70 Louisiana churches were damaged as Hurricane Ida roared through the southeast. Now the cleanup is underway with a chance for others to give back.
Shortly after Hurricane Delta made its way through Louisiana in September 2020, a team from First Baptist Church Golden Meadow, arrived at First Baptist Church Welsh, and fed hundreds of community members over a three-day period.
Then earlier this month, Hurricane Ida damaged First Baptist Golden Meadow, so the Welsh congregation plans to give back to the people who offered so much to their area.
FBC Welsh Pastor Pat Deshotel said members designated $3,000 to donate to the Golden Meadow church in memory of member Claude Fontenot, who served as pastor there from 1961-1982 and died in August.
Deshotel said, “The Bible tells us to love one another and I can’t think of a better way of obeying that commandment than showing love to that church.”
First Baptist Welsh is among the many churches that are giving back to those impacted by Ida.
Louisiana Baptist Missions and Ministry Team Director John Hebert said some of the most pressing needs are for propane fuel, gasoline and water.
Hebert said, “The need for essential supplies is staggering. Gas is slowly coming back where they run generator power and most service stations can only run one pump. There are massive lines at the gas stations.“
Meanwhile, volunteers from across the nation are flocking to the southeast to help wherever they can.