Thanks for your support in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Of the over $93,000 given by our congregation to date; $23,676 has been sent to UMCOR, $10,000 was given directly to Trinity UMC in Gulfport, Mississippi for their program of meeting immediate financial needs of their congregation and community, and $3,000 has been sent to Slidell First UMC to complete repairs on one of the children's rooms, to allow their day care to reopen and meet the needs of their downtown community. In November, we were able to send $50,000 to the Slidell First Church, to be disbursed to families whose needs are not covered by either insurance or federal funds; a small committee in Slidell has begun to receive applications from families in need.

We have begun to share in partnership with Slidell First UMC, and look forward to holding them in prayer and support as they make repairs to their facilities, which took on 5 feet of water during the storm. Not only is it important that the make these repairs for their own community's needs, but they are also working with UMCOR to strategize about how to be in mission in New Orleans, and plan to use Slidell First's Family Life Center as a resource and home for this effort, which they hope to be ready for in two months. Roughly fifty percent of the Slidell First Church families also had major damage to their own homes. Please hold this congregation in your prayers.

Rev. Molly Vetter