EDUSC Flood Narrative October 6th - 8th

During the day Wednesday, water distribution continued at St. Simon and St. Jude, Irmo; St. Michael and All Angels, Columbia; Trinity Cathedral, Columbia; and All Saints, Cayce. Holy Cross, Simpsonville delivered 1700 gallons of water to St. Simon and St. Jude and to Trinity Cathedral on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, October 7th, All Saints' had a successful water day. The Reverend Patricia Sexton, Rector of All Saints' Episcopal Church, reports they distributed 300+ cases of bottled water. It was collected and delivered by St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church in Aiken, site of our Diocesan Convention only next week. Deacon Jane Hostetter brought a 24-by-24-foot horse trailer from Aiken to Cayce and arrived at about noon. Volunteers from All Saints' unloaded the trailer and distributed the water in several ways: "We gave water to people who came to All Saints', and we also delivered water to AC Flora High School, the Red Cross site at Mt.Tabor Lutheran in West Columbia, and Forest Heights Elementary School, which was running out of water. We were happy to help people in so many different places," says Sexton. Many thanks to the people of All Saints' for participating in the water drive. Below are some photos from their day Wednesday.

Wednesday night began with a prayer service at St. Michael and All Angels, Columbia. St. Michael's has been distributing water since Tuesday and received another shipment on Thursday, October 8th. 

St. Michael's continues to provide water to those in need - they are dedicated to offering water for parishioners but have also delivered water to many place with folks who cannot get out, including St. Lawrence Place, Christopher Towers, Wardlaw Apts., Marion St. Lower and Oak Reed Apts, AHEPA (Pelham Dr.), Medical Clinic, Finlay House, and the South Kilbourne area.

St. Michael's thanks St. Peters and Church of the Redeemer, both of Greenville; The Spartanburg County Sheriff's Dept., Church of the Advent, Spartanburg; Grace Church, Anderson; and Movement Mortgage Co. (Columbia) for delivering water. Also for volunteers from Camden Military Academy; St. John's, Shandon; and Trinity Cathedral, Columbia. If you see the St. John's, Shandon bus driving around town, you know what's on it!

By Wednesday morning, EDUSC had received a very kind and generous offer from The Episcopal Church in South Carolina to come to Columbia next week 

EDUSC and TEC in SC enjoying some time together at General Convention this summer
in Salt Lake City, Utah

to help us with prep for our Diocesan Convention, which will take place October 16th and 17th. Many of us are engaged in disaster relief in the Diocese and yet our 93rd Diocesan Convention will go on next week to ensure the future of our many ministries. We are very much looking forward to working with our friends from Charleston next week.

Teen volunteers ready to go in the "movie room" at St. Martin's

On Wednesday, St. Martin's-in-the-Fields offered Childcare for 1st- through 5th-graders. The Parish Hall was open and staffed to care for up to 50 first- through fifth-graders. The children made banners for first responders, played games and watched movies. This opportunity allowed parents to work despite area schools' being closed.

The St. Martin's Drop-In Nursery was also available as usual for infants who are eight weeks old through kindergarten but offered extended hours to allow families in this hard-hit area to get difficult tasks done.

By Wednesday afternoon we had also received an offer from Forma (Episcoforma), the national association of Episcopal Christian educators, to help our churches in any way possible. Many thanks to Forma for connecting with our deacons organizing relief efforts.

More relief came Wednesday in an offer from McDonnell Tax Services to help anyone in need with tax returns: To anyone who has been displaced by the 2015 flood or suffered property damage: McDonnell Tax Services, LLC will amend 2014 returns or file 2015 returns free of charge. When you are safe and ready, call Rick McDonnell at 803-397-2884 to discuss which option is best for you. Rick's wife, Michelle, is the Director of Children's Ministries at St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, Columbia.

Church of the Advent, Spartanburg collected water until Thursday morning. The water arrived on Thursday afternoon. They wrote to their parish: We are planning to pick up a U-Haul truck at 10 am and anticipate being ready to load at 10:30 am. Our destination will be St. Michael and All Angels' in the Forest Acres neighborhood of Columbia - about 100 miles away. 

Here is what we had at 2 pm after a van had made a morning pickup: gallon jugs (220), cases of 24 and 40-pack bottles (165), and 24 of the 37 50-pound boxes of gallon containers generously donated by St. Matthews, Spartanburg. Thank you, St. Matthew's!

Trinity Cathedral has continued its efforts at providing water, as well as aid to parishioners and those in the community in need. Trinity parishioners, as well as those of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields and St. Michael and All Angels living in Forest Acres suffered devastating damage from the flood. Dean Timothy Jones wrote to his parishioners on Thursday:

The Men of Trinity developing strategies for flood relief at the home of Dr. Walter Edgar

Dear Trinity Family:

I continue be moved by the response of our parish to those whose homes have been flooded. As I've walked among the households that have been severely affected, I have witnessed sadness, weariness, great compassion, deep faith, and glimpses of hope. 

Trinity Youth on the way home from their youth trip to Awanita Valley Christian Retreat Center in Marietta, SC. They were delayed coming home until Monday, and decided to pick up water at Ingles on the way home.

We have come together in an outpouring of compassion. At least 100 of our parishioners, youth and adults, have worked as volunteers on site. Others have helped in behind-the-scenes ways. Thank you. Continue to pray and reach out. If someone comes to your mind, consider at least making a phone call. Note these developments:

• Along with the immense and immeasurable help being giving informally, we have also been organizing. Thanks to the leadership of Walter Edgar, 600 Trinity families living in or near flood areas have received a check-in call. The calls were made by volunteers from Daughters of the Holy Cross and the Men of Trinity... 

• We are in touch with lawyers who can offer legal advice relating to insurance and FEMA paperwork. Please call or email as mentioned just above. Trinity member Walker Williams of The Cavalry also can offer clean-up and restoration advice at 454-8200.

Trinity Youth writing messages
of hope and love on the water
they purchased at Ingles.

• Get the word out to those who may need help. We are here to serve! Trinity comes together to do remarkable and magnificent things. We've seen it again in these last few days.

Warmly in Christ, Dean Timothy Jones

Holy Innocents', Atlanta

Holy Innocents', Atlanta, of which EDUSC's own (fomerly) Michael Sullivan is the rector, got right to work when they became aware of the disastrous flooding in SC. Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School is a parish school, founded in 1959 by Holy Innocents’ Episcopal Church in Atlanta, near Sandy Springs. They are the largest Episcopal day school in the country, serving 1,364 students ages three through 12th grade. Michael gathered his student community, who worked very hard on this endeavor of love. In addition, his post on FB about getting a truck mobilized the church and school community, resulting in two large trucks and a bus filled with bottled water for SC. The water arrived in Columbia on Thursday, October 8th, delivered from Grace, Anderson to St. Michael's, Columbia. Many, many, thanks to Holy Innocents' Episcopal Church and school. We are grateful beyond measure for your support, love and hard work.

Loaded up in Atlanta. Michael Sullivan, Rector of Holy Innocents', Atlanta
is pictured second from the left. Others pictured are students from Holy Innocents' Episcopal School, as well as volunteers from both the school and the church

The crew after unloading at Grace Church, Anderson. A job well done!

Jay Reid unloading at Grace Church, Anderson

Final destination - St. Michael and All Angels, Columbia!
The Reverend Deacon Margaret Jennings Todd is coordinating
deliveries of water to so many in need.

On Thursday evening we received a lovely picture from our Charleston friends of a banner in the undercroft of Trinity Church, New Orleans. It was sent to them and they sent it to us in the hope of giving us all a smile.