Hurricane Katrina changed the lives of residents on the Gulf Coast, but it also changed the lives of Christians partnered with them to help. Here’s a story of individuals, a ministry, and a neighborhood forever altered | Susan Olasky, Becky Perry
Tatania Riley, 26, sits on a child-sized chair in a classroom in Austin's JJ Pickle Elementary School and talks about the journey that put her on a Texas-bound plane at the New Orleans Airport a week after Hurricane Katrina hit.
Ms. Riley knew better than to try to ride out the storm at her duplex in the Algiers section of New Orleans. She'd had the forethought to reserve three rooms at a hotel on higher ground for herself, her three children, and neighbors. She had all her important papers in a box and several outfits for each child, including diapers for the baby, Jania.
As the storm raged, blowing out windows in the hotel and forcing the residents in the 15-story building to huddle in the hallways on the lower floors, they celebrated her 10-year-old daughter Breeon's birthday with a zebra cake. The next morning the sun came out, the nearby streets were dry, and Ms. Riley and her friends headed home. Their houses had survived but were without electricity and air conditioning.
Off to a smart start
Parents of Smart Start students sign a release form acknowledging that their children will learn Bible lessons | Becky Perry
On a breezy afternoon in November, a Smart Start class files outside for playground time. Among the seven pre-K students, Marco sports an Indian headdress with bright red and blue paper feathers. Nicole is busy licking the icing off her Thanksgiving cupcake. Makayla bounces along at the back of the line, simply ready to play.
JJ Pickle Elementary School in east Austin hosts the Smart Start after-school program sponsored by Community New Start. Staffed by teachers and parent volunteers, the Smart Start program offers tutoring, organized recreation, and biblical instruction for students in grades pre-K through 8. For example, in the pre-K class one day each child took turns reciting Psalm 100, complete with hand motions and sound effects ("We are His people, the sheep of His pasture—baaa!"). Makayla went first, performing the chapter with a dimpled grin and flawless choreography.
Innovative faith
Oxford's Jonathan Hill explains how early Christians developed a new way of helping the poor | Marvin Olasky
In What Has Christianity Ever Done for Us? (InterVarsity, 2005), Oxford's Jonathan Hill explains, among other things, how early Christians developed a new way of helping the poor.
WORLD What was the Roman Empire's "annona" system of welfare, and how did Christians turn it around?
HILL At its height, the Roman Empire stretched from northern England to Mesopotamia. Rome itself had a million inhabitants. All those people ate a lot! The "annona" system was designed to cater for their needs. It involved importing food from the fertile regions—primarily Egypt—to the populous regions—primarily Italy. 18,400 tons of grain were shipped out of North Africa every year, and the arrival of the grain shipments from Alexandria in northern harbors was always a great event.
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No pious baloney
