TBN Donates $100,000 to LA Dream Center and Welcomes 250 Katrina Evacuees to California; A Haven in the Midst of Despair

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 9, 2005--The Los Angeles Dream Center has been a place of hope and healing for thousands of hurting people over the years. So it's no surprise that Pastors Tommy and Matthew Barnett, along with the Dream Center's staff and volunteers, have opened their collective arms wide to welcome hundreds of families displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Trinity Broadcasting Network, which has actively embraced the ministry of the Dream Center since its beginnings in the late 1990s, has joined in welcoming the families. "Even in the midst of a disaster such as we've witnessed over the last several days, it's impossible to ignore God's mercy in action at the Dream Center," says Paul Crouch Jr., Vice President of Administration for TBN. "Many of these folks have come here with nothing left, and nothing to go back to. This is a real place of refuge for them right now, where the love of Christ is tangible."

“TBN is honored to partner with the Dream Center and has donated $100,000 to aid in the relocation and outreach efforts of Katrina evacuees to the Dream Center in Los Angeles”

Pastor Matthew Barnett explains that shortly after Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, he received an emergency call from a church in Louisiana asking for the Dream Center's help in housing and helping families who had lost everything. "Of course we said yes, and we've made space for up to 300 families," he says.

Pastor Tommy Barnett says that accommodating, feeding, and caring for this number of people -- perhaps for the next three to six months -- is a massive undertaking. "Without help from others this financial commitment is totally beyond our ability," he says. "We're getting calls from churches and friends around the nation asking how they can help, and we're simply urging them to pour their resources and their prayers into this crisis response."

Paul Crouch Jr. notes that believers around the world have a real opportunity to reach out and make a difference in the lives of the many individuals and families impacted by Katrina. "Pastors Tommy and Matthew Barnett and the staff and volunteers of the Dream Center are true examples of Christian compassion and love for others," he says. "I am sincerely moved by what they're doing and I urge Christians to give selflessly to help them right now to minister to these hurting families."

"TBN is honored to partner with the Dream Center and has donated $100,000 to aid in the relocation and outreach efforts of Katrina evacuees to the Dream Center in Los Angeles," reports Susan Zahn, TBN's publicist.

To donate to the Dream Center's Katrina emergency relief effort, log on now to www.dreamcenter.org, or call 213-273-7000. You can also mail your donation to: The Dream Center, 2301 Bellevue Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90026. Mark your check "New Orleans Emergency Fund."

Trinity Broadcasting Network is the world's largest religious network and America's most watched faith Channel For more information visit www.tbn.org.