VIM Team Travels to New Orleans to Help Old Friend
“To God be the glory,” said Dr. Jim Robertson, “for what the Lord was able to accomplish through the efforts of his people.”
In mid-June a team of Volunteers In Mission traveled to New Orleans, LA to aid renovation and clean up efforts at Historic Saint James A.M.E. Church. The church, built in 1844, is led by Rev. Otto Duncan, formerly of Quinn Chapel A.M.E. in Paris, TN. This group of 16 volunteers from different churches in Paris, McKenzie and Centerville worked tirelessly for five days repairing and stripping church pews, the altar rail and doors. They cleaned storm damage and trash around the church and in the surrounding neighborhood of St. James located at 222 N. Romans Street, two blocks below Canal Street.
For more than a decade, Rev. Otto Duncan, was a vital and active member of the Paris, TN community. In December 2005, he announced plans to return to New Orleans to pastor his home church, which was hard hit by flooding. He also issued an invitation for help - the VIM team answered.
"I was truly overwhelmed with appreciation for my Paris friends who came and worked at our church,” Duncan said of the team. “My members were very excited about having them here. We enjoyed fellowship with the First Methodist team. It was a great experience."
for the rest of the story, click "comments"
In mid-June a team of Volunteers In Mission traveled to New Orleans, LA to aid renovation and clean up efforts at Historic Saint James A.M.E. Church. The church, built in 1844, is led by Rev. Otto Duncan, formerly of Quinn Chapel A.M.E. in Paris, TN. This group of 16 volunteers from different churches in Paris, McKenzie and Centerville worked tirelessly for five days repairing and stripping church pews, the altar rail and doors. They cleaned storm damage and trash around the church and in the surrounding neighborhood of St. James located at 222 N. Romans Street, two blocks below Canal Street.
For more than a decade, Rev. Otto Duncan, was a vital and active member of the Paris, TN community. In December 2005, he announced plans to return to New Orleans to pastor his home church, which was hard hit by flooding. He also issued an invitation for help - the VIM team answered.
"I was truly overwhelmed with appreciation for my Paris friends who came and worked at our church,” Duncan said of the team. “My members were very excited about having them here. We enjoyed fellowship with the First Methodist team. It was a great experience."
for the rest of the story, click "comments"
posted by UMVIM at 8:51 AM
1 Comments:
The group was able to repair, sand and strip sixteen pews and altar rail that had stood in 2.5 feet of water during Hurricane Katrina. They are now smooth and ready to be stained and finished by the next group coming in. The grounds were cleared of storm damage and trash. Because city services are still not running at pre-Katrina pace, a dumpster was acquired so that the large amount of debris would not sit curbside awaiting sporadic city pick up.
Members of the group included Dr. Robertson, Mayor David Travis, Dr. Tommy Townsend, James Ross, Dr. Joseph Geary, Elyse Bell, Susan Jones, Ida Webb, Carol Doster, Jean Hessing, Barbara Boden, Liz Argo, Niki Kenworthy, Alex Dye, Martha Campbell and Denise Ohlman. With the temperatures averaging 91 degrees with 95 % humidity the work was difficult and dangerous at times.
“There is an overwhelming amount of work still to be done and the progress is slow. Much of the area looks the same as it did the day the floodwaters receded,” said Team Leader Elyse Bell. “The people of New Orleans and the surrounding Gulf Coast area continue to need our helping hands both physically and through spiritual uplifting. Recovery although slow is attainable, but only with the help of friends and neighbors around the country.”
To find out more about the United Methodist Volunteer In Mission organization see http://www.umvim.org. Rev. Otto Duncan can be contacted directly at owd513@yahoo.com or 731-707-1492.
###
Post a Comment
<< Home