Cover Story for September 1, 2005 By Kim Lawton In a dark sanctuary filled with votive candles, fast-paced images flash across video screens. Participants file forward to write their names on a wooden cross on the floor, while at the…
Casinos, churches alike decimated as Katrina pounds Mississippi
BILOXI, Miss. (ABP) — Hurricane Katrina punished the sacred and profane alike as it came ashore on the Mississippi Coast Aug. 29, gutting sturdy brick churches and glittering casinos, historic oceanside homes and modest tin-roofed bungalows. From New Orleans to…
Katrina sows destruction, confusion along La., Miss. coastlines
SLIDELL, La. (ABP) — Katrina has passed on to the north. Communications are out in Covington, La. Slidell, La., is a mess. And virtually nothing's left of Pass Christian, Miss. Such stories have been repeated all over the Gulf Coast…
Amid chaos, New Orleans officials rail against federal response
SLIDELL, La. (ABP) — Frustrated local officials in the New Orleans area came out swinging Sept. 1 against their federal counterparts, calling the response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster in that city immorally slow and uncoordinated. With communications in the…
Gulf Coast pastor challenges I-10 colleagues to help victims
PENSACOLA, Fla. (ABP) — A Florida Panhandle pastor whose church was devastated by Hurricane Ivan last year has challenged churches along the Interstate 10 corridor to respond compassionately to victims of Hurricane Katrina. Barry Howard, pastor of First Baptist Church…
S.C. church wants to ‘adopt’ families hit by hurricane
HAMPTON, S.C. (ABP) — A Baptist church in South Carolina is looking to help a few families from New Orleans to start their lives over after experiencing the destructive forces of Hurricane Katrina. Pastor Greg Clements of First Baptist Church…
As Katrina strikes La., Miss., Baptist relief workers respond
(ABP) — Baptists across the nation are opening their doors and hearts to those fleeing Hurricane Katrina. Baptist churches throughout Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi have become impromptu shelters for refugees fleeing Hurricane Katrina Aug. 29. In partnership with the American…
CBF readies for response as Katrina hits Gulf states
ATLANTA (ABP) — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is preparing to handle both financial contributions and volunteer requests in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, even before damage assessments have been made, said David Harding, CBF's international coordinator for emergency response. The…
Following international rebukes, Pat Robertson apologizes
Editor's note: This story updates one released previously. WASHINGTON (ABP) — Pat Robertson initially defended, then apologized Aug. 24 for remarks he made on national television two days before, calling for the murder of Venezuela's president. The conservative Christian broadcaster…