CONSTRUCTION CREW from The Dalles (and elsewhere) are seen at work at a home in New Orleans during their recent trip through the Episcopal Rebuild Program. In front row from left are Rick and Richard Thew, Cove; Carolyn Thomas and Kaethe Worcester; back row, same order: Diane Walworth, John Adams, Michelle Berns (Hawaii), Harriet Langfeldt and Sally Forster. Also going but not in this picture were Rev. Alison Dingley, interim rector at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and her husband, Willis Moore, Hawaii. Contributed photo

Episcopalians help rebuild in hurricane zone
Contractor scams bilk many in New Orleans; churches come to aid

By ELROY KING
of The Chronicle

     Some people outside of New Orleans think that the recovery work from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 is all done.
They are wrong.
     But because of the efforts of a group from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in The Dalles at least one damaged house is restored and another is a little bit closer to being done.
     Making the trip from here with a group that called themselves the Muckrakers were Carolyn Thomas, Kaethe Worcester, Diane Walworth, John Adams, Harriet Langfeldt, Sally Forster, Rev. Allison Dingley and her husband, Willis Moore, from Hawaii.
     They left The Dalles on March 31 and came back about a week later. They were working through the Episcopal Rebuild Program of the Diocese of Louisiana.
     The team worked on two different homes, one in the Gentilly district of New Orleans and the other in the Ninth Ward. That one is now finished.
     Team member Harriet Langfeldt said the team was separated at first between those who had construction skills and those who did not. But by the end of the week, the second group had learned some skills and were wielding nail guns with the best of them, said Moore.
     The Ninth Ward is a lower income district, while the other is a middle class district near Lake Pontchartrain
Moore said more than 900 homes were gutted, leaving only the slab, frame and roof. Everything else had to be completely redone.
     The rebuilding teams did everything except the electric and plumbing work, which had to be done by licensed people. The team from here did a variety of finishing work.
     In the Ninth Ward house, the woman who lives there is still in Texas and her husband is in a hospital in New Orleans. Four grandchildren also lived in the house.
     The team said that house still had a mortgage when Katrina hit and the owner Ms. Dorothy used the first insurance money to pay it off (as she was advised to do) and then gave money from the second insurance payment to a contractor to work on her house. He took the money and was never seen again.
     Moore said this has happened a lot. That is why churches have stepped in to help and make sure the contractors hired to do the work are honest. He said it is hard to find reliable workers.
     The notice the local crew got regarding the completion of Ms. Dorothy’s house said the daughter took a look at it and was very happy and “said that she thought her mother might need a tranquilizer, she would be so exited to see it.”
     The mother and daughter planned to move back in as soon as the final inspections are finished, just in time for Dorothy’s birthday.
     The second house in Gentilly is nearing completion.
     As is the case in the Ninth Ward house, the same families are coming back to houses that were in them when Katrina hit. The Gentilly house was occupied by a woman and her daughter (who became a widow after Katrina) and three grandchildren.
     Langfeldt said people from many denominations have come to New Orleans to help in the recovery. The list of volunteers who worked on Ms. Dorothy’s house included people from California, Ohio, Virginia, Maine, Indiana, Louisiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Iowa, Hawaii, New York, Michigan, New York City and New Jersey and included churches, college groups, Tulane Medical School, other schools, etc.
     Moore organized the local team, the first group to go down there from St. Paul’s, but not the first from The Dalles. Another local group is going in September, and Langfeldt said some from the St. Paul’s group want to go back, maybe next March.
     To help do this, there will be a fundraising dinner at St. Paul’s on May 9. (See story above.)
     Moore said some people think the recovery efforts will take at least 10 years. Langfeldt said about a third of damaged homes are still unoccupied, and many Katrina victims are still living in the FEMA trailers in their front yards.
     Before they left New Orleans, the local team took a final drive through the area where they had worked. Thomas said said seeing all of the devastation there still brings tears to her eyes.
     She shared her images of the city in a poem, where nearly every stanza ends with “No it is not over for them.”
The team said everyone there was so grateful for the volunteer help from around the country.
     The team said they never did meet any of the people who lived in the homes they were working on.
The team from here stayed in classrooms at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church in Maitaire, about 30 miles from New Orleans city center.
     After doing their work in the recovery they had some time for play. They rode a paddle-wheeler, visited a cooking school where they got some of the recipes for the fundraising dinner, visited the French Quarter and some other historic sites.
     Thomas quipped that “we felt it was only fair that we leave some of our money behind in New Orleans.
     All said the trip was a wonderful experience. Langfeldt said they came home tired, and were not used to doing the things they did while down there working on the houses.

Calvary Baptist Church 541-296-2711
Pastor Steve Anable, 3350 Columbia View Dr. The Dalles. Sunday School 9 -10 a.m., Worship 10:15 -11:30 a.m. Wednesday adult Bible study, 7 p.m.

Calvary Chapel 541-478-3458
Meets at Mosier Community School. Worship 10 a.m. Call for Bible Study times. Christadelphians
Sunday service, 11 a.m.; Wednesday Bible class, 7 p.m. For information on meeting place call 541-296-8578.

Christian Science Society 541-298-2711
701 Washington St.,The Dalles, Sunday Service, 10 a.m.

Columbia Gorge Christian Fellowship 541-298-7202
Pastor Bob Middleton, 1122 Oak St. W., Sunday 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., Wednesday 7 p.m.

