When disaster strikes, go to Forkston
BY ROBERT L. BAKER
Wyoming County Press Examiner
When disaster strikes, it's not uncommon for emergency responders to pack their bags and head for some exotic location, like New Orleans, Haiti or even Chile.
On March 27-28, a Disaster Response Team from the Wyoming Conference of the United Methodist Church is heading to Forkston.
While not of the human suffering embodied in the recent earthquakes, January's flooding wreaked all sorts of damage on Forkston's Creek Junction Park.
Kids of all ages who count on one of the three ballfields when Little League season begins on May 1 will appreciate their kindness, Elizabeth Burke said Sunday.
And so, Montrose United Methodist Church Pastor Jane Pykus, who is part of the Wyoming Conference response team sent out a call by e-mail to local pastors and layleaders of area United Methodist Churches to see if they could add hands and feet to their faith the weekend of March 27-28 in a workbee.
Forkston Pastor Jean Swett said that after Palm Sunday's worship service, March 28, members of her congregation will wave their palm branches high as they leave the church building and trek a quarter mile away to the ball field to help clean debris, grade the grounds, relocate fencing and reposition a gazebo that lost its mooring during the recent floods.
Then there's pressure cleaning and, well, more work than people running a Little League program are accustomed to handling.
Pykus' own Montrose church will be providing Saturday lunches for whatever workers show up that day. Pastors representing about 10 of Wyoming County's 19 United Methodist Churches are expecting to participate in whatever ways they might be needed, and they hope all the rest will as well.
For more information about how you might help, contact Swett at 833-5301 or Jason Burke of the FWM Little League at 833-5774.
