Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall 20 years ago on Aug. 29, where the Louisiana-Mississippi state line meets the Gulf Coast, forever altered the communities it ravaged — both the region’s physical landscape and its collective identity.
The Diocese of Louisiana was my former diocese. I rode out Hurricane Katrina with my mother and her younger sister in Angie, Louisiana. The two elderly women refused to evacuate. While we were on the weaker side of the hurricane, the area receivd a lot of damage from the high winds and heavy rain. All the pecan trees that lined the street in front of my aunt's house were uprooted. The oak tree in her front yard split in half and one half fell on her truck. Miraculously the truck was undamaged. My older brother, however, lost his house in Katrina. It was the shortage of affordable housing in the area where the hurricane struck that caused me to relocate to Kentucky where I had eventually planned to retire. The stress and strain of hurricane recovery would shorten the life of then Bishop of Louisiana Charles Jenkins and lead to his early death. May he rest in peace.10 Ways to Scare Off Young Adults From Your Church
We don’t mean to alienate young adults from the church, but blind spots can quietly signal, “This isn’t for you,” causing them to drift away.
Three Questions Pastors Must Ask In A Post-denominational World
Working with dozens of denominations I've had the chance to see the positives and negatives play out in real time.
The Four Faces of the Nones: What Ryan Burge’s New Research Reveals
Ryan Burge does it again.
If you’ve followed his work, you know he has a way of blending rigorous research with clear, relatable explanations. This time, he partnered with Tony Jones on a grant-funded project from the John Templeton Foundation’s Spiritual Yearning Research Initiative. The centerpiece? A massive survey titled Making Meaning in a Post-Religious America.
A Sanctifying Space
Though not an official mark of the church—locality is missing from the Nicene belief in “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church”—place is nevertheless an integral aspect of the church’s nature and mission.
I Miss the Pews: Why Uncomfortable Togetherness Mattered
Proximity was nonnegotiable in the pews. They reminded you, I’m here, and they are too.
We’ve traded the slow, formative friction of community for the fast comforts of individualism.
September Creation Tips: Who Are You?
The “Community of All Creation” is first in the United Methodist Social Principles. It affirms that you are part of the Beloved Community with a sacred calling to care for all creation.
Here are ways you can....
Celebrating 250 years of the Manx Bible
2025 marks the 250th anniversary of the Manx Bible. This is the story....
Two Mistakes the Disciples Made—and We Still Make—About the Kingdom of God
In the first chapter of Acts, during the transitional period between his resurrection and his ascension into heaven, we find Jesus involved in one central task, that of teaching the disciples, especially about the kingdom of God.
The need that the disciples still have for a great deal of instruction about the task that lies ahead of them can be seen from their question in Acts 1:6: “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
No comments:
Post a Comment