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Hurricane Sandy Update #35
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Point Pleasant Presbyterian Church
| Wednesday, March 27, 2013
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The most recent church e-newsletter, as well as copies of past Hurricane Sandy Updates, may be viewed in our online archive.
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Greetings!
One of the perks of my job is reading some truly wonderful thank-you notes. Many of these thank-yous, while addressed to me, aren't actually for me. They're for me to pass on to others: the faithful, committed helpers who make our Volunteer Village hum along, week after week.
 Let me share two examples. The first is from Jackie and John Cutting, church members whose home was heavily damaged by Sandy. As you'll see from their letter, numerous volunteers - from Point Pleasant Presbyterian and from visiting work teams - have had a hand in mucking out and repairing the Cuttings' Point Boro home.
One of the advantages of the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Volunteer Village model is that there's coordinated project planning, week after week. As one group finishes its work, another arrives and pitches in where the old one left off. That means Jackie and John have a lot of people to thank!
Recently, the Cuttings have made the difficult decision to downsize their household and move into a local retirement community, but their impending move would have been far more difficult without some help restoring their storm-damaged home.
The second thank-you is a card bearing many signatures. It may surprise you to learn where it came from: a group of people most of us would say deserve our thanks, rather than the other way around.
It's from the Lend A Hand group who were staying in the Volunteer Village last week. Yes, these good folks who traveled here from the Gettysburg, Harrisburg and Pittsburgh areas took the time to thank us for our hospitality, as they worked themselves to exhaustion rebuilding our communities!
Doesn't that beat all?
Anyone who knows the joy of giving - time, talent or treasure - won't be so surprised by that. One of the best-kept secrets of Christian discipleship is that, when we're doing the Lord's work, we get so much back in terms of joy and satisfaction, we sometimes do feel like thanking the people we're helping. We feel grateful to them for allowing us into their lives, offering us an opportunity to share our God-given talents in service to a worthy cause.
There's an old story about a couple who traveled to Korea on a mission tour. An American missionary was showing them around the countryside. Passing by a farm field, they noticed a boy pulling an old-fashioned plow while an old man held the plow handles and directed it on a straight course. Both the boy and the old man were singing hymns.
 The husband took out his camera and snapped a picture. "That's a curious sight," he observed. "I suppose they must be very poor."
"Yes," the missionary replied. "I know that family. When the church was being built in their village, they were eager to contribute to the building fund. They had no money, so they sold their only ox and gave the money to the church. This spring, they are pulling the plow themselves."
The husband and wife were silent for a moment, until the wife said, "That was a real sacrifice."
"They did not call it that. They thought they were blessed that they had an ox to sell."
That brief encounter made a big impression on that couple. When they got back home, they brought the photo to the church to show their pastor. "We want to live a more generous life," they told him, "so we need you to give us some plow work to do. Until we saw that scene and heard the story, we never knew what joy, sacrifice, and generosity are all about. Now we want to find out for ourselves."
The Lend A Hand workers' thank-you card is about just that sort of "plow work." And we've all been a part of making that happen. What a wonderful thing our Lord does, setting up this beautiful, eternal exchange of good for good!
Now, wouldn't you like to be more a part of that?
The card is pictured below the text of Jackie and John Cutting's letter - please click on the link just above the image to enlarge it.
In Christ's love,
Carl
The Rev. Carl Wilton, Pastor
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A Letter from Jackie and John Cutting
March 14, 2013
Dear Reverend Wilton:
John and I would like to offer belated thanks to you and to all the members and staff of our Point Pleasant Presbyterian Church for all of the prayers, support and assistance that we have received since we were rendered homeless by Hurricane Sandy. Kim Gaydos and Donna Ferry have been terrific in the church office giving the information and support needed as the names of those who suffered destruction have been matched with the many offers of help that have come to the church. This is despite the effects of the storm on their own lives, which in Kim's case has been considerable. You and Rev. Linda Chase have encouraged and informed us of our options throughout this trying time.
We would also like to thank Gail Birdsong and Sue Hankins and the others for all of their work finding housing for those displaced by the storm. We are so thankful that a place was found for us to live. We had asked Sue Hankins to put our names on the list for housing. We are still living in the spot that was found for us. We are involved now in buying a house that we might not have considered if we had not become familiar with the area.
 Also, after we again called with a request for help, Robin De Rosa brought a group of young men from our church to our house to help drag out assorted damaged rugs and furniture to the street. They arrived one day a bit before lunch, tired and cold, but pulled many items out to the curb. They invited us to a hot lunch at the Annex, came back, and hauled out more as a city truck picked up all of the furniture and rugs. It was a miracle. In a few days Robin was back with a group of Lend A Hand workers to remove our appliances. These were in time to be picked up, also.
