First Parish in Concord

Gulf Relief Projects Update, Nov 6, 2005

Friday, 04 November 2005 02:23

We want to update you on the continuing efforts of the Katrina Response Task force of First Parish.

The Task Force meets on the first Thursday morning of each month at 8 a.m. and all are welcome.  Help is needed on all projects.  

First Parish in Concord has sent $8000 to our partner, First Unitarian Church in Dallas, to help families made homeless by Katrina resettle into the Dallas community.  Children in our religious education program have packed and shipped over 65 backpacks full of school supplies to children who were displaced by Katrina and are now living in Houston.   In addition we have donated $2500 to UUA-UUSC Gulf Relief Funds.  There are many active working groups that are helping people rebuild after the hurricanes.

Concord Interfaith Project:  Helping the Biloxi, Mississippi community

As part of an effort to address the longer term, post-Katrina needs of the Biloxi community, we are linking with the Back Bay Mission (BBM) of Biloxi, a well known and respected social service organization that has been serving the poor for over eight decades.  The needs of BBM are great—most of the buildings were almost completely destroyed by the hurricane.  The leadership of BBM is well known to a First Parish member and the reputation of BBM, as a central source of support for Biloxi residents is undisputed.  Working as an interfaith partnership this group will ascertain needs, raise funds, and supply potential work camps for teens and adults. 

All Concord and Carlisle faith communities are being encouraged to participate as well as other interested organizations in Concord and beyond.  Plans include:

* November 8- Project meeting, First Parish, 8:30 am, all interested people invited

* November 9 - Presentation to the Concord Clergy/Laity group

* November 20 - Announce the initiative at the Concord Interfaith Youth
Thanksgiving Service, First Parish, 7:30 pm (tentative plan)

* January - Send a core team to Biloxi to assess the situation, determine
the needs, initiate the relationships, and begin to plan the actions

* January 2006 - Create a community wide fund raising event

* Spring/Summer 2006 - form an interfaith work team to deliver services in Biloxi

* Summer- Other actions still to be defined

Help and leadership is needed:

* Assistance with within First Parish awareness activities, such as the Gulf Relief table at coffee hours, potential help with a parish hall reception following the November 20th service, etc.

* A team to design, develop, and deliver the January fund raising event

* Communications help to keep all organizations updated, to communicate to the First Parish community, and the wider Concord/Carlisle community 

* Assistance in working on arranging the spring/summer work camp

Please contact Marty Schumacher, the lead This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it from First Parish and/or Peter Hilton, the lead This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it from Kerem Shalom, to get involved.

Spindletop Unitarian Universalist Church:  Beaumont, Texas 

Mark Richards traveled to Spindletop UU church in Beaumont, Texas on Friday, November 4 to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Rita and see how we could help.  First Parish in Concord is the “Managing Partner” for Spindletop, meaning we are coordinating other UU churches that want to help.  Currently, UU congregations in Ridgewood, NJ, Pasadena, CA as well as several in Massachusetts are working with Mark on this effort.   To get involved in helping this small congregation keep the liberal faith alive in Texas, contact Mark Richards at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

Partnering with One Family

We have partnered with one family, consisting of a mother, Renee and her six-year-old daughter.  They are living in Worcester, where Renee works and the daughter is enrolled in school.  They came with almost nothing and due to the generosity of First Parish families and the Household Goods Recycling Ministry, we have provided them with some furniture, a washer and dryer, specific clothing, gift cards to purchase needed provisions and other goods.  Deb Dormitzer is keeping track of what the family needs and coordinating donations.  A group of four First Parish families is also helping Renee with Deb.   And our own Knitters’ Group is coordinating the creation of an afghan; with each knitter creating a square that will be assembled by one wonderful knitter.  Renee and her daughter need sustained help.  They desperately need a laptop computer to keep in touch with the world around them and family (like the rest of us!).  And holiday support, including caring touches and Christmas gifts, will be needed as well.  As a congregation we can we can send our love and care with cards, gifts, and donations.  Deb Dormitzer is in continual touch with Renee.  She knows what the family needs and is ready to hear about your ideas of what you would like to do to help this family.  Contact Deb at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Opportunities for Supporting Positive Social Policies  

As rebuilding begins, a number of important decisions will have to be made at all levels from federal to community.  To provide a starting point for First Parish members interested in taking political action and supporting the participation of evacuees in decision-making, we have identified a number of organizations that are taking positions on Katrina-related issues, highlighting those whose efforts seem particularly promising.   We have ways for you to participate immediately.  Please contact Wendy Holt, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information or to join a task force to take political action.  

Youth Initiatives

First Parish youth continue to be interested in and committed to supporting Gulf Relief efforts.  Look for their raffle of excellent tickets to a soon-to-be-revealed rock concert.  Proceeds will go the Concord Interfaith Project to Support Biloxi (Back Bay Mission) and to assist our partners in Transylvania.  

Gulf Relief Task Force members include:  Deb Dormitzer, Debbie Dunnington, Peter Hilton, Wendy Holt, Tracey Hurd, John Lowe, Jim Reynolds, Mark Richards, Marty Schumacher, Bill Seaver, Dick Shohet, and Rev. Jenny Rankin.  New members are warmly welcomed!