Be THE Neighbor Local Ministries
The question continues as we ask, “What has been the local Christian communities’ response to hurricane Ian?” When reached for comment Ron Kutinsky, Sr. Leader of Hope International Ministries, known locally as H.I.M. Church, said “H.I.M. church’s local response was immediate”. The church asked people the first Sunday following the hurricane to give. “They had an immediate response, both financial and practical. The church parked a trailer and invited people to give whatever they could that first week”. Clothing, food, generators, gas and much more were brought to donate. “The church is predominantly older and yet they gave greatly,” said Ron when interviewed. “We then took the trailer south to distribute whatever had donated”. Ron said, “As time unfurls, things and needs change. What we gave first may not be the most needed now. MREs were great at first to get people fed immediately, but then the needs changed and now people need a proper meal. Lots of water was immediately shipped in and now people need some variety in their H2O intake, Gatorade, coffee and juices”. It was important for churches to give immediately, but also there is a need to form a long-range plan.
To help foster that long-range plan, H.I.M. church’s local body has partnered with Hope Fleet, a local 501c3. Hope Fleet has the experience of handling the logistics of the long process of restoration. The Hope Fleet website explains, “We work together with local churches, community leaders, and partners to not only tackle immediate needs but to address root issues. We use an internal fleet of sailboats, along with a growing network of private boaters, to provide necessary supplies and the right support so communities can become self-sufficient and grow from within”. Hope Fleet will help churches like H.I.M. be a part of that long range planning and execution of restoration.
The biggest current need has been generators, gas and gas cans. Generators, for obvious reasons. Many homes have been out of power since the storm and restoration of electric will take weeks and maybe months. Gas has been scarce for a few reasons. First, smaller gas stations did not have generator power for the pumps. Second, it wiped some gas stations out in the storm. Third, getting gas into the devastated area has been difficult. Many people in the Bradenton area have been sending supplies of gas south. Even our local pumps were out of gas sporadically for the first week. Many Christians gave away their gas supply and gas cans, never expecting them back. John the Baptist would need to update his saying to “If you have a second can of gas, give it away”.
Luke 3:11 He answered and said to them, "He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise."
It will be interesting to see how the Christian community responds over the long haul of recovery. As the needs change, our response needs to change. If you remember in the story of the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan not only left money to care for the wounded person but also said, “Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.” Luke 10:35b. He gave assurance for the future. We need to give assurance for the future that our brothers and sisters will have food, clothing, and shelter. This reporter calls us to a greater response that takes note of our weakness in supplies and logistics and makes the improvements needed before the next great difficulty. If people can find a home on Airbnb, then our Christian community should be able to offer a bed on a HeirBnB (A bed for the King’s children).
Hope Fleet https://hopefleet.org/
Hope International Ministries https://www.moreofhim.org/
H.I.M. meets locally at 5425 39th Street East Bradenton, FL 34203
Scot Moeckel
OneVoice Editor
Contact at: [email protected] Yes, that is a Scot with one T.