Ana Suzel DeSouza got down on her hands and knees and dug in the flower and shrub beds for the Evangelical Church of the Nations when she first arrived from Brazil six years ago.
Six years later, her husband, the Rev. Rogerio DeSouza, says she suffers from a neurological disorder. He wonders if it is related to the former Parker Street burn dump on which the church was built some 30 years ago.
At that time, the Rev. Adelino DeSousa (the church's original pastor) oversaw the excavation for the foundation, and he is said to have described the land as containing big chunks of a material that looked like coal.
Now, two years after the city issued building permits to expand the church — which is located near to where the new Keith Middle School was also constructed on contaminated land — Pastor DeSouza and his parishioners have found themselves in a no-win position.
After they spent an estimated $250,000 renovating the interior of the church with the city's full knowledge, they say they've been informed that proceeding with the exterior expansion would be ill-advised.
The reason?
City testing around the structure has found sharply elevated levels of toxic chemicals, including PCBs, benzopyrene compounds, cadmium chromium, lead and others.
The NAACP is pressing the city and Fed EPA to at least let the parishoners know whether it's safe to attend church. I hope/pray they're successful.
Many read scriptures like this, believing if we are faithful to God in our giving God will respond abundantly to us. The Church has been diligently getting her creation stewardship act together. Could this be a chance for God to respond in a big way?
