Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina, volunteers recall how “being the hands and feet of Christ” affected their lives while rebuilding homes in Louisiana. Video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.
UM News | August 1, 2025
TIPP CITY, Ohio — This year marks the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the U.S. Gulf Coast in August 2005. A UM News team recently returned to some of the hard-hit areas to talk with church leaders and members who recall the devastation and the power of the United Methodist connection. Throughout August, the team will share stories of Hope Beyond the Storm.
All eyes were on the Louisiana Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005. In the months and years following the Category 3 hurricane, the destruction faded from the headlines. But some United Methodist Volunteers in Mission teams didn’t stop going back to help.
For over a decade, Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church in Tipp City, Ohio, was one of those churches still helping people put their lives and their homes back together. Video producer Lilla Marigza talks with members of Ginghamsburg who sent over 100 work teams “to be the hands and feet of God” in the wake of Katrina.
Watch the video documentary, “Mission Slidell,” produced by Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church. Learn more about Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church in Tipp City, Ohio.
Lilla Marigza is a multimedia producer for UM News