By Pastor Mary Gade (Ziegels Lutheran Church, Breinigsville) and Linda Deibert (member, Ziegels United Church of Christ Church, Breinigsville)

I would have liked to write each of you a personal note to thank you for the role you played in supporting and encouraging the donations to the truck to Biloxi. Since I am preparing to leave for Biloxi on Saturday, that just will not be possible … please let the congregations of your district know that they made a huge difference.

Pastor Mary Gade wrote those words in a note to mission district deans on Thursday, October 26, two days before she left to travel to Biloxi once again to assist with Katrina cleanup.

Pastor Gade and members of Ziegels Union Church had teamed up with synod congregations, community members, and businesses to provide supplies for Katrina flood victims through Bethel Lutheran Church in Biloxi, MS.

Transportation was provided by Dennis Rothermel, a member of the Lutheran congregation at Ziegels, who drove his new tractor and a trailer provided by Roadway Trucking to the site.

Rothermel had worked for Roadway for many years and the run to Biloxi was his final trip prior to his retirement. The tractor was a gift from Roadway for having over 2,000,000 miles of accident-free driving. His name and "2,000,000" was printed on the side of the rig. Giving his time was his gift to the project.

Lutheran Congregational Services established drop sites at churches throughout the synod. Not only were countless items donated but also over $3,000 to be used for trip expenses. Volunteers began packing boxes of items the week prior to the trip. Donations were received from Nestle, Kraft Food, Bill Steward Shipping Dept., and Faith Evangelical Free Church in Wescosville.

"It was more than clear that this effort would not have been possible without the efforts of all our churches working together," writes Pastor Gade. "It was amazing to see the supplies arrive all week. We had various people coming and going to sort and re-pack the items so that they would be 'truck ready' on Sunday. When the items started piling up it became more and more clear that we would meet our goal of filling the truck to the top!"

Rothermel left Ziegels at 4 a.m. on October 16 and arrived in Biloxi on October 17. He noted that when the back of the truck was opened, there were tears of joy. The supplies it held meant that the members and volunteers at Bethel Lutheran would be able to continue their ministry within the community. He felt that the tears were because "they never anticipated it being filled from floor to ceiling with necessities for the Katrina victims."

Pastor Gade notes that it was a “group effort of all of our members, the many churches that gave, the churches that served as drop sites and kindly transported the stuff here, and the community members who gave both items and dollars to make it happen.

“It was an amazing time to see it all come together. It is moments like this when it is simply amazing to be the Church."