by Bethany
Furkin
Presbyterian News Service
But to the group of church members and presbytery staff
gathered March 7 - not to mention the countless volunteers and homeowners they
served - the space is a storehouse of memories.
Open since January 2006, FISH (First in Service and Hope) Camp at First Union has
housed more than 3,500 volunteers from all over the country who have come to the
Gulf Coast to help with recovery efforts following Hurricane Katrina. FISH was a
partnership between the church, the Presbytery of South Louisiana and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.
The camp closed not because recovery efforts are over, but
because current needs are better served by another volunteer village closer to
the Ninth Ward, St. Bernard and Gentilly areas of New Orleans. When the camp
first opened, Luling, about 25 miles west of New Orleans, was as close as
volunteers could get to the stricken city.
"You have had some of the best volunteers here, both in
management and in work teams, that we have had in our system," said John
Robinson, national associate with PDA, at the camp's closing ceremony. "I hope
that in the future - under better circumstances than a storm - that we might be
able to work together again."
At capacity, FISH Camp could house 90 people, often made up of
several church groups who had come to volunteer for a week at a time. They
stayed in pods, small plastic shacks with cots inside. They showered in
trailers. They ate as a group. And during the day, they went out to do the
hammer-and-nails work essential to recovery.
At the ceremony, Alan Cutter, general presbyter of the
Presbytery of South Louisiana, gave thanks for the "large empty space" where the
camp once was.
"When people's homes were empty of
human life, when people were dispersed into far-off places ... this empty space
became a refuge, a place of hope, a place of service," he said, adding that
volunteers used the space to enter into the empty spaces in people's lives.
Cutter thanked God for allowing the volunteers, presbytery and
church to be servants and for making scripture come alive by housing the
homeless and feeding the hungry.
First Union is in St. Charles Parish, an area that had seen
little damage from the hurricanes, making it able to provide support for those
who had been affected. The church's Session had made a commitment to support
recovery efforts, so hosting a volunteer village seemed like a great way to get
involved.
"'Why not us?'" said Brad Thompson, clerk of Session. "This
place was really a great blessing to this church," he said, adding that it
helped forge relationships between members and volunteers near and far. Plus,
"We all learned some new skills," he said.
The first step of recovering a house - gutting - can be
overwhelming, said Jean Marie Peacock, associate presbyter and head of
congregational development and disaster recovery.
"This camp was a true light of hope in New Orleans, to
see the blue shirts come and bring hope," she said, referring to the bright blue
shirts often worn by PDA volunteers. "The numbers of lives that have been
touched is just extraordinary."
As a sign of recognition and
appreciation, PDA Coordinator Randy Ackley presented the congregation with a
plaque bearing Matthew 25:40: "And the Lord will answer them, 'Truly I
tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my
family, you did it to me.'"
That scripture reflects the impact of the camp,
Ackley said, adding that he has heard people talk more about what they have
gained by volunteering than what they gave.
"That accomplishment of mission is just so clear," he said.
"How many people are back on their feet and moving forward that otherwise
wouldn't be?"
Attendees of the ceremony shared stories
and memories and joined to sing "Your Love, Oh Lord." They gathered where the
camp once stood, their voices rising in the breeze, the sign for FISH Camp
propped up against a tree overlooking the "empty space" with so much meaning for
so many.