This is the eleventh update for the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief fund for the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore. This includes the Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, and Slidell, Louisiana area.

Pastor Michael Sprague of Trinity Evangelical Free Church of Covington, LA has sent another update on the Church’s ministry and conditions in the New Orleans area:

“Time in New Orleans

Yesterday afternoon I crossed through six military checkpoints in the process of assessing the needs and opportunities with our missionaries with Urban Impact Ministries. I accompanied two of the leaders, Scott and Melanie Lundeen. There were 19 military helicopters high above, and a military run city down below. This was not the city of jazz, streetcars, and beignets I once knew.

Our mission was to investigate Urban Impact’s neighborhood, assess damage and opportunities for ministry.

Their neighborhood was among the hardest hit. The church building was dry, (Read the rest of the story below the fold...)

This is the twelfth update for the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief fund for the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore. This includes the Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, and Slidell, Louisiana area.

The following is a message from this blog to the people of Trinity Evangelical Free Church of Covington, LA:

A Few Things We Have Learned

As we have watched and read the various stages in the progress concerning Trinity Evangelical Free Church of Covington, LA, over the past ten days, we have witnessed God through the power of His Holy Spirit working in peoples lives once again.

We have read every one of Pastor Sprague’s messages and your posts on your Church bulletin board/blog and have seen how much all of you miss and love each other. You are concerned about each other and everyone’s needs. We sat with a sense of wonder as Pastor (Read the rest of the story below the fold...)

This is the thirteenth update for the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief fund for the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore. This includes the Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, and Slidell, Louisiana area.

We have received a new message from Pastor Michael Sprague of Trinity Evangelical Free Church of Covington, LA related to the Church’s ministry in the New Orleans area:

“Friends,

My life is being taken through an amazing turn of events. I have worked for months on a major strategic planning initiative. After months of planning, meetings, tweaking and messaging, finally a couple of weeks ago it was unanimously approved by our leadership. A week ago God decided to blow up my plan with a hurricane named Katrina.

I think He laughed at my plan and said, “I can to better”. I think He will get more accomplished by His plan. I believe He wants to accomplish great and (Read the rest of the story below the fold...)

This is the fourteenth update for the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief fund for the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore. This includes the Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, and Slidell, Louisiana area.

There will be a meeting held this afternoon at Grace Community Chapel for all volunteers who will be making the trip to Trinity Evangelical Free Church on Thursday Sept. 15, 2005 and returning on Monday Sept. 19, 2005. The meeting will be at 4:00 PM CDT.

Construction volunteers will be needed to do primarily roof repair and replacement. Labor volunteers will be needed to do yard cleanup (including cutting up of downed trees), warehouse sorting, preparation of meals at Trinity Church, day care at Trinity Church, and general cleaning and sanitizing. A place to stay and meals will be provided by Trinity Church. Volunteers are open to women as well as men.

Needed supplies can be brought (Read the rest of the story below the fold...)

This is the fifteenth update for the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief fund for the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore. This includes the Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, and Slidell, Louisiana area.

We have another new communication from Pastor Michael Sprague of Trinity Evangelical Free Church of Covington, LA:

“Friends,

Here is a quick note to keep you in the loop and help you to pray specifically. Here is a sampling of the human toll interacting with folks in the last day:

1. A church family lost their house completely in Slidell. Everything is gone. Yet a couple drove their 5th wheel from Michigan and gave it to them for free. God provided. Yea God!

2. Another family lost their home. Trees destroyed it. Someone is letting them live in their home until December. Yea God!

3. An attorney lost his entire law office. The hurricane set off the sprinkler system (Read the rest of the story below the fold...)

This is the sixteenth update for the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief fund for the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore. This includes the Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, and Slidell, Louisiana area.

Pastor Michael Sprague of Trinity Evangelical Free Church of Covington, LA has written another update of prayer and opportunity for ministry to the North Shore Area:

“New Update:

I got a note from a friend yesterday who was hit hard from the hurricane. His wife was living in a different city and he was here on the Northshore digging out. His words were written this way, “No Electricity but we have power! (in the Holy Spirit).” I trust you can say “Amen” from whatever the part of the country you reside, because the people of Trinity Church are experiencing this.

It’s amazing how doors of opportunity are flying open as we serve people.

