June 6, 2007
Previously, The Alliance has reported on “the light side” of all that God has accomplished in and through selfless volunteers who have touched the lives of the residents of Waveland, Mississippi. Mississippians have experienced firsthand the love of Jesus through the compassionate care of His followers, and an Alliance church has been planted there. But for thousands in Waveland, as well as other Gulf Coast cities ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, the nightmare continues.
“The light side is easy,” says George Williamson, pastor of the Southern District’s Christian Life Center in Waveland. “The dark side is not. The dark side started for me on February 23, 2007.”
That is when Williamson and his wife, Allie, began their ministry in Waveland, where thousands of people, many still living in trailers, are experiencing life-challenging problems. Williamson followed God’s call to the small Gulf Coast city, picking up where Alliance pastors Art Baruffi and Don Young left off, leading relief and rebuilding efforts and pastoring Christian Life Center. Nearly 60 people have come to the Lord as a result of their interaction with believers who were there during the time of need.
“But there is so much more that needs to be done,” says Williamson, who sees the devastation of Hurricane Katrina on a daily basis—and it’s not just the landscape. “The soil is polluted with sewage, oil, and mud. Open wounds quickly bring infection.
“Men can’t help their families. They question their ability to be men. ‘My job is gone,’ they say. ‘My house is gone. My kid’s school is gone.’”
Suicides are common, Williamson says. Media headlines tell the story of a prominent local man who shot his wife and then took his own life. The city is reeling. People are broken, and Williamson’s heart is broken for them.
“A local policeman told me, ‘I haven’t talked to a chaplain in 17 months.’ He asked me to pray. I ask myself, ‘Can this be America? Do we matter?’”
Williamson, choked with emotion, knows where his hope lies. “I wait undefeated,” he says, “because I know mercy triumphs. We still need help. We are trusting God for 100 volunteers a week. Jesus’ ministry is still to heal the brokenhearted, and they are everywhere on the Gulf Coast.”
For information on how you can help Alliance efforts in rebuilding the Gulf Coast, contact: Frank Smith, C&MA director for hurricane relief in the Southern District, 570-713-5930, or [email protected].