‘God is present in the midst of pain and panic’

September 1, 2005
To Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

What, then, are we to do in the face of such a monumental, heart-wrenching catastrophe?

The following is an excerpt from an email message from the Reverend Jean Marie Peacock, Vice-Moderator of the 216th General Assembly (2004):

We are safe and arrived today [8/31] at the home of my parents where we will be living until we can return to New Orleans. From newscasts it appears that it could be weeks or months before we can return. We have seen overhead shots of our neighborhood where the water is at the rooftops, and we suspect that is true of our home and that we have lost everything. The congregation that I serve [as associate pastor] is in the Lakeview area, one of the first to be inundated with water after the levee broke. We suspect that many from our congregation, who live in the neighborhood, have lost everything and that the church is filled with water.

Jean Marie’s and her husband Peter’s ordeal is but one of countless stories emerging from the unimaginable devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Even four days after the storm, we still have yet to know just how many lives, homes, and livelihoods have been lost in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast. It sounds as if the situation may become increasingly dire as the threat of major diseases rises due to a shortage of clean water and sanitation. The poor and disenfranchised have been hit especially hard because of their lack of resources to go anywhere else. One news commentator describes it as “disaster on top of disaster on top of disaster.”

Many Presbyterian congregations in the region took a direct hit from Katrina. Because of the nature of this disaster and the difficulty reaching affected communities, it will be some time before we know the exact number of churches that have either been damaged seriously or destroyed completely. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) teams are in the field and will send back reports as soon as they can. At this point we are aware that thirty-six churches in New Orleans alone are underwater.

It certainly appears that the predictions of Hurricane Katrina going down in the history books as one of the greatest natural disasters to hit the United States are coming true.

As you might expect, Presbyterians across the country are already hard at work in a variety of ways to help meet very basic needs. On the national level, PDA immediately directed $500,000 to the relief effort. In addition, they have issued an emergency appeal, setting before Presbyterians a goal of $10 million.

How can you help? First, please go to the PDA Web site at www.pcusa.org/pda. There, you will find several items: daily situation reports, directions for making a financial contribution, answers to frequently asked questions, information about volunteering to help, and much more. If you cannot find what you need online, then call PresbyTel toll-free at (800) 872-3283 for assistance. Please be patient when you call due to the volume of calls we are receiving at present.

The emergency relief work today will give way to the long-term rebuilding efforts in the months and, no doubt, years to come. Presbyterians will be there, offering concrete help and restoring hope to those who, at present, cannot possibly imagine coming out on the other side of Katrina. We cannot answer why such tragedies happen. What we can do is speak with the sure and certain conviction deep in our souls that God is present in the midst of the pain and panic, and that God will continue to be present each and every hour. God’s faithfulness will endure.

The Psalmist wrote, “Our soul is waiting for God, our help and our shield” (33:20, Psalms Anew). And, when Jesus was with the disciples during the time leading up to his crucifixion and resurrection, he told them, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (John 14:27). It is this abiding peace of Christ, which passes all human understanding, to which we cling during times like these.

Jean Marie had more to say in her message:

There is much uncertainty in our lives right now, as for so many. The loss of life all along the Gulf Coast breaks our hearts. In the midst of this catastrophe, we feel your support and prayers and the strength of God’s presence with us.

We ask you to join us in prayer for those who have lost loved ones and much more; for those who are still stranded in devastated areas; for Jean Marie and Peter and all the members of our Presbyterian family who have been directly affected; for relief workers; for the many, many women, men, and children who are nameless to us, but deeply precious in the eyes of our gracious God, whose lives have been changed forever.

Thank you for what you have done, are doing, and will do to help in the aftermath of Katrina. Most of all, thank you for the ongoing, faithful work and witness to the gospel you make each and every day in the name of Jesus Christ.

In Christ’s abiding peace,

Rick Ufford-Chase, Moderator of the 216th General Assembly
Cliff Kirkpatrick, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly
John Detterick, Executive Director of the General Assembly Council