Busy Is As Busy Does: One Man’s Mission On The Mississippi Coast 

Release Date: April 21, 2009
Release Number: 1604-709

» More Information on Mississippi Hurricane Katrina

BILOXI, Miss. -- Some say if you need something done give it to a busy person. On the Coast that would be Pastor Elijah Mitchell, a one-time employee of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

A Methodist minister, Mitchell served the spiritual needs of people at one church in Waveland, another in Biloxi. Hurricane Katrina took both houses of worship – and six members of his staff. Loss of those lives is not something he likes to talk about.

Mitchell prefers to focus on the events after the storm, the part when people began their lives again.

His bishop tapped him to be disaster relief coordinator for the Mississippi Conference of the United Methodist Church. It wasn’t that he was lacking for anything to do. He was already tending to needs of the homeless along the Coast – counseling, directing some to possible housing options, providing emotional support to others.

"Mississippi owes much to people like Pastor Mitchell in this disaster recovery," said Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) Director Mike Womack. "He’s a member of an ever growing roster of individuals who have committed their time and effort to helping this state get back on its feet."

Mitchell was chosen to help coordinate disaster relief efforts because he knows the people in the lower counties, their culture and the ins and outs of local community assistance agencies. Not an easy thing to do for someone who arrived here in 2002 – just three years before the historic storm.  As a newcomer, it’s tough to get close to people on the Coast.

"Katrina proved that my past was not relevant," Mitchell said, who once served as a U.S. Army officer and retired as a lieutenant colonel. The advantage of not bringing up his past was a working assumption before the storm. By that time, he had already cultivated an extensive network of friends and community organizers and activists. "I didn’t bring my culture with me. I developed an understanding of the locals."

FEMA staffers out in the front lines after the hurricane noticed Pastor Mitchell. It was hard not to notice this man who got things done in the midst of chaos – connecting people and services and coordinating disaster relief among agencies. It wasn’t long before people at FEMA spoke with him about what he knew about the lay of the land and then encouraged him to join their ranks at the MEMA/FEMA Joint Field Office.

Mitchell joined FEMA and still kept all his other commitments to his bishop and community organizations and to the homeless. He served with the agency for nine months, where he helped in the formation of Long Term Recovery Committees. 

"I loved working for FEMA," Mitchell said. But there was much that beckoned him to his other life.

Today he tends a new flock at the H.A. Brown United Methodist Church in Wiggins, a long drive from the Gulfport area where he lives with his wife, daughter and granddaughter, all assistants in his endeavors. He serves as a board member of the Mississippi Interfaith Disaster Task Force (IDTF) and with Coastal Family Health as outreach coordinator in Biloxi and Gulfport. Mitchell is a member of the Open Doors Coalition in Gulfport and the Steps Coalition in Biloxi; both organizations serve the homeless. As a member of the Biloxi Lion’s Club, Mitchell assists in their initiatives to help those seeking shelter. He also serves Project Safe Space, a ministry of the United Methodist Church.

"It’s hard to pinpoint what I do," said Mitchell who has his cell phone on 24/7. "It all goes back to my homeless ministry."

Many appreciate his work in that ministry. In March, Pastor Mitchell was lauded for his "tireless" work with the homeless by the Mutual of America Foundation. It came as a surprise because the foundation traveled to Biloxi to present their Community Partnership Award to IDTF at a luncheon.

The foundation, a subsidiary of Mutual Of America Life Insurance Company, presented a $15,000 check to the faith-based disaster relief organization, for whom Mitchell serves. But Mutual of America also recognized him with an award for his outstanding efforts helping the homeless.

It may be hard to pinpoint what Pastor Mitchell does, but it’s easy to appreciate him for all he does. Next on his plate: expanding his homeless ministry to Stone County.

FEMA leads and supports the nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation, to reduce the loss of life and property and protect the nation from all hazards including natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters.

Last Modified: Tuesday, 21-Apr-2009 13:56:55