Louisiana Annual Conference

Kayla Alexander (left), who attended First United Methodist Church of Baton Rouge as a child, attended the church virtually while her family was in lockdown because of COVID-19 in Australia, where they now live. Alexander and Jamie (to her right) brought their third child Brady Alexander to Louisiana to be baptized by the Rev. Brady Whitton at First United Methodist Church. Photo courtesy of Kayla Alexander.

Virtual church will continue after COVID-19

The rewards of online ministry are too rich to give up if and when the coronavirus is a thing of the past, said a pastor in Louisiana. Three stories from First United Methodist Church of Baton Rouge illustrate his point.

Disaster Relief

Members of a volunteer team from the Amish community in Ohio work on a home that was damaged by multiple natural disasters in Lake Charles, La. They are part of a coalition of the Louisiana Conference of The United Methodist Church, Fuller Center Disaster ReBuilders, and Mennonite Disaster Services.

Multifaith coalition helping with Louisiana storm recovery

A unique partnership formed by United Methodist, Mennonite and Amish communities is helping with recovery and rebuilding efforts in storm-ridden Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Mission and Ministry

United Methodist Church of Bound Brook, in Bound Brook, N.J., is dealing with Hurricane Ida flood damage, including to its thrift shop. Photo courtesy of the Rev. Chuck Coblentz.

United Methodist connection kicks in after Ida

Church damage reports mount in Louisiana and Northeast, but spared areas are helping, including a $100,000 donation from the Alabama-West Florida Conference to the Louisiana Conference.

Mission and Ministry

The Coast Guard conducts Hurricane Ida post-storm overflights along the Gulf Coast on Aug. 30. Assets conducted critical incident search and rescue overflights and assessed damage along the Gulf Coast Region of Louisiana following Hurricane Ida. Screenshot courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard via Flickr.

Hurricane Ida takes out church buildings

Storm causes widespread damage in southeast Louisiana, including to United Methodist churches and parsonages.

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