the old EHS. It was eerie how similar it looked. I was just thinking about how this may be how we can give a little bit back because I know how much people gave to us as a church and as a city, and this may be being able to do what others did for me.
"It seemed like the natural thing to do.”
Monday, July 4, 2011
Tornado Relief midway mark, by Kerry Richardson(Preacher at Northport)
When the process of signing up to come help in the area began, it did not take long for sister congregations to fill a long list of volunteers coming for the summer. After a flurry of responses, we decided that it was reasonable to work throughout the summer and shut down relief efforts on August 1.
Half way home, some 22 conjurations represented by about 340 adults and young people have stayed with us and worked out from "The Slab" - the affectionate title Central's site is now called by everyone. At present, we are still expecting 13-15 more groups to visit our area and add to the mountain of work that has already been accomplished since the April 27th storm.
Working in crews of about 15-20, they remove trees and debris for people...using bobcat,chainsaws and "drag power" at all the sites. Without a doubt, volunteers who have braved the Alabama heat have been awesome...and numerous folks have been helped. Thanks for what you've done, what you're doing, and plan to do!
Half way home, some 22 conjurations represented by about 340 adults and young people have stayed with us and worked out from "The Slab" - the affectionate title Central's site is now called by everyone. At present, we are still expecting 13-15 more groups to visit our area and add to the mountain of work that has already been accomplished since the April 27th storm.
Working in crews of about 15-20, they remove trees and debris for people...using bobcat,chainsaws and "drag power" at all the sites. Without a doubt, volunteers who have braved the Alabama heat have been awesome...and numerous folks have been helped. Thanks for what you've done, what you're doing, and plan to do!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
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