N.C. volunteers to teach Bible school

By Erik Sanzenbach
St. Tammany News
Published on Friday, July 10, 2009 8:33 AM CDT

Print this story | Email this story | Post A Comment |

When people think of all the volunteers that have come to St. Tammany Parish to help rebuild the community after Hurricane Katrina, they are usually here to help clean up the debris, or to rebuild homes that were flooded out by the storm.

One group of Good Samaritans from the First Presbyterian Church in Banner Elk, N.C. are also helping to rebuild the spirituality of the area by volunteering to teach Vacation Bible School at Slidell’s First Presbyterian Church in Slidell.

“We are so excited to have them back again,” said Pastor Barbara Thursby.

This is the second year the North Carolina church has sent down volunteers and money to teach the Bible school. The volunteers come down with supplies, teachers and food to instruct children from kindergarten to sixth grade. The school will start July 13 and run until July 16 from 8:30 to 11 a.m. everyday.

“They did a phenomenal job last year,” said Ann Lentz who runs the church’s Christian Education Services. “It was a real blessing.”

The First Presbyterian Church of Slidell is no stranger to out-of-state volunteers coming down after the hurricane.

Thursby said since Katrina, the church has been used as a dormitory for over 5,000 volunteers who have come here to build houses and do whatever they can to make the parish whole again.

“We still have volunteers staying here,” Thursby said. “We get between 20 and 100 people every week.”

Lentz said people could call the church office at 643-0871 to pre-register for the Vacation Bible School. She recommends you call early because the school was very popular last year.

“It really was a lot of students last year,” Lentz said.

Print this story | Email this story | Post A Comment |

Comments

No comments posted.

WRITE A COMMENT

Use the form below to post a brief comment to this story, or respond to other readers. Please use the word count tool to assist you in keeping your remarks to 100 words or fewer.

Comment posters are responsible for the opinions they express and the accuracy of the information they provide. We urge comment writers to treat this as a public forum where manners matter. We encourage a collegial, non-insulting tone. All readers comments must be approved by our staff before posting to the Web site. They review submitted comments periodically during the day for offensive or off-topic content before posting. Be aware, in accordance with the Communications Decency Act and provisions upheld in judicial appeal, that you are responsible for comments posted on this Web site. The St. Tammany News is not liable for messages from third parties.

DO NOT POST:
* Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults or threats.
* The use of another person's real name to disguise your identity.
* Comments unrelated to the story.
* Personal Information (phone numbers, addresses, etc.)

Opinions, advice and all other information expressed in thesttammanynews.com's reader comments represent the individual's own views and not necessarily those of the St. Tammany News. The St. Tammany News does not endorse and is not responsible for statements, advice or opinions offered by anyone other than authorized St. Tammany News spokespersons.

Your thoughtful contribution to the online discussion is appreciated.

Multimedia

Sheriff and Slidell police on the hunt for armed robber

The armed robber, who is suspected of two armed robberies last week on Brownswitch Road and Robert Boulevard in Slidell, is also suspected for the robbery of the Blockbuster Video store at the corner of Gause Boulevard and Military Road Wednesday afternoon.

Click here for all videos