Covenant Christian Community Church 541-298-5551
Pastor David Clear, 2630 E. 18th St., The Dalles. Sunday Morning Service: 10 a.m.; Sunday Evening Service: 5:30 p.m.; Saturday Evening Service - Spanish: 6 p.m.; Pastor Tony Campos.
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Dufur Christian Church 541-467-2257
Pastor Bob Peterson, Associate Pastor to Youth Tim Fain. 315 NE Harrison St., Dufur. Worship service 9 a.m. and10:30 a.m. Sunday School 10:30 a.m.

Dormition of the Theotokos Orthodox Church 541-296-3267
Pastor Father Luke Hartung, 1520 Webber Street, The Dalles. Evening prayers nightly,
6:30 p.m. Saturday Great Vespers 6:30 p.m., Sunday. Divine Litungy, 9:30 a.m.

Dufur United Methodist 541-467-2554
320 NE Second, Pastor Jerry Holland, Worship service 11 a.m.
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Harvest Foursquare 541-296-5601
Pastor Matthew Rotter, 2500 Old Dufur Rd. The Dalles. Sunday service 10 a.m.

Heritage Bible Baptist Church 541-298-7884
Pastor Rick Carter, Family Bible Hour, 10 a.m.; Worship Service, 11 a.m.; Prayer meeting Sunday evenings 6 p.m., Wednesday night, 7 p.m.
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Kent Baptist 541-333-2933
Pastor Richard Keeney, Sunday Prayer Hour 10 a.m., Sunday School 10:30 a.m., Worship 11:30 a.m.
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Maupin Community Church 541-395-2563
Pastor Larry Moynihan, 490 Fifth St., Sunday Worship, 9:30 a.m.; Sunday School, 11:15 a.m. Cottage Prayer meeting, 7 p.m.; Tuesday Cottage Prayer meeting, 7 p.m.

Mid-Columbia Church of Chirst 509-767-1401
206 6th Avenue, Dallesport, WA, Sunday Worship, 11 a.m.; Sunday School, 10 a.m.; Evening class, 6 p.m.; Wednesday class, 7 p.m.

Moro Community Presbyterian 541-565-3630
Pastor Bob Stone, Fourth and Scott, 10:45 a.m. worship, children’s church during service.
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St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Dufur 541-467-2580
Rev. Dr. Fabian Nwokonie, 2nd & Church St. Dufur, Mass Sunday 8:30 a.m.

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Grass Valley 541-442-8560
Father John Vogl, Highway 97, Sunday Mass at 8:30 a.m., first, third and fifth Sundays.
Confession is celebrated 30 minutes before Mass.

St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Maupin
Rev. Dr. Fabian Nwokonie, Fifth and Dufur, Sunday Mass at 11:30 a.m. (Roasry at 11 a.m.) Confession celebrated by appointment.

St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Wasco 541-442-8560
Father John Vogl, 807 Barnett, Sunday Mass at 8:30 a.m., second, and fourth Sundays. Saturday Vigil Mass at 4:00 p.m. Winter / 6:00 p.m. Summer Weekday Masses at 8:30 a.m.
M W Th and Friday. Confession is celebrated 30 minutes before Mass.

St. Peter Catholic Church 541-296-2026
Pastor Todd Unger, 1220 W. 10th St. The Dalles, Vigil Mass, Saturday, 5:30 p.m., Sunday, 9 a.m., Mass in English; noon Mass, Mass in Spanish.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church 541-296-9587
1805 Minnesota The Dalles, Worship 8 & 10 a.m.; Christian Education, 9 a.m. Rector Alison Dingley.

Salvation Army, The Dalles 541-296-6417
Capt. Paul & Rachel Chouinand, The Dalles, Sunday School 9:45 a.m., Worship 11 a.m.

Seventh-day Adventist 541-298-1956
Pastor David Ballard, 1100 Pentland St. The Dalles. Saturday, 9:15 a.m., Worship Service 10:50 a.m. Prayer Meeting, Wednesday 7 p.m.; Somonzn Service, 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Solid Rock Community Church of God 541-296-6058
Pastor Ken Post, 2308 E. 12th St. The Dalles. Sunday School 9 a.m., Worship 10:45 a.m.

Spiritual Assembly of the Bahai’s 541-298-1103
Meet every 19 days. Fireside meeting held each Thursday, 7 p.m. 317 W. 21st St. For information on meeting times and place call 298-1103, (541) 739-8283 or 296-3273.

Sovereign Grace Baptist Church 541-296-9651
Pastor Norm Wells, 1003 Sunflower St. W. The Dalles, Sunday School 9:30 a.m., Sunday Worship 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.
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United Church of Christ Congregational 541-296-2909
Rev. Karl J. Vercouteren, 115 E. 5th St., The Dalles, Adult Sunday School 9:30 a.m.; Worship service 10 a.m.

Unitarian Universalist 509-365-5593
Fellowship, 10 a.m. Sunday, Rockford Grange, 4262 Barrett Road, Hood River.
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Wamic Community Church 541-544-3032
Pastor Jim Myers, Sunday school 9:30 a.m., worship service 10:50 a.m. March 20, 2008

Wasco Methodist Church 541-442-5250
Pastor Bob Reasoner, Worship service Sunday 11 a.m.; Sunday school during service.

White River Christian Fellowship 541-483-2188
Pastor Asa Jenson, Tygh School Community Center, Old Hwy. 197, Services 9 a.m.

Wishram Community Church 509-748-2321
Pastor Charles Hargrove, Sunday School 9:45 a.m.; Worship Service 11 a.m.; Sunday evening service 6 p.m.
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Zion Lutheran 541-296-9146
Rev. Chris Kramer, 101 W. 10th St., Sunday Worship 8:30 and 10:30 a.m.
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