To borrow the words of a past Synod President; “All that has needed to be said has been said about the subject, it just hasn’t been said by everyone.” So it is that everything has probably been said that needs to be said about the Katina Relief Project at Crown of Life Lutheran Church in New Orleans, La. (Except maybe that now it is officially ended). But please allow me to add my thoughts.

A week ago Sun., April 20, Crown of Life conducted a special worship service and threw an old fashion southern crawfish boil to thank the nearly 1,200 volunteers who came over the past two and a half years to help restore their church, fellowship hall, parsonage, and homes in their community. The church sign read “Thanks for bringing us home.” It was a bright sunny day, just perfect for the event. Our Synod President and other past volunteers came many miles to help make the event that much more special.

The pastor of the congregation, Pastor David Sternhagen delivered the sermon of the day and as usual, put things in the right perspective for us. He said many times in his sermon; “That we saw it with our own eyes.” (Meaning members, volunteers and community members). Highlighting the many wondrous and sometimes miraculous things the Lord either did for us or though us during and after the hurricane. And then the thank you’s started. Pastor, on behalf of the congregation thanked the volunteers, President Schroeder thanked the volunteers and the congregation for his opportunity to serve and for their partnership in sharing the gospel with the community. Pastor Schupmann thanked the volunteer coordinators and congregational leaders for their service, and we all thanked the Lord for giving us all things through his Son who died for us on the cross so we could live and serve Him and each other.

After the service, the crawfish was dumped on the picnic tables, the band began to play, and people hugged and laughed and shed tears of joy. Tours were given of some of the homes restored, and the thank you’s continued. It was a fitting end to a truly blessed project.

As I reflect back on this relief project and the others I have had the honor and privilege to serve, though each has been completely different and the volunteers who have come to serve are rarely the same folks, the end result is always the same:

1. that salvation through Christ crucified is faithfully proclaimed and;
2. that virtually every volunteer goes away with the perception that they received spiritually more out of their service than the people they served received out of labor from them.

For this, I think I can speak for everyone who has ever volunteered on one of our relief teams. Only one thank you is necessary, THANK YOU LORD. “Not unto us Lord, but unto you be honor and praise.”

Mark Vance
WELS Committee on Relief
Disaster Relief Project Coordinator

Listen

Listen to Pastor Phil Schupmann, chairman for WELS Committee on Relief.

Watch Pastor David Sternhagen’s sermon on streams.wels.net.

• The Mold Krewe VII is made up of 14 people - 11 Wisconsin Lutheran College students and three students from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary.
• Our main purpose is to aid in gutting homes, but as part of this we’ll also be working with the members of the church who have been displaced and doing evangelism as we talk to the road crews who pick up garbage or the people working on other houses.
• The drive to the church began the realization of the disaster. First things didn’t seem too bad - roofs without shingles, downed trees, nothing too devastating. Then the scenery started to change . . . cars parked, rather placed in odd positions, sideways, backwards, crashed, half hanging over a canal.
• Kristopher described the gutting as, first you take out all the stuff - furniture, belongings, clothing, beds, pots pans, and anything else of the house that one would take when moving. All this must be taken to the curb for clean-up crews to come pick-up. Then the second day, all the carpet, drywall, and insulation are taken out leaving only the studs, which are then bleached to kill the mold and to prevent it from growing back.
• There is nothing that could have prepared me for what we saw. The first house we went to was bad, the smell of mold and soggy carpet filled the air.

Sunday worship

• Crown of Life Lutheran Church is currently meeting in the house of one of its members.
• There was no organ, except an imitation on the keyboard occasionally, the liturgy was there but used different songs, and there was a time in the service to report if anyone had heard from any of the members who had been displaced, as well as a time to read cards and give thanks for support coming from around the country.
• Then there was lunch and fellowship for an hour or two. Since the people come from so far away, they enjoy Sunday fellowship and it was more like a family reunion/holiday gathering.

Dave’s first day of work

• People got creative in the ways which they brought things out of the house. One of the good methods was to shovel with a grain shovel all the loose toys, shoes etc., onto a blanket then carry it out the doors like storks carry cabbage patch kids (I have sisters).
• Being a professional mover during the summers, I have learned to use such care when carrying furniture out of a house. But not for these two weeks! I could kick, drag, sledge whatever I wanted, and use whatever method was the quickest and easiest to get items out of the house.
• I think we all acquired a sense of accomplishment as we walked away from our mountain tumbling off the curb and into the street.

Steve’s comments as work continues

• Both groups felt like they could get there house gutted by the end of the day. We were a little tired from one day, but would soon get over it.
• It gives you encouragement that you are there with the people and they care.
• Ben and I were trying to ripe up a linoleum floor, the only other thing that needed to be taken out before all could be bleached. It took us about 17 man hours to take up the floor that was three layers.

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Listen to Pastor Frey’s podcast

Builders For Christ volunteer, Elsa Endorf, from Beaverton, Ore., describes the scene in New Orleans as restoration work gets underway on Crown of Life Lutheran Church.

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Listen to Pastor Elsa Endorf’s podcast

Listen as Arlene Bolwerk shares her thoughts on the week of cleanup efforts in which she participated at Crown of Life Lutheran Church in New Orleans, La.

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Listen to Pastor Arlene Bolwerk’s podcast