RCA Joins Church World Service in New Orleans Blitz Build
Reformed Church World Service (RCWS) coordinator David Dethmers announced today that the RCA will join eight other Church World Service member denominations in a blitz rebuilding project in New Orleans East, a section of the city's Ninth Ward, from April 20 to May 16, 2009. RCWS will provide a $15,000 grant to support the project; the RCA Mission Volunteer Program will recruit and coordinate RCA volunteer workers.
The project is the brainchild of Florence Coppola, executive for National Disaster Ministries of the United Church of Christ. "It's critical," says Coppola, "that Christians understand that even more than three years after Katrina, there are still vast areas of New Orleans where homes have not yet been rehabilitated and where families are still living in temporary housing. Their lives have been 'on hold' for too long; we want to change that, at least for a few."
The project is also intended to be a tangible expression of the unity of the body of Christ, says Dethmers. "All of us have had our own projects on the Gulf Coast since Katrina and Rita. But we believe it's important to say to the church and to the world that we come here, not primarily as denominations, but as followers of Jesus. That the Presbyterians or Lutherans or RCA are here is less important than that the body of Christ is here, providing a unified witness to the compassion and love of Christ."
The goal of the four-week construction project is to totally rehabilitate and finish 12 homes. All of these homes have already been gutted and stripped to the studs, but they are sitting idle because their owners ran out of money. The projected cost of the project is $360,000; Church World Service is contributing $50,000, and the rest will come from the nine member denominations involved with the project.
Each participating denomination will provide 15 volunteers each week. Volunteers must be at least 16 years old, and at least some must be skilled. Each volunteer may serve for one week, and will be responsible for his or her own travel expenses and food. RCA volunteers will be divided among the 12 work sites so that they will have the opportunity to get to know volunteers from other denominations. There will be at least one project-wide worship and social event each week so that volunteers from each work site can get to know the homeowners and each other.
Reservations will be accepted by the RCA's Mission Volunteer Program office on a first-come, first-served basis. Individuals or groups interested in volunteering should contact Nancy Ellens at (800) 968-3943, ext. 243, or nellens@rca.org. Get additional project details from Church World Service (PDF).
Posted 01/02/09
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