It is simple— Middle Church and its senior minister were asked to serve on the Gulf Coast Task Force by one of the largest and well respected ecumenical church organizations, The National Council of Churches.  When we explored beyond the sensationalistic but surface-level news reports, we were stunned by the magnitude of the devastation, the depth of suffering, and the lack of appropriate attention. 

So many of the  issues hit to the heart of what Middle stands for, including hidden and not so hidden racism, poverty and injustice, valuing uniqueness and diversity, and the incredible need for spiritual and mental support . We feel connected and called to healing that city, even as we feel called to heal the broken places in ours.   We will continue our program until every home is rebuilt and everyone has an opportunity to return home.  That is why we focus on the Gulf Coast.  If not us, who? If not now, when?

We have done much on the way to doing much more:

• Organized trip for 40 volunteers resulting in more than $30,000 worth of volunteer labor in April 2008.
• Planned and executed the first-ever tour for our gospel choir.  More than 30 members traveled to New Orleans in April 2008 for spiritual rebuilding ministry.
• Screened the latest documentary, Hope in New Orleans, which is about the organic creation of community between teens from New York and New Orleans, at Frederick Douglass High School and the community in the Ninth Ward.
• Donated more than $10,000 in monetary and in kind support to our partners in the Gulf Coast.
• Leader in an effort to build a coalition of organizations in New York active in the Gulf Coast, including hosting the KatrinaRitaVille Express -its first trip to NYC--in March 2008 and planning a faith-philanthropy breakfast on June 12, a mental health exchange later this year, and Gulf Coast film fest in 2009
  

• Partnered with other Collegiate and Reformed Church in America (RCA) churches to raise awareness in NYC and increase participation in the program
• Donated (from Fort Washington Collegiate Church) 40 boxes of books to middle, junior and high schools in New Orleans
• Donated money and resources to partner organizations including Common Ground Collective and the New York Solidarity Coalition Hardship Fund for Katrina/Rita survivors
• Organized a teen cultural exchange program between high school students in NYC and New Orleans
• Produced a documentary about the mission trip called Untold Stories with an Emmy-winning producer