Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Pastor tried to stay in New Orleans

A New Orleans Baptist preacher, who has been staying in the Hours of Joy on East Main Street with his congregation, spoke to Rotarians Thursday about moving here permanently.

First United Methodist Pastor Rusty Jones invited the Rev. Jimmie Smith Sr. to speak.

Smith said, "Thank you for having me here today. I would like to offer a special thanks from my 28 people at the Hours of Joy to Darrel Potratz and the Fountain of Hope Food Bank and so many others for all of your help."

Tambra Childres, recorder and treasurer, said she has heard tentative plans to open the old Gurdon Nursing Home for more evacuees.

"I heard that from the Rev. Robert Scott," she said. "We also need to look into these FEMA cards from our federal government that are supposed to furnish hurricane victims with $500 to $2,000."

Smith said he and his congregation have been in Arkansas since Sunday "and we got out before the bad weather hit."

The preacher admitted he did not want to leave New Orleans, as he had hoped to ride out the storm. But his wife told him if he did not come on with her "it was over."

"That gave me motivation and I am sure glad I came," he said. "Living in New Orleans, many false alarms about storms reach a person, but this time a horrible hurricane really was on the way. My holding back thinking it would pass just was not helping."

Smith appealed to Rotarians for old furniture. He said the local evacuees have secured the Pine View Apartments, off of Kansas Road on Michael Lane.

"If you folks really want to know what I think, I think it is God's doing that we are in Gurdon," he said.

"Gurdon is the greatest town for us. We did get vouchers through the Red Cross, but no FEMA debit cards yet. We did get clothing vouchers for Wal-Mart. Those apartments we are moving into have appliances. We just need bedding and living room stuff."

Smith said a dark cloud still lingers over his storm-ridden group. Senior Church Deccan Charles Guilyot, of the Mt. Zion Travelers Baptist Church in New Orleans (where the group came from), is still missing.

According to Smith his church and congregation came from the Eastern section of New Orleans, which is still under water as of this writing.

Ed McKinnon, Rotary president, said he is proud of the way the club, and Gurdon as a whole, continues to help the evacuees.

"We have seen the challenge to help and gone to work," he said.