Articles

Good Works: Hurricane Aftermath

By Gracie Bonds Staples
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sep. 15, 2005

Members of Atlanta's faith community issued a call to action Wednesday to guide congregations helping victims of Hurricane Katrina.

"In the past, we've been fragmented in our approaches, but today we intend to call for unity,'' said Robert Franklin, board president of the Regional Council of Churches of Atlanta.

The destruction from Katrina exposed the face of poverty and reminds Americans that "we must mobilize the will, the resources, enlightened policy and the moral values to eliminate such poverty and the lack of opportunity that makes a mockery of even small efforts to exercise personal responsibility," Franklin said.

Franklin said the council is working to convene "the right players and problem solvers" to attack issues of racism and poverty exposed by the disaster.

At the press conference at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the group also issued a five-point call to action. Unity topped its list.

"We urge all faith communities, nonprofit relief organizations and government agencies to set aside issues that can hinder our common determination to help others,'' Franklin said, reading from prepared remarks. "Where there is or has been institutional tension or conflict let us now resolve to forgive, to show patience, and to move forward together."

The group also called for:
• Repentance and reconciliation.
• A national conversation on moral leadership and citizenship.
• Justice for our most vulnerable neighbors.
• A time for celebration and worship.

More than three dozen religious and community leaders from the metro area joined Franklin, including the Rev. Darrell Elligan, president of Concerned Black Clergy; Roy Craft, executive director of the Regional Council of Churches; and the Rev. Barbara King of Hillside Chapel and Truth Center.

Franklin said the council, which includes 500 churches and individuals in metro Atlanta, has been deeply disturbed by images that suggest that needless suffering may have resulted from a lack of compassion for people living in poverty and people of color.

Dr. Keith Ferdinand, a New Orleans cardiologist and native of the city's Ninth Ward, lost his home and clinic in the storm.

He said the Ninth Ward, hard hit by Hurricane Katrina, is 98 percent African-American and that 33 percent of his patients lived below the poverty level.
"I've spent the last 20 years of my life serving that community,'' Ferdinand said. Now, he and his 15 employees have been scattered by the storm.
"Health is not just the absence of disease,'' Ferdinand said. "It's a positive state of social, political, psychological and spiritual well-being."
He said the Association of Black Cardiologists has pledged $25,000 to the Concerned Black Clergy for hurricane relief, with more to come.

Franklin, professor of social ethics at Emory University's Candler School of Theology, said the council is committed to helping communities of faith practice racial and class reconciliation. He called on them to help sponsor and lead dialogue on how "we can become one people under God."

Franklin said the council has already approached Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and Gov. Sonny Perdue about holding town hall meetings.

The council also announced a metrowide interfaith worship service at 6 p.m. Oct. 23 at First Presbyterian Church for reflection, worship and rededication to religious values.

For information about the council, go to www.rccatl.org or call 404-389-0590.

Copyright 2005 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. For more information, visit www.ajc.com.

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