The Article
Offering Help and Hope as Ebola Epidemic Unfolds
By ALAN FEUER OCT. 5, 2014
The Temple of Faith Church on Staten Island, led by the Rev. Roselyn Holder-Dimerson, center,
is closely watching the outbreak.
Credit Robert Stolarik for The New York Times
After the offering was taken and the service was coming to an end, the Rev. Roselyn Holder-Dimerson of the Temple of Faith Church on Staten Island asked her congregation to do together what they were no doubt already doing on their own.
“Let us pray now,” she said, “for Liberia and for all the other African countries affected by this Ebola disease.”
All across Little Liberia, a community of African expatriates in the Clifton section of Staten Island, praying people turned their minds on Sunday to their homeland, which has been struggling for months with an increasingly perilous Ebola epidemic. In large churches and in tiny storefront houses of worship, local Liberians this weekend sent their best wishes — and in many cases their money — home to their families, hoping that their prayers and donations could make up for a lack of cotton balls, rubber gloves and other medical supplies.
There are more than 50 Liberian families that worship at the Temple of Faith and each of them, said Walters Weah, the church’s administrator, knows someone overseas who has died from Ebola. Stories have reached Staten Island about stricken relatives lying for days — or sometimes weeks — at home without any attention from physicians or the government.
The Rev. Demetrius S. Carolina Sr., pastor at First Central Baptist Church in Staten Island, on Sunday.
His church has sent almost $2,000 to Liberia to combat the outbreak.
Credit Robert Stolarik for The New York Times
“We hear about sick people who call for help, and no one comes to pick them up until they’re dead,” Mr. Weah said. His church has begun an effort to buy an ambulance and ship it, at its own expense, to Liberia. But while the money has been forthcoming, there have been problems getting the aid to where it needs to be.
“Many of us have given up hope,” Mr. Weah reluctantly admitted. “The government has done very little to address the situation. Everyone here is worried, everyone is praying. The truth is that we don’t know what to do.”
One thing the community has managed to do is set up a handful of drop-off sites in the neighborhood for donation. It had also planned a concert and fund-raising event for Sunday night at the Christ Assembly Lutheran Church on Hudson Street. The organizers, the Liberian Community Association and the Staten Island Ministerial Alliance, hoped to raise as much as $50,000 for Ebola relief, Mr. Weah said.
There are five major Liberian churches on Staten Island, which is home to a substantial Liberian expatriate community. Some, like Temple of Faith, maintain informal, more familial relations with their homeland. Others, like the First Central Baptist Church on Wright Street, have sent official missions to Liberia in recent years, to build schools and affiliated churches.
More Ebola Coverage
“Through our sister church, we have already sent bleach, alcohol, medical swabs and almost $2,000 overseas,” the Rev. Demetrius S. Carolina Sr., the pastor at First Central Baptist, said. “It’s obviously a delicate social and economic situation over there and we, here on Staten Island, are united in trying to come together and lend support in as humanely way as we possibly can.”
On Thursday night, officials from the city’s health department met with leaders of the African community in the Bronx, and they plan to hold similar events in the other boroughs.
Dr. Mary T. Bassett, the city’s health commissioner, said their immediate focus was to make sure that anyone who had recently traveled from West Africa and had fallen ill went to the hospital. All will be treated, regardless of their immigration status or their ability to pay.
“These are the people who most directly affected,” Dr. Bassett said. “We want them to have the information they need.”
For the city’s West Africans, it has not been easy watching the epidemic from afar. Recently, one member of First Central Baptist got word that his wife, his daughter and his cousin had all died of Ebola in Liberia. Other church members have suffered similar losses in the last few months.
“Is what is going on in Liberia affecting us here on Staten Island?” Mr. Carolina asked. “The answer is, yes. Absolutely, yes.”
These are the -ing forms in the sentence in the article above and the explanation:
1. Offering Help and Hope as Ebola Epidemic Unfolds
Explanation:
The word offering in sentence (1) is included into -ing form (offer + -ing) as a noun because it is a gerund which the function of gerund is a noun.
2. The Temple of Faith Church on Staten Island, led by the Rev. Roselyn Holder-Dimerson, center, is closely watching the outbreak.
Explanation:
The word watching in sentence (2) is included into -ing form (watch + -ing) as a verb because it occurs in the Simple Present Tense that is formed by Subject (The Temple of Faith Church on Staten Island, led by the Rev. Roselyn Holder-Dimerson, center) + auxiliary be (is) + present participle (watch + -ing). In the sentence above, the function of present participle watching is as a verb.
Explanation:
The word watching in sentence (2) is included into -ing form (watch + -ing) as a verb because it occurs in the Simple Present Tense that is formed by Subject (The Temple of Faith Church on Staten Island, led by the Rev. Roselyn Holder-Dimerson, center) + auxiliary be (is) + present participle (watch + -ing). In the sentence above, the function of present participle watching is as a verb.
3. After the offering was taken and the service was coming to an end, the Rev. Roselyn Holder-Dimerson of the Temple of Faith Church on Staten Island asked her congregation to do together what they were no doubt already doing on their own.
Explanation:
The word offering in sentence (3) above is included into an -ing form that the function is as a noun because it is considered to be a gerund which the function of gerund is as a noun.
Explanation:
The word offering in sentence (3) above is included into an -ing form that the function is as a noun because it is considered to be a gerund which the function of gerund is as a noun.
