Joe Eudy and eight friends from Arlington went to New Orleans this month expecting to repair flood damage to LaHarpe United Methodist Church.

What they didn't realize was that much of their work would involve improving the small church's pre-storm condition.

"The biggest issues we're seeing are not Katrina-related at all," said Mr. Eudy, part of a team from First United Methodist Church of Arlington that partnered with LaHarpe. "The most costly stuff is repairing termite damage that has been there, who knows, 10 years. It's going to be a fun project."

Early on, out-of-state church groups focused on repairing homes and making the New Orleans area livable after Hurricane Katrina's destruction. More than a year after the storm, some -- like the Arlington team -- are now fixing up churches in reoccupied areas.

LaHarpe, built in 1866 in the city's Seventh Ward, has sat unoccupied since Katrina. Its congregation -- which now meets at another church -- has dwindled from 126 to 15.

"It meant a great deal to the whole congregation," LaHarpe's pastor, the Rev. William Jones, said of the Arlington group's efforts. "It lifted up quite a number of people. This is a good sign of hope and encouragement, and the people are working hard to try to get things together."

Federal relief money can't go to churches, so they have to rely on fundraising from partner churches and other private sources. The Southern Baptist Convention, for example, assigned various storm-damaged areas to its regional chapters to help.

"The only way this church will be rebuilt is by luck or faith," said Michelle Clark, missions coordinator for First United Methodist Church of Arlington. "A lot of churches are going unhelped because they're not getting hooked up with people to help them."

Ms. Clark found LaHarpe through a United Methodist program that matches storm-damaged churches with those willing to help.

Ms. Clark is trying to raise $20,000 to pay for LaHarpe's repairs. Floodwaters rose almost three feet throughout the church's first floor, destroying much of the fellowship hall and office space. The sanctuary, on the second floor, suffered only minor wind damage.

"As we've torn out stuff, we find more damage that's got to be fixed," said Bill Deere, a retired electrical engineer. "It kind of grows on you as you go. You fix one thing and find two more to be repaired."

The Arlington group gutted the first floor during a trip the first weekend of December. Now, it is waiting for the city of New Orleans to grant a pre-construction permit before returning -- by late January, the group hopes. Ms. Clark said the entire project could take six months.

"Everywhere we went, if we got to talking to people, they'd say, 'Thank you,' " Mr. Deere said. "People who have absolutely nothing to do with this church, people in the grocery store or gas station, they'd say, 'Thank you for your help.' "