Dear John:

Last Friday, an EF-3 tornado, with speeds of up to 152 mph, ripped through St. Louis and resulted in the deaths of five people, injuries to at least 38 folks, and destruction to more than 5,000 buildings. Most impacted are the heavily populated neighborhoods in north St. Louis adjacent to Kingshighway, Delmar Boulevard, and Union Avenue—key dividing lines in the racial segregation history of St. Louis.

As you know, St. Louis is home to one of Gamaliel’s flagship affiliates, Metropolitan Congregations United (or MCU). Five MCU member congregations were damaged during the tornado. MCU Executive Director, DeMarco Davidson, was actually meeting with congregation leaders at Centennial Christian Church when the tornado struck killing the church president, Sr. Patricia (Pat) Penelton. Davidson and others were successfully extricated from the rubble.

The tornado is estimated to have caused more that $1.6 billion in damage. “It is unclear where the funds to repair this kind of devastation will come from,” said Ana Garcia-Ashley, Executive Director of the Gamaliel Network. “The federal government is threatening to cut (if not end) aid from FEMA. The City of St. Louis also faces a critical decision—to invest in the reconstruction of neighborhoods that have historically experienced disinvestment or continue the pattern of economic extraction from these
communities.”

In the meantime, the needs of these congregations and neighborhoods are great. MCU has set up the “Tornado Relief Fund.” All monies collected with be used to provide support to the impacted for immediate necessities like food and other recovery assistance. Gamaliel encourages you to invest in the community’s recovery today.

In solidarity,
Ana Garcia-Ashley, Executive Director

“The devastation in my neighbourhood is breathtaking. I have never seen anything like this in my life. So many of my neighbours have been gravely impacted. Their homes are totaled; their lives will never be the same. Yesterday, while we collected debris and removed tree remains, I met and prayed with three humans. Each of them were removing precious valuables that would eventually go to a storage. One woman sat on what remained to be part of a porch...bricks lay everywhere, her roof gone. Another stood in
front of a house she grew up in. Turns out, her cousin tragically passed away. The last, had a place to go and seemed in good spirits. 

The resilience in the Black community is astonishing. I am a member of Central Baptist Church but I volunteered with Twin Rivers to clear debris on Sunday and have been on the phone with Peace UCC this morning, to further discuss community needs. We are the church and as unfortunate as this situation has been, it is eye-opening to see how well community bands together to assist where needful.”

—Israel Collier, Vice-President, MCU

“With weather trends across the St. Louis region becoming more and more disastrous, having well-trained organizers is imperative to mobilizing assistance quickly to make the greatest possible impact. As community organizers, MCU continuously cultivates valuable relationships with organizations and individuals. The power of these relationships is the key to responding quickly to community needs and then pressing forward with systematic changes to promote a more equitable and just response in the next
emergency.”

—Paul Bordeaux, President, MCU

Gamaliel Network
5416 S Cornell Avenue
Chicago, IL 60615
United States

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