4. All across Little Liberia, a community of African expatriates in the Clifton section of Staten Island, praying people turned their minds on Sunday to their homeland, which has been struggling for months with an increasingly perilous Ebola epidemic.
Explanation:
The word praying in sentence (4) above is included into an -ing form as it comes from the word pray and the suffix -ing. In the sentence above, it is categorized as present participle that the function is as an adjective because it modifies the noun people.
Explanation:
The word praying in sentence (4) above is included into an -ing form as it comes from the word pray and the suffix -ing. In the sentence above, it is categorized as present participle that the function is as an adjective because it modifies the noun people.
5. All across Little Liberia, a community of African expatriates in the Clifton section of Staten Island, praying people turned their minds on Sunday to their homeland, which has been struggling for months with an increasingly perilous Ebola epidemic.
Explanation:
The word struggling in sentence (5) above is included into an -ing form as it comes from the word struggle and the suffix -ing. In the sentence above, the word struggling is included into a present participle as a verb because it occursin the Present Perfect Continuous Tense which is formed by Subject (which as a pronoun of a community of African) + auxiliary have (has) + been + present participle (struggling).
Explanation:
The word struggling in sentence (5) above is included into an -ing form as it comes from the word struggle and the suffix -ing. In the sentence above, the word struggling is included into a present participle as a verb because it occursin the Present Perfect Continuous Tense which is formed by Subject (which as a pronoun of a community of African) + auxiliary have (has) + been + present participle (struggling).
6. In large churches and in tiny storefront houses of worship, local Liberians this weekend sent their best wishes — and in many cases their money — home to their families, hoping that their prayers and donations could make up for a lack of cotton balls, rubber gloves and other medical supplies.
Explanation:
The word hoping in sentence (6) above can be considered as an -ing form as present participle (comes from the word hope and the suffix -ing) as an adjective because it modifies the noun local Liberians.
Explanation:
The word hoping in sentence (6) above can be considered as an -ing form as present participle (comes from the word hope and the suffix -ing) as an adjective because it modifies the noun local Liberians.
7. But while the money has been forthcoming, there have been problems getting the aid to where it needs to be.
Explanation:
The word forthcoming in sentence (7) above can be included into a present participle because it comes from the word forthcome and the suffix -ing. In the sentence above, the function of the present participle forthcoming is as a verb because it occurs in the Present Perfect Progressive Tense that is formed by Subject (the money) + auxiliary have (has) + been + present participle (forthcoming).
Explanation:
The word forthcoming in sentence (7) above can be included into a present participle because it comes from the word forthcome and the suffix -ing. In the sentence above, the function of the present participle forthcoming is as a verb because it occurs in the Present Perfect Progressive Tense that is formed by Subject (the money) + auxiliary have (has) + been + present participle (forthcoming).
8. But while the money has been forthcoming, there have been problems getting the aid to where it needs to be.
Explanation:
The word getting in sentence (8) above can be included into present participle which comes from the verb get and the suffix -ing. The function of the present participle getting in sentence above is as an adjective because it modifies the noun problems.
Explanation:
The word getting in sentence (8) above can be included into present participle which comes from the verb get and the suffix -ing. The function of the present participle getting in sentence above is as an adjective because it modifies the noun problems.
9. Everyone here is worried, everyone is praying.
Explanation:
The word praying in sentence (9) above is included into present participle which comes from the verb pray and the suffix -ing. In the sentence above, the function of the present participle praying is as a verb because it occurs in the Present Progressive Tense that is formed by Subject (everyone) + auxiliary be (is) + present participle (praying).
Explanation:
The word praying in sentence (9) above is included into present participle which comes from the verb pray and the suffix -ing. In the sentence above, the function of the present participle praying is as a verb because it occurs in the Present Progressive Tense that is formed by Subject (everyone) + auxiliary be (is) + present participle (praying).
10. It had also planned a concert and fund-raising event for Sunday night at the Christ Assembly Lutheran Church on Hudson Street.
Explanation:
The compound word fund-raising in sentence (10) above can be considered as present participle because the word raising comes from the verb raise and the suffix -ing. In the sentence, the function of the present participle fund-raising is as an adjective because it modifies the following noun event.
Explanation:
The compound word fund-raising in sentence (10) above can be considered as present participle because the word raising comes from the verb raise and the suffix -ing. In the sentence, the function of the present participle fund-raising is as an adjective because it modifies the following noun event.
11. It’s obviously a delicate social and economic situation over there and we, here on Staten Island, are united in trying to come together and lend support in as humanely way as we possibly can.
Explanation:
The word trying in sentence (11) is included into a gerund because it occurs after the preposition in. The function of the gerund trying is as a noun.
Explanation:
The word trying in sentence (11) is included into a gerund because it occurs after the preposition in. The function of the gerund trying is as a noun.
12. Is what is going on in Liberia affecting us here on Staten Island?
Explanation:
The word going in sentence (12) above can be concluded into a present participle because it comes from the verb go and the suffix -ing. The function of the present participle going in the sentence above is as a verb because it occurs in the Present Progressive Tense that is formed by Subject (what) + auxiliary be (is) + present participle (going).
Explanation:
The word going in sentence (12) above can be concluded into a present participle because it comes from the verb go and the suffix -ing. The function of the present participle going in the sentence above is as a verb because it occurs in the Present Progressive Tense that is formed by Subject (what) + auxiliary be (is) + present participle (going).
