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Ike's Impact on the South District

Published: 9/17/2008

The “can-do” spirit of United Methodists in the Texas Annual Conference was fully evident yesterday as Dr. Don Waddleton and I visited churches in the South District. The admonition in the letter of James that disciples should be “doers of the word and not hearers only” was embodied at nearly every stop.  Pastors and laity were working to either respond to damage in their own congregations or to help people in the community.

A number of early response teams are already at work, cleaning up debris, mopping, and handing out food and water. One of the great stories is Manvel in Brazoria County, one of the hardest hit areas where there has been a significant shortage of food, ice and water. Grace UMC Manvel reports feeding 1,500 people yesterday. Food is being provided by the Houston Food Bank, but even that is not keeping up with demand.

Already several North, East and Northwest District congregations are sending experienced teams into some of the hardest-hit places such as Orange, Anahuac and Bridge City. We are grateful for their quick response.

The good news is that we have a number of churches with little or no damage.  They include LaMarque, Hitchcock, Friendswood, both Dickinson churches, both Texas City churches, Clear Lake, Bay Harbor, League City, and Deer Park.  As of yesterday, they were still without power, but were organizing teams and responding to damages in nearby areas. 

The bad news is some congregations suffered extensive damages. Dr. Waddleton and I believe that Seabrook UMC, located near Kemah, is a total loss. Of course, that will be an issue with the insurance company. Bay water flooded the sanctuary at about three feet, and the water in the gym was over four feet. Everything is already growing mold. This church had already purchased property to re-locate, and we are praying that this flood could be a blessing in disguise for the church. Except for houses built on stilts, the neighborhood around the church is also totally flooded. Additionally, there were houses that floated off their foundation and more. It was a very sad sight to see.

Tragically, Cedar Bayou overflowed into Cedar Bayou UMC and the surrounding area. Imagine your home filled with swamp water. That scene gives you a sense of the situation in churches where storm surge pushed standing bodies of water out of their banks and into homes, businesses, schools and churches. The picture of the outside of the administration building on the website will give you a sense of the water level. We were told that there were whitecaps on the parking lot.

Crosby UMC has major roof and water damage. The steeple fell on the roof, knocking a hole through it, and rain water poured in from many points. There was lots of wind damage in the neighborhood.

At First UMC Pasadena, a tornado or microburst peeled the metal roof off the sanctuary, which ruined the carpet, pews and sound system. The neighborhood damage is not so severe.  When we arrived, there were probably 40 volunteers hard at work, ripping out carpet, removing water, and cleaning the building. First UMC Pasadena plans to worship this Sunday in their gym.

We were not able to get to Galveston Island. We are continuing to make contacts with authorities.  Dr. Bert Bagley did get onto the island briefly and reports limited damage to Moody Memorial UMC. He said that it is being used as an operations headquarters for civil response.

The spirit of faith and love is moving among us. I ask that you continue to keep the Texas Annual Conference in your prayers.

Grace and peace,

Janice Riggle Huie

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