Members count blessings after hurricane destroys church, homes
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A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose Ella Doyle lifts her head in prayer during a service at Hartzell Mt. Zion United Methodist Church.
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Ella
Doyle lifts her head in prayer and tells fellow parishioners to �hold
your head up� during an outdoor worship service at Hartzell Mt. Zion
United Methodist Church in Slidell, La. The church�s sanctuary was
ruined by the Aug. 29 storm surge from Hurricane Katrina. Doyle rode out
the storm in a boat with her husband and two sons. A UMNS photo by Mike
DuBose. Photo # 05H130. Accompanies UMNS story #534. 9/26/05 |
Sept. 26, 2005 By Kathy L. Gilbert* SLIDELL,
La. (UMNS) — Standing outside the wrecked ruins of her church, Ella
Doyle told members of her congregation, “God has got a better day
coming.” Doyle survived the terror of Hurricane Katrina aboard a
boat with her husband and two sons. At one point, both of her sons
disappeared beneath the water and her husband stopped breathing. “I
stood up in that boat and prayed,” she said. “I have no desire to walk
around telling people I lost this or that; I didn’t lose nothing. The
only thing we need to worry about is whether we are going to see
heaven.” For the second time since the hurricane destroyed their
church and homes, members of Hartzell Mt. Zion United Methodist Church
gathered Sept. 25 in the parking lot for the Sunday worship service. “You look so dear to me,” the Rev. Ernest Scott told his congregation, A
soft breeze filtered over the 63 faithful. “Feel the gentle breeze of
our God,” Scott said. “He sends the wind and the rain, but he still
sends a gentle breeze.” A 30-foot wall of water from Lake
Ponchartrain slammed into the small community surrounding Hartzell Mt.
Zion, soaking all the homes and leaving the people with nothing. “My house is boarded up, but I am happy because the Lord is blessing me,” said Dora Jackson, 77. Jackson
lived in her home for 51 years before Hurricane Katrina ran her out. “I
raised all six of my children in this house,” she said, looking around. Donald
Y. Archie, lay leader of the church, walked inside his water-soaked
church for the first time this Sunday. He said he had been putting off
looking inside. When he came back outside he said, “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord.”
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A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose The
Rev. Ernest Scott leads a service at his church in Slidell, La., where
the sanctuary was flooded by the storm surge from Hurricane Katrina.
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The
Rev. Ernest Scott leads an outdoor worship service at Hartzell Mt. Zion
United Methodist Church in Slidell, La., where the sanctuary was
flooded by the storm surge from Hurricane Katrina. A UMNS photo by Mike
DuBose. Photo # 05H134. Accompanies UMNS story #534. 9/26/05 |
With tears in his eyes, he said, “We’ll come back.” That sentiment was echoed by most of the people gathered under the cloudy skies. Iris
Turner, from Rochester, N.Y., came back to see about her family and
told the congregation, “Nothing belongs to you. God stripped us naked,
but there is a purpose he did this. It is time to get close and stop
worshipping stuff.” Charles Alfred, 72, said he and his wife lost
everything they had in their 47-year-long marriage. Before services
began, he talked about the renovations that had just been completed and
the plans the church was making to expand. “We were just getting
ready to sign a contract to start building a family life center,” he
said. Six feet of water in the church means two and a half years of
renovation and $250,000 are down the drain, he said.
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A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose Members
of Hartzell Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Slidell, La., gather
for an outdoor worship service following Hurricane Katrina.
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Members
of Hartzell Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Slidell, La., gather
for an outdoor worship service following Hurricane Katrina. The church�s
sanctuary was ruined by the storm surge from the hurricane. A UMNS
photo by Mike DuBose. Photo # 05H141. Accompanies UMNS story #534.
9/26/05 |
As members talked about blessings and losses, Scott gave them tips on
coping with being displaced and scattered. “Be patient; learn
acceptance.” He also talked about how hard it is to lose
everything. “I am being real,” he said, laughing. “I looked at my ruined
suits and shoes and I just said, ‘ummm.’ Some of those things I just
liked.” The United Methodist Committee on Relief is working with
the church to get a tent for the congregation, and church members voted
to continue meeting at 8 a.m. every Sunday on the grounds. “Keep your mind on heavenly things,” Scott said. “This is just a junction. We will get through this, and this too will pass.” *Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn. News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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