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Appeal for Funds For Hurricane Harvey Response

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Dear friends,

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The southern part of the Texas Annual Conference has suffered one of the most catastrophic floods in our nation’s history. Harris County has averaged 33 inches of rain between Friday and Tuesday morning and the rain has not yet stopped. More than 30,000 persons have been evacuated from their homes. 8 persons have been confirmed dead. It is too early to calculate how much damage has been done, but already predictions are being made that this ranks as one of the worst natural disasters in US history.

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Christians should respond by loving our neighbors in the name of Christ. We United Methodists are ready and able to do so. During the flooding, courageous clergy and laity have been at work. Now we are looking at the recovery. The Texas Annual Conference recently dedicated a disaster response depot in Conroe which will help us respond. We have been involved in disaster relief before, both locally and around the country and once again we are getting ready to serve.

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But we cannot do this alone—we need your help. The first need is for prayer for the rain to end and for all those affected. We are grateful for all the support and prayers we have received so far. Keep them coming!

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Second, we need financial support. You can send money to the United Methodist Committee on Relief at www.umcor.org. Designate your gift to U.S. Disaster Response, Advance #901670.

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As another option, you can donate to the Texas Annual Conference at http://www.txcumc.org/floodrelief. You can give online, by text, or by mailing a check to the Conference at 5215 Main, Houston, 77002. Please put “Harvey Response” in the memo line. We also know that the Rio Texas Conference needs help, too.

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There will come a time when volunteers will be welcome. Our past experience says this recovery will take years instead of months. When such efforts are useful, we will invite and host teams. With God’s help, we can be a part of putting people’s lives back together. That’s what we do.

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Grace and peace,

Scott Jones

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