We continued working in our old house, but it was tough going and we noticed that it was getting ahead of us, so this time we spoke to Peter Farwell and Bill Williams. They arranged for a group of college students from Cleveland accompanied by Rev. Eileen Vizcaino, and another adult, Chad. They worked hard taking off the rest of the wall board that needed to come off as well as the kitchen and foyer floor covering, working with our son Eric quickly and efficiently. A few bags from this work have even been picked up.
John and I would like to offer our heartfelt thanks for the support we have received from the Point Presbyterian Church. It has been so important to us.
Sincerely,
Jackie and John Cutting
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Support Comes from Many Places
The Rev. Alan Schaefer came down our way recently to pass along some gift cards members of his congregation have collected for survivors of Hurricane Sandy. Al used to be pastor of the Lincroft Presbyterian Church, here in Monmouth Presbytery, and is now serving the Union Hill Presbyterian Church in Denville, NJ.  |
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Shower Construction Is Getting Closer
Architectural drawings have been created for the showers that will soon be constructed in the back part of the Education Annex stage, a space that has been used for many years only for storage. The Sandy Recovery Team is speaking with several local contractors about submitting bids. The project is being funded by the grant we have received from the Robin Hood Fund.
Plans call for four shower stalls, each with a small, individual dressing room and a door for privacy. There will be on-demand water heaters that will deliver a continuous supply of hot water, so a "full house" of 36 volunteer workers will be able to utilize the showers in a relatively short period of time.
 We are grateful to Aquatecture, the local architectural firm that has produced the drawings for us, which the Borough of Point Pleasant Beach is requiring in order to issue the building permit. John Amelchenko, who attended Church School at PPPC as a child, is the owner of the firm. Greg Cox is the staff architect who is working with our committee.
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Save Those Receipts!
FEMA recommends that Hurricane Sandy survivors who received money keep the receipts or bills for which the money was used for three years.
FEMA assistance must be used for eligible disaster expenses only, as identified in the approval letter from the agency. Survivors must save documentation that demonstrates how the funds were used in meeting their disaster-related needs in case they are audited. 
Examples include:
Receipts for items purchased for home repair
Contractor invoices
Proof of hotel room charges if you received housing assistance
Rent payment receipts if you received housing assistance
Receipts for moving and storage expenses
Receipts for repairing or replacing personal property
More information on FEMA programs for individuals and households can be found in the "Help After a Disaster" guide. The guide was mailed to each applicant but also is available online at fema.gov/help-after-disaster FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. |
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Room In Our Hearts
The Rev. Joanne Van Sant, our former Church School Coordinator and Seminary Assistant, shares this information about Room In Our Hearts, a Middletown-based charitable organization that helps Sandy survivors by doing a makeover on one room of their house. The intention is to create an attractive, livable space that can be an island of peace and refuge for homeowners as they labor to rebuild the rest of their home. 
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Resurrection Power
"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection
and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death,
if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal;
but I press on to make it my own,
because Christ Jesus has made me his own."
Philippians 3:10-12
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PPPC Hurricane Response
HURRICANE SANDY RECOVERY TEAM
Peter Farwell
(908-675-7287) is serving as our church's Hurricane Sandy Recovery Coordinator, serving as the main communication person for our recovery efforts and representing our church at coordinating meetings with other churches and non-profit agencies.
The Hurricane Sandy Recovery Team meets weekly, on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Room, to coordinate the church's continued response to the disaster, particularly the Volunteer Village in the Education Annex. All are welcome!
Those serving on the Team include Elaine Conheeney, Randy Crate, Frank Jones, Kerry Jones, Tom Kenny, Michael McGuire, Donna Norton, Joan Panuska, Claire Pula, Susan Robbins, Nancy Stout, Bill Williams and Donna Wittmann.
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More Information
FACEBOOK GROUP
is a good place to keep up with your church friends, as they post messages about how they're getting along.
HOW TO REACH US
In the event that any of you are aware of anyone the church may need some help recovering from the storm, please feel free to email Pastor Carl Wilton, or call him either on the church line (732-899-0587) or on his cell phone (908-910-5360). Associate, Linda Chase, may be reached at the church number or on her cell (732-232-5007).
FEMA INFORMATION
FEMA's local relief center is at 270 Chambers Bridge Road, Brick.
Registering with FEMA is the first step to receiving the services and help the government provides. The application deadline has now been extended to MARCH 1, 2013. Register today, even if you're not sure what help you may qualify for. You'll be glad you did!NEW JERSEY 211's RELIEF AND RECOVERY ASSISTANCE GUIDEThe downloadable New Jersey 211's Hurricane Sandy Relief and Recovery Assistance Guide is the place to go for all manner of Hurricane Sandy recovery resources.PERSONAL COUNSELING SUPPORTCall one of our pastors, or the Mental Health Association of New Jersey's Hurricane Sandy Hope and Healing hotline: (877) 294-HELP (4357)OPERATION HOPE, FEMA-APPROVED FINANCIAL COUNSELINGCall toll-free: (877) 592-HOPE (4673)NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AFFAIRS RESOURCE LINKS
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