My Church is Stepping Up

Greetings. This article appeared in the Dallas Morning News over the weekend, and is about the church that I attend. It would kind of cool to go to church on Sunday and hear about how it made into the paper. Anyway, here's the article.

September 4, 2005

GOOD DEED
Church ready to help - however and wherever it can

Lake Highlands: Volunteers aid those in South and in Dallas

Author: LAUREN D'AVOLIO; Staff Writer

Edition: WEST
Section: METRO
Page: 2B

Images of wholesale destruction along the Gulf Coast hit too close to home for many parishioners at Lake Highlands' Scofield Memorial Church.

Like Wanda Campbell, who works in the office at Scofield.

"I have family down there - and I have family I can't find," Ms. Campbell said, choking back tears.

"You just want to hope for the best. With our Bay St. Louis family, we fear the worst. They were very near the coast. We just don't know."

So Ms. Campbell and several other church members plan to head to Louisiana on Monday bearing truckloads of donated supplies to help those hurricane victims
in the most dire need, primarily infants and the elderly.

All conceivable items, especially for nursing home patients and babies, are being collected at the church, 7730 Abrams Road from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. today
. By Monday night, the donations will be in the hands of those in need in Baton Rouge, she said.

Scofield Senior Pastor Matthew St. John said that $100,000 poured into the church to aid in hurricane relief, but the church will need more to help house
up to 140 evacuees at the church's camp, El Har, in Dallas. As of Saturday afternoon, some individuals had started to trickle in, he said.

"We're working on being sure the camp can stay a shelter for as long as is necessary," Mr. St. John said. "The Lord calls us to stumble on these things.
We're taking the bull by the horns, if you will. ... We all need to do something, and we're all working hard to do our part. We're trying to focus our
attention on Louisiana and Texas. There's plenty of opportunities [to help] in both places."

Ben Killerlain, student ministries director at Scofield, said the church has "adopted" about 220 people staying at La Quinta and the Best Western hotels
near Central Expressway and Midpark Road. Mr. Killerlain said a coalition of churches is willing to provide meals for an indefinite period. Moreover, the
church is using donations to purchase $50 gift cards to Wal-Mart and is soliciting restaurants to provide food for those in the hotels, Ms. Campbell said.

"There are people who have needs. God has given us gifts," Mr. Killer lain said. "It's our responsibility to love them and meet their needs as best we can."

E-mail pldavolio@dallasnews.com

Caption:
PHOTO(S): (MEI-CHUN JAU/Staff Photographer) Matthew Gilpin loaded donations into a truck Saturday at Scofield Memorial Church. They will help nursing home
residents and infants in Baton Rouge, La. CHART(S): E-MAIL US

Copyright 2005 The Dallas Morning News