“THE SITUATION IS CRITICAL … CHAOTIC. THE NEEDS ARE OVERWHELMING,” reports Dan O’Deens from the hurricane refugee center in Shreveport, Louisiana. O’Deens, senior pastor of Gateway Grace Community Church in Parkesburg, PA, has been named coordinator of a major relief agency for Northwest Louisiana.
That means he is responsible to care for the basic needs of the 7,000+ refugees who have already come to Shreveport, in addition to those who continue to be brought there.
This past week, a refugee center in another city, unable to deal with the staggering needs and total anarchy, was forced to close. The 500 refugees there were then brought to Shreveport. At that point, desperate for help, Dan placed a call to Winona Lake, asking for the support of our Fellowship.
God is giving our Fellowship of churches a special opportunity to respond to the immediate needs of the Hurricane Katrina refugees in Shreveport. Co-sponsored and coordinated by the FGBC National Organizations in Winona Lake, this relief effort will focus on three stages in quick succession: An advance team and a first response team that are already in the area.
Volunteer teams that can serve in the coming days and weeks for 10-day periods are needed. For more information visit www.fgbc.org/katrina.