Hurricane Harvey

Thanks for your continuing prayer on behalf of the multiple thousands of people suffering as the result of Hurricane Harvey. We are grateful that none of our members in the affected areas in Texas and Louisiana lost their lives and that very few experienced significant property damage. Here is the latest information we’ve received:

HOUSTON, TX: Only one of our members in Houston had water make it into their home. They are being well provided for and should return to their home this week. Mark Mounts (our pastor in Houston) recently held a video call with his leadership team to discuss how the congregation can help that family and also the people living in the neighborhood that surrounds the building where our Houston church meets. They have been working very closely this past year with an elementary school whose property adjoins the church building. They will be looking for ways they can help the school with clean-up, once the roads reopen.

BEAUMONT, TX: All our members in Beaumont are OK. James Scales (co-pastor of our congregation there) had to evacuate his home due to the potential of flooding resulting from levies being opened to drain surrounding lakes. He is now with his family in Louisiana and all are doing well. Our church building in Beaumont had a small leak in the roof from the rain, but the repair should be simple. James, who is battling lung cancer, is disappointed that the start date of his chemotherapy in Houston has been postponed due to the hurricane. Please pray for him about that. He is struggling to breathe.

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GCI Disaster Relief Fund

Both congregations have been made aware that financial assistance is available to them via the GCI Disaster Relief Fund, which was established to provide members in disaster areas with emergency needs such as food, water, medicine, clothing, temporary housing, home and/or church hall repairs, temporary local pastoral salary expenses and other emergency needs.

Monies received into the Fund that are not immediately needed will remain in the Fund to be allocated in future disasters. In previous years, money from the Fund was used to help members recover from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, storms and flooding in Bangladesh, an earthquake and tsunami in the Solomon Islands, typhoons in the Philippines and an earthquake in Haiti.

If your congregation would like to donate to the Fund, your treasurer can set up a one-time or monthly donation through the GCI-Online system (http://online.gci.org) by logging in and clicking on Donate under the Manage tab.

If your congregation prefers to send a check, make it out to Grace Communion International, indicating on the memo line that the donation is for the GCI Disaster Relief Fund. The donation should be sent to:

GCI Disaster Relief Fund
Grace Communion International
P.O Box 5005
Glendora, California 91740