Larger
Community Outreach:
Local
Church Hosting Talk with Katrina Survivor
and Community-Builder
Seven-and-a-half
years after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, the Lower Ninth
Ward of New Orleans (among others) has still not recovered. In the
area where the canal levee was breached by an errant barge, the whole
community was wiped out and still most of it just consists of
overgrown foliage, concrete slabs and porch stoops leading to
nowhere. This area is lakeside (New Orleans-speak for north) of St.
Claude Avenue. Riverside (south) of St. Claude, most buildings are
still standing although many are vacant and/or in disrepair.
Essentially, the entire infrastructure of this part of the city was
destroyed, a majority of families who evacuated have never returned
and those that have returned to their longstanding community continue
to struggle. There are many reasons for this, too long to address
here.
A
mid
the rubble, a local native, Ward “Mack” McClendon, spent
considerable time praying and contemplating the situation in which
the community found itself: Schools had not reopened, libraries no
longer existed, unguided youth were wandering the streets with
nothing productive to do. The village had lost its “heart”
and needed to be remedied if the Lower Ninth Ward were ever to become
vibrant again. Ultimately, Mack founded the Lower Ninth Ward Village
Community Center, housed in a used manufacturing facility whose
structure appears much like an airplane hangar. Mack has made it his
life’s mission to build this center to serve many needs of the
community, which now contains a small library, computer center,
kitchen, skate park, garden and meeting/gathering space. The
Center’s funding has been intermittent and not always reliable.
F
or
the past three summers, volunteer members and youth of Community
Unitarian Universalist Church of Plano have traveled on week-long
mission trips to New Orleans to work with Mack and undertake projects
to help the Center get on its feet. They plan another trip this
year, in late July/early August to continue the work. This service
is so meaningful to the past participants that they are inviting
members of other area Unitarian Universalist congregations and other
interested unaffiliated community members to join them. Plans are
not finalized yet in detail, but interested parties will be kept
abreast of the plans as they develop.
Community
Church is bringing Mack McClendon up to Plano this spring for the
weekend of March 22-24 to give him the opportunity to speak to people
interested in hearing his story and hopefully willing and able to
join the group from the church in its annual mission. On Saturday
evening March 23rd
at 5:30pm, Community is hosting a Louisiana dinner followed by a talk
and discussion with Mack at the church location. Louisiana folk
(including Mack) will prepare the authentic cuisine. A $5.00
donation is requested to defray the cost of the food. The following
morning at 10:30, Mack will be the featured speaker at the church’s
Sunday morning worship service.
Anyone
interested in attending these events can either email
neworleans@communityuuchurch.org
or call 214-718-7590.
About
Community Unitarian Universalist Church of Plano:
CUUC
is a congregation of welcoming, diverse, caring and committed people.
We provide a place to examine spiritual questions individually and
communally; serve by enriching the spirit through words, music and
fellowship; and educate all ages by promoting ethics, a sense of
morality and the pursuit of personal and shared truths. We work
together to make our world a more compassionate, just and respectful
place.
Community
Unitarian Universalist Church
2875
E Parker Road
Plano,
Texas 75074
972-424-8989
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