Staff Reporter

Early into the afternoon hours, Charlie Douglas, pastor of Bowman Memorial United Methodist Church, sits quietly in his office near the sanctuary going about business as usual, attending to the needs of the church. Douglas, who has been in the area going on two years in June, has been a minister for some 30 years. Around the corner from Douglas, Rev. Charlie Edmonds, pastor of Consolidated Baptist Church,works diligently to beautify the area around the church. Edmonds, who is the new pastor of Consolidated, is a native Kentuckian and has been in the ministry for 36 years. These two men, although distinctly different in their ministries, have one similarity: They've both traveled to minister to the people in the hurricane ravaged Gulf Coast.

Last September, Charlie Douglas, accompanied by a team of volunteers from Hazard and various other places in the state of Kentucky, journeyed to Mississippi to aid storm victims whose lives were torn apart by Hurricane Katrina. The team spent two weeks in the area attending to the needs of people on every socioeconomic level. Charlie Douglas, whose ministry has taken him to many places including Central America, is the Disaster Response Coordinator for the United Methodist Church in Kentucky. He and the group that went to Mississippi were involved in debris removal, providing healthcare, and providing food and water as well as personal ministry. The goal was to help residents with whatever their individual needs were as well as the community needs.

Charlie Douglas noted that Hurricane Katrina “leveled the playing field.” He further explained by adding that everyone after the storm was on the same level no matter what their previous social status was. The aftermath of the storm was the first time that some people had ever had to ask for help. Douglas said that people began to help each other during the second week that they were there. “It's a shame that it takes a devastating storm to get people to communicate with one another,” Douglas said. Speaking of his experience, Douglas referred to it as an “eye opener”. Charlie stated that He would like to take another group to the area to help rebuild in the near future.

Reverend Charlie Edmonds ministers in a different manner. He's a multitasking man who involves several different aspects of service in his ministry. A musician, writer, speaker, and man of God, Edmonds travels domestically and internationally. Charlie spends his time attending to the needs of the elderly and handicapped, helping at risk youth, ministering to

the incarcerated, traveling to and singing at a very diverse selection of cultural events, and preaching the Gospel. Edmonds too, like Douglas, has taken the compassionate steps to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. In March and April of this year, Edmonds traveled to Mississippi to take his unique ministry to the people. While at the coast, he dealt with the spiritual needs of the residents and ministered in song as well as with the Word of God. Inspired by the people and the situation, Charlie Edmonds wrote an original song entitled “You've Got To Have Hope ( When All Else Is Gone)” dedicated to the Victims of Hurricane Katrina. The song is an uplifting embodiment of hope and faith.

No matter how different the methods, both men's intentions were to provide the victims of the storm with everything and anything that they needed. Although, they went with different approaches, their purposes were similar. Separated by only a short distance, Charlie Douglas and Charlie Edmonds continue about their days, eager and willing to travel to where ever they are needed.