Churches Provide Hope to Communities in Midst of Oil Spill
Written: 5/12/2010
(Navarre, FL) On Monday, May 10 concerned pastors serving churches along the coastal areas of the Alabama - West Florida Annual Conference gathered to pray. Their prayers were for the ecological, economic, and spiritual impacts facing their areas of ministry as a result of the April 20 British Petroleum (BP) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Pastors gathered in the sanctuary of Navarre United Methodist Church, invited by Rev. Dan Morris, the church's senior pastor. "As United Methodist clergy serving on the Gulf Coast, we have unique settings of ministry that will require special responses. No one knows our situations better than ourselves, and we need the wisdom and inspiration God gives to us when we gather."
"God is bigger than the oil spill," said Rev. Jack Kale, Gulf Breeze UMC. Kale encouraged the pastors to take action in providing venues for volunteer training through their church facilities. Kale has already scheduled BP-led volunteer trainings at the church and has led prayer vigils on the beach. "The more people that are trained, the more people can help. We're about to have a chance to get our hands dirty for the Gospel."
Rev. Dareen McClellan , Perdido Bay UMC, aknowledged that the church doesn't have all the answers to this crisis, but it does have a significant role to play."{We need to tell our communities that} Even though we don't have all the answers, We are here and we are with you. One of our most important roles is to be the spiritual voice in the conversation." He urged pastors to be proactive in working with BP and local governments to address needs.
The meeting included briefings from local elected officials and BP representatives.
Chris Olson, a community relations coordinator for British Petroleum (BP) assigned to work in Santa Rosa County, announced that as of May 10 over 11,000 people had signed up for volunteer training, and more than 700 boat captains had signed up for "vessel of opportunity" training. "People want to feel empowered to be part of the solution and this is an important role that the Church can play," said Olson.
Gordon Goodin, Chairman of the Santa Rosa (Fla.) County Commission and member of Navarre UMC, shared the information with the group, reminding them of an area of need that churches can meet. "The United Methodist Church is famous for its response {in these types of disasters}. Your churches will help us meet the emotional and social services needs that will most likely emerge from this."
Bishop Paul L. Leeland addressed the attendees, thanking them for having the foresight and leadership to act. "You are providing leadership that enables hope; and we are a people of hope."
All creation is the Lord’s, and we are responsible for the ways in which we use and abuse it. Water, air, soil, minerals, energy resources, plants, animal life, and space are to be valued and conserved because they are God’s creation and not solely because they are useful to human beings. God has granted us stewardship of creation. - From The Social Principles of The United Methodist Church 2009-2012; ¶ 160. I. THE NATURAL WORLD
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Read a Pastoral Word from Bishop Leeland regarding the oil spill (05.05.2010)