Dear friends,
Every day the news of the aftermath of Hurricane Helene seems to grow more dire. Most of us seem to have family or friends who are affected by this hurricane that has caused so much destruction hundreds of miles away from the coast. I have a brother and sister-in-law in Augusta who have now been without power for a week, and don’t know when it will come back on. My brothers here have driven gasoline and a generator to them. Valdosta and other Georgia towns have also been hit.
But by far the worst destruction is in Western North Carolina. Whole towns have been wiped out. Even those whose homes escaped damage lack power and water.
It is hard to know how to best respond to such a cataclysmic catastrophe. I have two suggestions.
First, in a Zoom meeting yesterday, Bishop Wright urged congregations and individuals who want to help to donate money directly to the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina. The national church’s aid organization, Episcopal Relief and Development, is also collecting donations for all areas hit by the storm. But sending money directly to the diocese means they will get it faster and will be able to put it to use more quickly.
At our meeting next Tuesday I will be asking the vestry to consider making a generous donation from St. Dunstan’s. But I also encourage individuals to make their own donations. Here’s how to do it. Click on the blue Diocese of Western NC below, which will take you to their donations site.
- Diocese of Western NC: Select “Partners in Mission” from the drop-down menu, and add “Hurricane Helene” in the memo box.
The second way we can help is through collecting supplies and driving them to distribution centers in NC. We are partnering with St. Anne’s on this. Note that the suggested list below says no water because of the weight. These are items that will be dropped into remote areas by helicopter. Water is fine to bring. Please bring your items and put them in the narthex in and around the red wagon. And if anyone is interested in driving supplies up (probably to Hendersonville) please let me know. If necessary we can rent a truck to take them.
We have a couple of things to remind you of here. The Flying Pig BBQ will be on October 20. We will have one service at 10:45 that morning (no Sunday School). The BBQ will begin in the Beech Grove right after church. There will be sign up sheets this Sunday for volunteer jobs and side dishes.
Sunday School resumes this Sunday. We will be taking another look at Christian Nationalism, which as Bishop Wright says, is neither Christian nor patriotic. We’ll be listening to a four-part pod cast that Bishop Wright has done on the topic, supplemented by Jim Wallis’ book, The False White Gospel. I hope you will join is.
With love,
Tricia