Louisiana Now
Welcome to a very special series of the Louisiana NOW podcast, Hope Beyond the Storm. Ten episodes that tell the stories of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in South Louisiana. Twenty years after the storms, the recovery isn’t just history—it’s still shaping lives, churches, and communities across South Louisiana. This series shares first‑hand stories of resilience, hard choices, and pastoring from pastors, lay leaders, volunteers, and neighbors who rebuilt together. Bishop William W. Hutchinson and Rev. Don Cottrill reflect on the enormous responsibility of guiding the Louisiana...
info_outlineLouisiana Now
Welcome to a very special series of the Louisiana NOW podcast, Hope Beyond the Storm. Ten episodes that tell the stories of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in South Louisiana. Twenty years after the storms, the recovery isn’t just history—it’s still shaping lives, churches, and communities across South Louisiana. This series shares first‑hand stories of resilience, hard choices, and pastoring from pastors, lay leaders, volunteers, and neighbors who rebuilt together. Born from the merger of two historically separate congregations, First Grace UMC stands as a living example of unity...
info_outlineLouisiana Now
Welcome to a very special series of the Louisiana NOW podcast, Hope Beyond the Storm. Ten episodes that tell the stories of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in South Louisiana. Twenty years after the storms, the recovery isn’t just history—it’s still shaping lives, churches, and communities across South Louisiana. This series shares first‑hand stories of resilience, hard choices, and pastoring from pastors, lay leaders, volunteers, and neighbors who rebuilt together. Rev. Martha Orphe played a central role in creating “Mission Zones” to keep ministry alive when congregations were...
info_outlineLouisiana Now
Welcome to a very special series of the Louisiana NOW podcast, Hope Beyond the Storm. Ten episodes that tell the stories of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in South Louisiana. Twenty years after the storms, the recovery isn’t just history—it’s still shaping lives, churches, and communities across South Louisiana. This series shares first‑hand stories of resilience, hard choices, and pastoring from pastors, lay leaders, volunteers, and neighbors who rebuilt together. Katrina became a defining moment for Rev. Kaseem and Sabrina Short, awakening a call to serve in bold new ways. They...
info_outlineLouisiana Now
Welcome to a very special series of the Louisiana NOW podcast, Hope Beyond the Storm. Ten episodes that tell the stories of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in South Louisiana. Twenty years after the storms, the recovery isn’t just history—it’s still shaping lives, churches, and communities across South Louisiana. This series shares first‑hand stories of resilience, hard choices, and pastoring from pastors, lay leaders, volunteers, and neighbors who rebuilt together. Just three weeks after Katrina, Hurricane Rita struck southwest Louisiana, forcing churches already in relief mode into...
info_outlineLouisiana Now
Welcome to a very special series of the Louisiana NOW podcast, Hope Beyond the Storm. Ten episodes that tell the stories of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in South Louisiana. Twenty years after the storms, the recovery isn’t just history—it’s still shaping lives, churches, and communities across South Louisiana. This series shares first‑hand stories of resilience, hard choices, and pastoring from pastors, lay leaders, volunteers, and neighbors who rebuilt together. As a teenager from Ohio, Dan Bracken’s first mission trip to Louisiana after Katrina changed the trajectory of his...
info_outlineLouisiana Now
Welcome to a very special series of the Louisiana NOW podcast, Hope Beyond the Storm. Ten episodes that tell the stories of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in South Louisiana. Twenty years after the storms, the recovery isn’t just history—it’s still shaping lives, churches, and communities across South Louisiana. This series shares first‑hand stories of resilience, hard choices, and pastoring from pastors, lay leaders, volunteers, and neighbors who rebuilt together. Rob Weber and Drew Sutton took cameras into the hardest-hit areas after Katrina and Rita, documenting loss and...
info_outlineLouisiana Now
Welcome to a very special series of the Louisiana NOW podcast, Hope Beyond the Storm. Ten episodes that tell the stories of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in South Louisiana. Twenty years after the storms, the recovery isn’t just history—it’s still shaping lives, churches, and communities across South Louisiana. This series shares first‑hand stories of resilience, hard choices, and pastoring from pastors, lay leaders, volunteers, and neighbors who rebuilt together. Rev. Ellen Alston recounts leading her congregation through the uncertainty of evacuation, the shock of loss, and the...
info_outlineLouisiana Now
Welcome to a very special series of the Louisiana NOW podcast, Hope Beyond the Storm. Ten episodes that tell the stories of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in South Louisiana. Twenty years after the storms, the recovery isn’t just history—it’s still shaping lives, churches, and communities across South Louisiana. This series shares first‑hand stories of resilience, hard choices, and holy grit from pastors, lay leaders, volunteers, and neighbors who rebuilt together. After Katrina toppled the steeple of Rayne Memorial UMC into its sanctuary, Rev. Callie Winn Crawford wrestled with both the...
info_outlineLouisiana Now
Welcome to a very special series of the Louisiana NOW podcast, Hope Beyond the Storm. Ten episodes that tell the stories of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in South Louisiana. Twenty years after the storms, the recovery isn’t just history—it’s still shaping lives, churches, and communities across South Louisiana. This series shares first‑hand stories of resilience, hard choices, and holy grit from pastors, lay leaders, volunteers, and neighbors who rebuilt together. When floodwaters swallowed Bethany UMC up to its roofline, Rev. Hadley Edwards faced the unthinkable. With faith, grit,...
info_outlineHurricane Francine brought a positive development to two United Methodist Churches in Louisiana. Both First Grace United Methodist Church and Cornerstone United Methodist Church partnered with Together New Orleans to be a part of the Community Lighthouse project, a bold initiative to create a network of solar-powered churches and community centers across the city.
The result? The largest off-grid energy project in the world. And it worked during Hurricane Francine. In this episode, Bishop Delores J. Williamston chats with Rev. Shawn Anglim of First Grace United Methodist Church about the project and the hope that it brought to the community.
More on the project can be found here.
If you would like to help relief efforts in Louisiana, please visit www.la-umc.org/relief or text RELIEF to 800-500-5858.