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By Major Frank Duracher
Southern Spirit staff
Its not that folks need a reason to party in New Orleans people go apey down there at the drop of a hat. And most of the time, its's for the worong season.
But Captains Ethan and Sue Frizzell
hit on a novel idea to lift Jesus higher by
establishing and nurturing relationships
with hundreds of families with children
– many of which are still reeling from
the effects of Hurricane Katrina.
“It’s always
a party
atmosphere,
and it’s yearround,”
said
Captain Ethan
Frizzell, New
Orleans area
commander. “For example,
celebrating Christmas really isn’t over
by Dec. 26. Many people here go on
to celebrate Three Kings Day (January
6), then on to Mardi Gras, followed of
course by Lent, and Easter.”
So then, basically from Thanksgiving
to Easter, the local culture observes the
An invitation to the party
New Orleans Corps
taps into festive spirit
of free-wheeling city
I
Christian calendar that roughly follows
the life of Christ from his birth, through
his suffering and death, and finally to
the glory of his resurrection.
“We see this as a wide-open door,”
said Captain Ethan Frizzell, who is an
admitted “out-of-the-box” thinker.
Whether a Valentine party in
February or a Back-To-School
promotion in August, the Frizzells move
through the calendar of holidays, writing
letters to families, and conducting
activities that connect to the Citadel Corps program and continue recovery efforts following
the worst disaster to ever slam the Crescent City.
“All of this ties into their school work,” Captain
Frizzell said, referring to the children. “They must
bring their report cards and if they are doing well in
their grades, they get extra special treats.”
The citywide promotion is called Emerge. The
concept came to the Frizzells from a campaign
conducted by the Territorial Youth Department.
“Not only are we ‘emerging’ from the devastation
of Katrina, but we are ‘emerging’ into a relationship
with God, a good education, environmental activism
for God’s Kingdom and a community of love and
commitment,” he said.
Area businesses are buying into the concept. The
New Orleans Hornets basketball organization sponsors
the annual Christmas party,
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and Mardi Gras World
hosts a family soirée during the season leading up to
Fat Tuesday. Merchants donate candy for an Easter
egg hunt, and school supplies for back-to-school
giveaways.
“This is a social scheme that is producing significant
effects,” Captain Frizzell said. “In fact, we hope to
have open positions for anyone wanting to help us in
this work.”
Even parents are getting involved. Many are
collecting recyclable plastic bottles that will provide
scholarships for hundreds of children to go to Camp
Hidden Lake this summer.
Allaine Gibson is one grandmother who collected
2,000 plastic bottles for the drive. She met The
Salvation Army when her five grandchildren were
invited to the Christmas party last year. Gibson and
her family lost everything in the flood, but they have
returned to New Orleans to try to build a new life.
She said that she loves what the Army is trying to
do for the children year-round and wants to do her
part to help out.
“I have lots of friends helping me collect the
bottles,” Gibson said. “I’m not sure how many kids
can go to summer camp, but I’m very happy to do
this.”
Some of the families have even accepted the
invitation to attend the corps. Once there, they are
welcomed and accepted by the Citadel soldiers, many
of whom are new themselves to the Army’s revitalized
mission in New Orleans.
One such couple is Dan and Diana Ketcham,
originally soldiers from the USA Central Territory (see
related story).
“I was enrolled as a soldier by General Frederick
Coutts in St. Louis in 1964,” Dan Ketcham said.
“Diana and I relocated to New Orleans to help in the
recovery effort. In fact, we came to the corps here just
two weeks after the reopening (in October 2006).”
The Ketchams are very involved in the Emerge
program, both at area command and the Citadel
Corps. Saying the Emerge program is “just the kind of
ministry that attracted” him and his wife to the Army
in the first place, Ketcham has been an objective
observer of the program that is designed to benefit
their new community and church home.
“We have lots of room to grow this mission, and
we’re having fun doing it,” he said.
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