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A UMNS Report
By Neill Caldwell*
3:00 P.M. ET September 7, 2011
The repaired Pentagon building was dedicated on Sept. 11, 2002, a year
after the terror attacks. The section struck by American Airlines
Flight 77 was a week away from reopening after a renovation. A web-only
photo photos courtesy of Wikipedia Creative Commons.
Watch "UMTV: 9/11 Highest Honors"
You have to know where to look at the Pentagon to find any sign of
the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack. The limestone shell of the
world’s largest office building was repaired in a matter of months
after the perfect early fall morning when American Airlines Flight 77
plowed into the huge structure.
In the neighborhoods around the Pentagon, however, there still are
signs of the fallout of the terror attack 10 years ago. Shops and
restaurants are closed; buildings within sight of the Pentagon are
empty, some with “for lease” signs posted in dusty windows.
Signs of ministry done in the area are less tangible, of course. But thanks to more than $1.1 million from the United Methodist Committee on Relief
in the form of “Love in the Midst of Tragedy” grants after 9/11,
United Methodists did ministry and made an important impact in the
area.
In the days and months after the attacks, the northern Virginia
area near the nation’s capital was particularly hard hit, says the Rev.
Herb Brynildsen, program coordinator for the Virginia Annual
(regional) Conference’s Alexandria District.
“Reagan National Airport was closed, the tourist industry declined
significantly, and security tightened. Jobs were lost, short-term
employment opportunities dried up, identity questioned, foreign-born
individuals were suspect.
Members of the congregation of Rising Hope United Methodist Mission
Church in Alexandria, Va., gather for a group photo. A UMNS photo
courtesy of Rising Hope United Methodist Mission Church.
View in photo gallery
“The loss of life following the terrorist attacks was tragic,”
Brynildsen said. “The loss of our sense of security and normalcy was
significant. Our economy shaken; our lives changed. For the most
vulnerable — the mentally ill, the homeless, the working poor, the
immigrant, the jobless, the underemployed — the effects and aftermath of
Sept. 11, 2001, were more intensified and devastating. The means to
feed families, pay rent, and access to needed health care was lost. The
mentally ill were more anxious, and their illnesses more pronounced.
People were desperate and hopeless.”
Help for secondary victims
Through a grant to the United Methodist Board of Mission in
Northern Virginia, UMCOR brought hope and Love in the Midst of Tragedy
to hundreds of “secondary” economic victims of the attacks.
Funding to Rising Hope United Methodist Mission Church, GRACE
Ministries, English as a second language and other immigrant
ministries, Just Neighbors legal services and Phoenix Rising meal
program of Franconia United Methodist Church enabled these ministries to
offer God’s love in concrete ways. These efforts included food
distributions; help with rent and housing; assistance with medical,
drug and hospital expenses; job training; help with English language;
legal services for immigrants as well as assistance in navigating
social services, pastoral care, spiritual and mental health counseling,
programs for children and youth and worship opportunities.
The Rodriquez family was one of many helped by Just Neighbors. A UMNS photo courtesy of Neill Caldwell.
View in photo gallery
“Needs were met, hope restored, God’s love experienced in the midst
of tragedy,” said Brynildsen. “There are many stories of those who
were served and how they have shared their blessings — remembering with
joy how God blessed them when they were most desperate.”
The Bi-District (Arlington and Alexandria) Hispanic Ministry told
one story of how the ministry had supported an undocumented Guatemalan
couple, Carlos and Misleidis. After the 9/11 tragedy, many people were
suspicious of anyone who looked foreign. While fishing, Carlos was
arrested by police and jailed in preparation to be deported. Misleidis
appealed to Mission La Esperanza. The ministry provided prayer,
pastoral care, referrals to an attorney and the school where the
couple’s children attended and — because of the UMCOR grant — clothing,
food and assistance with rent. After a promise of sponsorship from his
construction job employer, Carlos was released from jail after six
weeks, something that ministry leaders credited to “the hand of God” in
their report.
Meanwhile at Rising Hope, a ministry that had been started to help
the homeless population of Alexandria’s Route 1 corridor, the church
found itself working with people who weeks before had good-paying jobs.
“We used it to bring support to secondary victims who lost work
when so much business was suspended in the hotel, tourist, restaurant,
travel industry,” said the Rev. Keary Kincannon, pastor at Rising Hope.
“Baggage handlers, cab drivers, waiters and waitresses, all lost work.
There was a ripple effect down into the very low-income community. We
had a surge in requests for food and other forms of emergency support.
There was a lot more anxiety among the people we serve, many who already
are unstable because of their mental health conditions.”
Rising Hope United Methodist Church’s congregation forms a prayer circle
around young people (center) traveling along the east coast to raise
awareness of immigration issues. A UMNS photo courtesy of Rising Hope
United Methodist Mission Church.
View in photo gallery
Rising Hope used the grant money to support the community in very
tangible ways: food, prescriptions, utility bills, transportation and
support with rent.
“Fear and confusion”
The legal aid organization Just Neighbors also received support
through a Love in the Midst of Tragedy grant to assist area immigrants
who were caught up in the wake of 9/11.
“In the atmosphere of fear and confusion that surrounded
immigration issues after the tragedy, Just Neighbors offered reliable
information and support,” said Rob Rutland-Brown, executive director of
Just Neighbors. “Attorneys met with clients and accompanied them to
immigration interviews in court. Volunteers assisted with various facets
of the work, always demonstrating compassion and empathy for their
immigrant neighbors.”
The grant supported several projects of Just Neighbors services,
including a staff attorney who focused on assisting immigrant children
in the United States who were unaccompanied by parents or adults, and
an attorney to assist with employment opportunities and community
economic development. The grant also supported Just Neighbors’ ongoing
work of holding clinics for low-income immigrants with
immigration-related issues. The organization celebrated its 15th
anniversary this summer.
“Throughout the years of the grant, Just Neighbors was able to
provide life-changing services to hundreds of clients that it otherwise
could not have reached,” Rutland-Brown added.
“The weeks and months that followed the attack upon the Pentagon
on Sept. 11 were an incredibly challenging time for the people and
churches of Northern Virginia,” said the Rev. Steve Jones, who was
Arlington District superintendent at the time of the attacks and now
serves as superintendent of the Richmond district.
“There were few people, or churches, who did not have a member,
neighbor, friend, co-worker or fellow student who lost a loved one in
the attack. Our United Methodist churches of the Alexandria and
Arlington Districts sought to find ways to help their members and their
community. In doing so, it was a tremendous help to have the assistance
of UMCOR.”
One of the specific items created with the help of UMCOR was a “day apart” for the clergy of those two districts.
“Our clergy were dealing with countless instances of grief, anger,
questioning and depression; many clergy said that it was the most
challenging time of their ministry,” Jones said. “With the help of
UMCOR, the Alexandria and Arlington districts were able to provide a day
to resource clergy through a meal, worship, sharing, education and
conversation. It was a small ‘retreat’ in the midst of the chaos of
those days. UMCOR provided trained clergy leaders, materials and
financial support for this event. It was only the beginning of the help
that we would receive over the coming years; our connection gave us
resources for faithful and lasting ministry.”
See complete coverage of the 9/11 anniversary
*Caldwell is editor of the Virginia United Methodist Advocate magazine in the Virginia Annual Conference.
News media contact: Maggie Hillery, (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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