Dear Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief Contributor,

Greetings! It has been several months since we last communicated with you about the

Katrina relief effort to which you contributed. Over a year after Katrina came ashore, Christ continues to be glorified by the work of Christians along the Gulf Coast. We hope that you received the report and CD on our shelter effort that was mailed out in October 2005 and the report that was mailed out in March 2006. You will find included in this packet a two CD set of excerpts from our “Voices of Katrina” summer series in which our ten speakers from the greater New Orleans area shared their own stories of loss and perseverance. You can learn more about these speakers and the content of the CD’s by listening to the introductory track on the first of the two CD’s. The audio from all ten of our summer series lessons are also available through our website at www.goodwoodchurch.org. In this packet you will also find a report on the series written by Larenda Lyles Roberts, the daughter of one of our elders, George Lyles. Finally, along with the details of the financial report included below you will find a statement of the cash receipts and distributions from the Disaster Relief Fund as of September 20, 2006.

Congregational Relief

As of September 20, 2006 we have distributed $112,122.96 to congregations of the Lord’s church. Some of our funds have gone to support a radio program overseen by the elders at the DeGualle Drive church of Christ in New Orleans, which was in progress prior to Katrina. This program is broadcasted throughout the city on a daily basis and is intended to share the good news of Christ with the burdened population of the city. We have also continued to provide monthly support to several congregations in Mississippi and Louisiana. We have also remained in contact with these congregations letting them know that they are welcome to come to our shelter in case their area is evacuated again.

Missionary Relief

As of September 20, 2006 we have distributed $53,910.40 to missionaries whose support was affected by Katrina. The vast majority of this support has continued to go to the congregations and Christian school in Trujillo, Honduras whose supporting congregation was unable to continue due to Katrina. The elders of the Goodwood congregation have taken responsibility for making sure that three evangelists in the Trujillo area (Santiago Bonilla, Candido Ramirez, and Fernando Romero) are supported on a monthly basis. Their monthly reports of the great work in Honduras make us continually thankful that the hurricane did not affect their ability to continue teaching others about Christ.

Shelter and Shelter Family Relief

As of September 20, 2006 we have distributed $24,045.80 to provide further support to those housed in our shelter. This is on top of the monies spent on the shelter effort ($28,057.12) from August 30 to September 22 of 2005. One young man named Justin was baptized while staying in our shelter, but was discovered sleeping in his car a few weeks after leaving the shelter. The church took Justin in, found him permanent housing, and helped him graduate from high school, find full-time work, get a drivers license, and transportation. We are thankful that Justin is continuing to be involved with the Goodwood congregation. In order to prepare for any future storms, we have also prepared and stored 100 30-gallon “welcome boxes” that include an air mattress, pillow, bedding, toiletries, towels, writing materials, and other necessary items to be used when the shelter needs to be reopened. This has been accompanied by other efforts to evaluate the 2005 shelter and evaluate what could be done better in the future. Although we pray that the people in this area will not face a hurricane or evacuation anytime soon, we are prepared to reopen the shelter on a moment’s notice if the need arises.

Preacher Relief

As of September 20, 2006 we have distributed $63,985.18 to area preachers among the churches of Christ in need. Along with supporting at least two preachers we were also blessed to encourage the preachers that took part in our summer series. Each of these men was given a $500 stipend to help them rebuild and to reward them for their service, in addition to receiving payment for their travel expenses. Many of them are still working on a daily basis to assist those recovering from Katrina often when they could be assisting themselves. We are thankful that the summer series allowed us to both learn from these great men of faith and also give them a gift that will hopefully help them in their own recovery efforts.

Christian Family Relief

As of September 20, 2006 we have distributed $20,143.31 to Christian families from the New Orleans area. These funds have helped at least three families pay their rent, along with helping numerous families with moving expenses, bedding, furniture, food, gas, and other expenses. One family of five had spent the last seven months living in a borrowed trailer sleeping on air mattresses. I had never seen children so excited about getting their own mattresses, yet I was even more moved to know that the love of Christ had enabled that Christian family to get a good night’s sleep for the first time in several months.

Supply Distribution

In the initial weeks following Katrina, many of you sent supplies to give to those who had been displaced. Boxes of food, clothing, and toys were arriving on a daily basis from all over the country. We estimate that we gave away about six tractor trailer loads of supplies and since that time have used some of these funds to continue meeting basic needs. Some of these supplies were carried to areas affected in Alabama and Mississippi. We continue to give away food, Bibles, and other supplies on a daily basis.

Future Plans

As of September 20, 2006 we have distributed a total of $306,127.42 in disaster relief since Katrina hit. You will notice that with the interest that the funds have gained while in savings, we still have $370,271.43 that will be devoted to helping Christians, congregations, and others who are hurting in the greater New Orleans area to rebuild. We have recently assisted the Chalmette church of Christ with building a structure that could house 30-40 of their members who are still meeting there. We also continue to assist other congregations on a monthly basis and anticipate assisting with more construction projects over the next year. These projects have been delayed to this point by building and zoning codes that have yet to be determined and the fact that many citizens have yet to move back into the New Orleans area. With the plans being made, we anticipate having enough funds to provide about a two year supply. We hope to correspond with you again late in the spring of 2007 to give you another update. The elders of the Goodwood congregation feel very strongly about making sure that you have a full accounting of the use of these funds and will gladly provide a more detailed financial statement upon request. Please know that these funds have not and will not be used for the advancement of the Goodwood congregation, but rather will go to help those most affected in hurricane damaged areas.

In Christian Love,

Doug Burleson, preacher

Goodwood Blvd. church of Christ (www.goodwoodchurch.org)