1. One woman I talked to (Read the rest of the story below the fold...)

This is the seventeenth update for the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief fund for the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore. This includes the Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, and Slidell, Louisiana area.

The following is a letter from Pastor Michael Sprague of Trinity Evangelical Free Church of Covington, LA, posted on their website on September 14th:

“Concerned Friends,

Let me start today by telling you how a hurricane can utterly transform the nature of a local church. Our vision at Trinity Church is to help people become fully devoted followers of Christ and then impact the Northshore, New Orleans and beyond. We have determined to be intentional in getting outside of our walls and touching people’s lives one by one with the love of Christ. I can tell you we have been kicked into high gear.

Trinity Church used to be a nice (Read the rest of the story below the fold...)

This is the eighteenth update for the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief fund for the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore. This includes the Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, and Slidell, Louisiana area.

We have an update from Grace Team 1 of Grace Community Chapel, from St. Peters, Missouri, who are currently in Covington, LA joining in the efforts of Trinity Evangelical Free Church to provide tree removal and minor roof repair to those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

We spoke to the construction leader who described for us some of the things accomplished on Saturday.

Our team of twenty-five was depleted by the return to Missouri of four members, two of which began feeling badly on Friday night.

Three of the women who had worked inside on Friday, switched places and worked outside while the others moved inside to take over helping run the free store, cooking, and child (Read the rest of the story below the fold...)

This is the nineteenth update for the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief fund for the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore. This includes the Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, and Slidell, Louisiana area.

The following is a letter from Pastor Michael Sprague of Trinity Evangelical Free Church of Covington, LA, posted on their website on September 17th:

“Dear Friends,

Donna and I just returned from the town next to ours called Slidell . Maybe you have heard it mentioned on the news. We have numbers of people attend Trinity from Slidell . By phone I have interacted with a few who had their homes destroyed. The reports I was receiving were dire. However, it is one thing to hear about the devastation and another thing to see it.

We observed community after community of total loss. Imagine home after home with everything in the (Read the rest of the story below the fold...)

This is the twentieth update for the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief fund for the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore. This includes the Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, and Slidell, Louisiana area.

Grace Team 1 from Grace Community Chapel of St. Peters, Missouri returned safely home from their ministry through Trinity Evangelical Free Church of Covington, LA, on Monday evening.

Here are pictures of a home where they worked in Covington, LA removing trees and debris.

This shot is taken from the front of the home and has some of the team members as they began working.

This was taken after the trees were removed and hauled to the street and is shot from the garage in the rear of the home.

We will be publishing more pictures as we get them to show just a portion of the degree of devastation, and the amount of work which remains to be done.

The members of Grace Team 1, all say they had a rewarding experience and a wonderful time. They are busy now taking inventory of finances and supplies which have been donated to Grace Community Chapel since they left for Trinity Church last Thursday. They can hardly wait to form Grace Team 2, load up with new supplies, and go back to minister again.

As always, if you would like to contribute to the combined efforts of this blog and Grace Community Chapel of St. Peters, MO, in raising money for Trinity Evangelical Free Church in Covington, LA, to be distributed locally to the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore area, you will find detailed donation information by clicking here.

This is the twenty-first update for the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief fund for the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore. This includes the Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, and Slidell, Louisiana area.

We have received a new letter from Pastor Michael Sprague of Trinity Evangelical Free Church of Covington, LA as an update for the North Shore area.

“Friends,

It is amazing how one event called Katrina can be used by God to transform a local church. Like persecution in Acts 8:1 scattered the early church, so a hurricane has shaken us to our core. Yet, God is good and is bringing beauty out of ashes.

If you walked into Trinity Church you may not recognize it anymore. Our nice, safe, comfortable, structured, suburban church does not exist anymore. We are an unsafe, uncomfortable, dangerous, outwardly focused, moment-by-moment, Spirit dependent church, asking Jesus what’s next? We are (Read the rest of the story below the fold...)

This is the twenty-second update for the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief fund for the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore. This includes the Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, and Slidell, Louisiana area.

Pastor Michael Sprague of Trinity Evangelical Free Church of Covington, LA, has written another letter of encouragement and instruction.

