The Rt. Rev. Charles E. Jenkins, III, Bishop of Louisiana, the Rt. Rev. Duncan M. Gray, III, Bishop of Mississippi, and other church leaders along the Gulf Coast welcomed the recent announcement from the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund (BCKF) that it will award up to $35,000 in grant assistance to congregations affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Since Jan. 1, the charitable trust spearheaded by former presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton has raised more than $100 million in contributions from 60,000 donors. Of that total, $20 million has been earmarked to rebuild damaged churches, $30 million for rebuilding colleges and universities, and $40 million to be divided among funds set up by the governors of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi to help meet gaps in government funding for recovery.

The situation on the ground remains difficult eight months after the storm according to Archdeacon Dennis McManis, director of operations for the office of disaster response in the Diocese of Louisiana. “A lot of small congregations don’t see how they are going to make it,” he said.

The population of New Orleans fell from 440,000 to 150,000 after the storm, Archdeacon McManis noted, and at year’s end it had only risen to 198,000. “Cash flow is an issue” for a number of congregations as many of their parishioners are not coming back, he said.

The BCKF's April 12 announcement said grants would be given to fund “up to $35,000 for capital repair and construction of their houses of worship. Up to $4,000 of the total grant can be used to cover rental costs of a temporary location for the congregation. Up to $5,000 of the total grant can be allocated as an administrative stipend for the clergy leader to manage the proposed repair and construction project.”

Applications will be accepted through July 31, with the first grants to be distributed by mid-May. Episcopal churches that wish to take advantage of the aid must meet eligibility requirements that include the endorsement of their bishop.

In partnership with the Episcopal Church Foundation, the dioceses of Mississippi and Louisiana recently launched a three-year nationwide capital campaign called “Darkness into Day,” which “is trying to raise funds to rebuild churches, pay clergy and lay staff salaries in the interim and provide other programmatic support until we can get back on our feet,” Bishop Gray told The Living Church.

(The Rev.) George Conger

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