DALLAS (BP)–As people begin to rebuild their lives in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, two dozen retired ministers and widows have qualified for emergency grants -– ranging from $500 to $2,000 — from GuideStone Financial Resources’ Adopt An Annuitant program.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, GuideStone staff began contacting Adopt An Annuitant recipients to check on their situation and offer help.
“We’ve provided extra assistance to about 25 people,” said John Ambra, GuideStone’s director of development. “That support has helped them in meeting insurance deductibles, replacing lost food, cleanup assistance and replacing shingles on the roof. In fact, we paid for metal sheeting that ripped off one of our participant’s roofs.”
“The best news is none of the annuitants we currently help have lost their lives,” Ambra said.
One of the annuitants assisted by GuideStone’s emergency financial aid was Mary Hodges of McComb, Miss. During Katrina’s landfall and deluge on her home in southwest Mississippi, Hodges said she went from room to room in her house praying God would protect her property and her church.
“The Lord was with me and I did not get afraid,” she said. “And not a limb fell on the house. It was miraculous.”
Hodges’ home received some roof damage from the winds -– not to the point of leaking, she noted -– but food in her refrigerator and freezer spoiled during the power outage in the days following Katrina.
“The check makes the difference in what I am able to eat, compared to what I could have without it,” she said, adding that the difference in the supplemental income she receives through the Adopt An Annuitant program means the difference between eating beans or eating meat.
Hodges said that her neighborhood and city are beginning to rebound. A group from Missouri came down and cut up fallen tree limbs and trucks carted off the debris.
“We’re getting in good shape,” Hodges said. “It’s starting to look like people live here instead of a war zone.”
Ambra said the Adopt An Annuitant program has been able to provide emergency grants to recipients like Hodges because of the generosity of Southern Baptists who give to the Adopt An Annuitant program.
The program provides financial support for nearly 2,500 retired Southern Baptist ministers or their widows whose income is insufficient to meet their daily needs. Qualifying individuals receive $200 a month and qualifying couples receive $265 a month. The Adopt An Annuitant program can accept a gift of any amount, and nothing is taken out for administrative costs –- 100 percent is used to help someone in need.
“The faithfulness of our donors is the reason we are prepared to respond in emergency situations,” Ambra said. “Because of that support, we’ve been able to provide additional funds to help with the unexpected needs our recipients have faced, and we’ve had the privilege of being able to give some comfort to folks who were dealing with tough circumstances.”
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Additional information on the Adopt An Annuitant program is available at www.GuideStone.org or by calling 1-800-262-0511.
