Janet Parker joined our Fellowship Sunday, August 7th. Board President Huey Mitchell introduced her as:

On just about any Sunday you will find her greeting new friends in the foyer, settling her grandchildren in the R E room, or having a casual conversation near the "information counter." Wherever you find her, you are in for a surprising and delightful conversation. This is one interesting and intelligent woman! We are all looking forward to going to SFA to cheer when she gets her degree!!

Sheila McElroy

A helpful web site for our UFL families can be found at www.uua.org/families/. As stated on the website, "With our congregations we will intentionally affirm the infinite variety of families, and provision and sustain them as they grow in spirit, love and justice."

Links include: Intergenerational, Community, Family Justice, Social Service, Resources, Family Issues, Rites of Passage, Witness and Celebration, Family Life Stages, Families at Home and Family Matters Task Force.

The UFL will continue to create a space to nurture our families in "spirit, love and justice." For more family web sites or information on family R.E. classes contact Jessica Noble or Sheila McElroy.

Hurricane Katrina approached the Gulf Coast and threatened New Orleans. Weather forecasters were advising the public that the storm was building up to a Category 4 or 5, the largest storm ever seen in that area. People started to pour out of areas at risk and seek shelter elsewhere. Many came to the Longview area and motels filled quickly. Then the storm hit and one of the most heinous and unnecessary tragedies began to unfold as the poor, the elderly and the sick paid the price for our society's failures.

Sickened and saddened by what we saw happening, our Fellowship took up a collection and looked for ways we could help. Ideas were shared and a committee was formed to implement them. Gayle, Marolen, Jay, Barbara and Tina went to work.

Barbara, through her work at the dialysis center, knew of a family displaced by the hurricane. The committee agreed Barbara should offer them our help. They said yes, so the next step was to determine exactly what they needed and what we would be able to do. They were living at the Convention Center, so the first thing done was to move them into a temporary space of their own. They were able to find a room at the Contessa Inn which allowed them to continue getting their meals at the Convention Center. Next was to help them move into more permanent housing.

The couple went apartment hunting in Tyler because that location provided good job opportunities and access to specifically needed medical care. They were able to find and rent an apartment. They then returned to Louisiana to salvage what they could from their completely ruined home. While they were gone, Gayle invited everyone in the Fellowship to use her garage as a storage space for donated items.

Here is Gayle's report of her last meeting with "our" family:

I met with Lakisha this morning at Cooper Optical, where she picked up her glasses. She had called me earlier in the day for our plans to meet and determine what assistance they could still use. Lakisha had attended a Job Fair earlier in Tyler, and said she had a good interview yesterday at Mother Francis Hospital. We talked about the couple's feelings about accepting help and she said it is hard for them but they are very thankful for the immediate assistance we offered. She graciously accepted John's grocery contribution, Beecher's kitchen items and CVS gift card, and we discussed any further needs with which we could help. The only items needed that they could not salvage or acquire are a toddler bed, linens, and comforters for the children's beds. She had already identified an available toddler bed for $69.95 in Tyler. Rather than run around Longview in this heat, I asked if we could provide some money and she could get the items they need. She agreed that would be helpful, so I gave her $200 in cash to cover these expenses. We agreed that should cover the costs of two sets each of linens, comforters for the two beds, and the toddler bed.

continued on page 3 ..... see Reaching Out