In the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in 1993, the Lake Orion United Methodist Church came to help, and they’ll be doing so again, this time sending a team to the ravaged Gulf region to help with recovery efforts six months after Hurricane Katrina.
This past October, the church also coordinated 245 student and adult workers to complete 35 community service projects during Project Shalom, something they’ve been doing for over 25 years.
Also that month, a group of 12 congregation members went to Kentucky to do a variety of tasks on yet another mission trip.
Now, members of the church are ready to help tackle one of the biggest natural disasters our country has ever seen.
A group of between 10-15 people will spend over a week in Laurel, Mississippi, helping any way they can.
‘Anything ranging from physical work, hauling debris, repairs, even some carpentry,? said team leader Phil Lavender. ‘We’ll be prepared to do whatever they assign us to.?
The church members will be coordinating their efforts with Pine Belt Restoration, Inc., a community organization active in disasters and serving the Pine Belt area of Mississippi.
Reverend Marge Munger said help could even be doing simple tasks like filing paperwork and answering phones.
‘We want to go down there and help in any way possible,? she said.
The group is still looking for a covered trailer to help in their efforts, but has already received a donation of a Suburban from General Motors.
‘If they assign us to a particular project, we’re expected to have our own supplies to accomplish the task,? Lavender said.
That means the group will have to take on some out-of-pocket expenses along the way.
They will be staying on the floors of churches, and get one meal per day provided (at a cost of $10 for both the meal & shelter), but for things like transportation they are on their own.
Naturally, they will welcome support from the Orion community, but realize not everyone will be able to help.
‘We certainly welcome any prayer support from the community,? Munger noted.
The group was assigned to Laurel by the Volunteers in Mission (VIM), of which LOUMC is part of the Detroit conference.
‘Because there are so many volunteers in that area, it has to be a coordinated effort,? Munger said of VIM.
Some members of the mission have already been to help in Louisiana, so the group was hoping for an assignment in Mississippi.
About 75 miles north of the Gulf, the Pine Belt region took on an estimated 25,000 dispersed persons after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit.
The region was also hit hard itself, so there is a great need for help there.
Lavender and Munger agreed that the group would also like to make connections with people in the Laurel area so that their efforts can be long lasting.
‘Just the presence of people helping to put others? lives back together helps a great deal,? said Munger, who expects the group to benefit heavily from the experience.
Members from LOUMC will be leaving Easter weekend.