repairs was offset by donations and a $70,000 grant from the ELCA Mis- sion Investment Fund. Collins said Faith’s rapid rebuild- ing defies logic. As many questioned “Why?” more people grew closer to God through the disaster. “[They were reminded] that with God, all things are possible,” he said. “If we had any doubt this was true, the word of God can be trusted.”
And at St. Barnabas … While Faith was able to move at light speed, the progress is more tedious for St. Barnabas Lutheran Church in the Howard Beach neigh- borhood of New York City. The church needed massive rip-outs and extensive electrical work. “We’re moving along,” said Wil-
liam Baum, pastor. “A lot has been done, but more always seems left to do.”
Mold has been remediated, and the air quality is now acceptable so people no longer need to cover their mouths and noses. Walls have been ripped out, plastered and primed, and a local Boy Scout troop is painting. “We still need to replace the
floor,” Baum said, “but that’s not going to happen in the short run.” To use the fellowship hall, 20 more tables and 100 chairs need to be purchased to replace ones that were tossed. “If I can find a way to get money for that, I’ll buy some,” he said, but more important things come first, like reinstalling lights in the chancel and electricity to the boiler. Bibles need to be replaced, and a gutted kitchen awaits appli- ances. But enough is done that the church can reopen for a Nov. 2 dedi- cation service.
While repair work has been exhaustive, Baum has benefited from volunteer help. “We never lacked for labor,” he added. “We always
had plenty of people to do what we needed. It was a matter of getting the money to purchase supplies.” The electrical work alone was $75,000. If there’s a bright spot, he said,
it’s in the outreach and financial sup- port the church received. While he estimates repair expenses so far to be approximately $200,000, the same amount has been raised, mostly from 40 congregations and many donors. Every weekday, he said, he opens envelopes containing donations. Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Manhattan, well-known for its music program, is raising money to purchase a piano to replace the one damaged by flooding. St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Manhattan took the lead in helping with project management. But emotional damage still runs deep since nearly every St. Barnabas
To help To give, send checks to Lutheran Disaster Response, 39330 Treasury Center, Chicago, IL 60694-9300; 800-638-3522;
www.elca.org/disaster.
family was displaced from their home and are still dealing with the morass of paperwork and repairs. “As a pastor you expect that on most weeks you’ll deal with a family or two in crisis. Here, everyone is in crisis, all the time. Every family is in the same position with lost homes and cars, trees dying … no one was without damage.” The congregation finds joy, how-
ever, in the new church space, which is bright and airy, and Baum is espe- cially relieved to “see a final ending taking shape.” “It’s been a lesson in patience,” he
said. “A crisis of this size moves at its own pace. No matter how you force it, it will move at its own speed, and the surprises never end.”
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