Following Katrina, as groups re-entered the city and began to organize for ministry, quite a few gravitated to the name NOAH as their title. Southern Baptists did, then found a United Methodist group already had staked it out, so ours became Operation NOAH Rebuild, the NOAH standing for “New Orleans Area Hope.”

As we reported here recently, it now turns out the City of New Orleans had its own version of NOAH, the New Orleans Affordable Homeownership Corporation. Established as a non-profit outfit to supplement the work of volunteers who were being overwhelmed by the scope of the rebuilding yet to be done, NOAH has become a front page story for the worst of reasons. Thursday’s headline reads, “Volunteers did the work but NOAH contractors got paid.”

Two years ago, Mayor Nagin said he wanted the city to offer gutting services because the faith-based and grassroots organizations just couldn’t do it all. This was the centerpiece of his 2007 budget, funded with several million dollars which, no doubt, came from the federal government directly or indirectly.

The NOAH agency was headed up by Stacey Jackson, who has resigned in the last couple of months. The office worked with sub-contractors who then gutted out houses assigned to them, turned in an invoice and were reimbursed by NOAH. That was the plan, at any rate, and it appears to have worked. Sort of. Somewhat. To a certain extent.

The fact is no one knows. No one from the city’s NOAH agency checked to see that the work was done, we now learn.

So, among the scandals now coming to light is the fact that at least 90 homes which NOAH paid contractors to gut out were untouched by those companies, but volunteers from around the USA did all the work.

(We cannot emphasize too strongly this controversy has NOTHING to do with Operation NOAH Rebuild, which has never charged anyone a dime to gut out or rebuild a house. This is a ministry of God’s people helping our people in need for the glory of Jesus Christ.)

Now, the NOAH agency has been shut down and the FBI is now looking into matters. The U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is conducting its own investigation since they authorized federal money to finance the gutting program. Looks like the only gutting going on by the contractors was of the federal bank account.

A spokesman in City Hall admits some of the money was improperly paid out and the city may have to reimburse HUD around $223,000. The G-men want to know if any laws were broken, if fraud was committed, and if someone needs to be held accountable in a court of law.

Complicating matters–and adding no end of embarrassment to those of us who live here and long to shed the ingrained reputation of corruption this city and the state have been branded with—it now appears that the mayor and former executive director Stacey Jackson both have kinfolk on the payrolls of the contractors.

The mayor has once again become embattled and defensive, getting upset if any newsman or city council member tries to hold him accountable for what he has done or should have done. Steve Kelley’s editorial cartoon Thursday shows Nagin dressed in a court jester’s outfit pointing at a full length mirror which is labeled “media.” He says, “That thing’s making me look like a fool.”

Meanwhile, Inspector General for the City of New Orleans Robert Cerasoli is doing his work. One way we know is that various city leaders are getting upset with him. The city’s attorney–don’t have the paper with me, so can’t recall her name–has gone public, complaining that Cerasoli should check with her before doing an investigation of any city agency. Mr. “C” is too polite to laugh in her face–the response which occurred to more than a few–but answered that the independency of his office will not be compromised in any way whatsoever. He answers only to the City Council which hired him and then turned him loose to do his job.

The Saints got off to a rousing start in the first pre-season football game Thursday night, beating the Arizona Cardinals handily. These four games used to be called “exhibition games,” and are meaningless, but by the time they come around each summer, most of us fans are so starved for the fall season to begin, we’ll even take this. Expectations for this team this year are sky high.

The Summer Olympics started today in China. Most people seem to have forgotten that when these international athletic events were revived in 1896, it was with the hope of bringing the nations together in fellowship and sport. However, the hype we are surrounded with and the nationalistic fervor the games engender seem to indicate we’ve lost sight of the original goal. Each country’s plan now is to “beat” all those other teams and show them which nation is the best.

Personally, I hope we can just enjoy the games and appreciate the people from across the globe who work so hard to achieve excellence in their sport. After all, “God so loved the world….”

Let’s pray for one another, learn to love our neighbor, and hope the Lord doesn’t have to destroy this world the way He did in the days of Noah.

The first NOAH, that is.