“Teachable Moments,

There is nothing like a hurricane to build a teachable heart and have your internal radar system constantly being on the alert for the promptings of the Spirit of God. I wouldn’t wish this calamity on anyone but likewise I wouldn’t trade for anything, what I’ve been learning and how my life has been profoundly changed.

Here is one of the things I have learned. In the providence of God, I had a bunch of missionaries and relief workers bunking up with me in a house without power early on in the hurricane aftermath. One of them was (Read the rest of the story below the fold...)

This is the twenty-third update for the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief fund for the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore. This includes the Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, and Slidell, Louisiana area.

Pastor Michael Sprague of Trinity Evangelical Free Church of Covington, LA, has sent another letter of instruction and encouragement.

“Surrender

Life has changed forever for the people of the New Orleans region. Life will go on, but it will never be the same. I believe that will be true of my life as well. I’m a different person than I was a month ago. The simplicity of life and yet the struggle of life is unmistakable. The brief attempts to explain things or to predict the future are mind boggling. The “misery quotient” of so many around me is off the charts. On top of this, I believe the tidal wave of (Read the rest of the story below the fold...)

This is the twenty-third update for the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief fund for the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore. This includes the Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, and Slidell, Louisiana area.

Clean and Available

Grace Team 2 was launched this morning from Grace Community Chapel of St. Peters, MO, with the announcement of an informational meeting next Sunday afternoon for those interested in participating in the next team to help with disaster relief in Covington, LA.

Grace Chapel has partnered with this blog to channel our combined efforts to help Trinity Evangelical Free Church of Covington, LA in their ministry to the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain area.

We chose the subject above, “clean and available” for a reason. The Apostle Paul writes in II Timothy 2:20-21 the following:

“20 Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but others of wood (Read the rest of the story below the fold...)

This is the twenty-fourth update for the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief fund for the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore. This includes the Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, and Slidell, Louisiana area.

Pastor Michael Sprague of Trinity Evangelical Free Church of Covington, LA, has sent a new message of what God is doing through His Church.

“The Church That Jesus Built

I wish all of you could experience Trinity church as it is now. Often it is like Grand Central Station. People are everywhere. Tents, RVs, trucks, trailers, and vehicles fill the property. Inside, children inhabit the educational wing nursery as we continue our new child care ministry for the businesses and community. The free store has a continual flow of weary refugees from every background you can imagine. Teams from Evangelical Free Churches and other churches are deployed 8 am to 6 pm daily and (Read the rest of the story below the fold...)

Patrick Ruffini’s September GOP primary straw poll is now ready for you to cast your vote.

In August, over 17,000 votes were cast. Each poll becomes increasingly more accurate, and will soon be on a par with other polling ventures.

This poll offers a field where you can describe yourself politically and see how others with your viewpoint voted.

Are you a pro-life Christian interested in abortion and cultural issues? Then type: pro-life, conservative, church/state, — and see how others like you voted! Tired of poll questions that don’t ask you about the stuff YOU care about? Then tag your vote and tell everyone what you think.

Be sure to cast your vote today, by simply clicking here.

This is the twenty-fifth update for the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief fund for the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore. This includes the Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, and Slidell, Louisiana area.

Pastor Michael Sprague of Trinity Evangelical Free Church of Covington, LA, has sent a message of joy from the ministry on the North Shore.

“An Army of Love

Love is “the final apologetic.” Francis Schaeffer

“90% of evangelism is love.” Seminary Professor

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Jesus (John 13:34-35)

“Preach the gospel at all times, if necessary use words.” A Drink at Joel’s Place, Word Books pp. 24, 36

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that (Read the rest of the story below the fold...)

This is the twenty-sixth update for the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief fund for the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore. This includes the Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, and Slidell, Louisiana area.

We have received a request for prayer from Pastor Michael Sprague of Trinity Evangelical Free Church of Covington, LA, along with more testimony to what God is doing along the North Shore.

“Prayer:

What strikes me once again today is what an incredible “God Thing” is happening at Trinity Church. We did not make this up! We are not the one doing the internal “heart transformation” work. He is! We are amazed and thankful.

Here’s a sampling from today:

1 In the hallway today a Trinity family returned to church after being a refugee family for weeks. Trinity is cluttered with people everywhere. The son said, “This isn’t our small cozy church!” (Read the rest of the story below the fold...)