Friday, September 1, 2017

Hurricane Harvey Update-Friday

Hurricane Harvey Update from Bishop Doyle

Today, from Palacios to Liberty and Orange, we are faced with continued rising water, flooding and chemical leaks; meanwhile, our neighbors in East Texas and Louisiana are being hammered by Harvey. Those in west Houston have their eyes on the levees, which are due to crest sometime Thursday at 56 feet. Additionally, there is another low in the Gulf of Mexico that may become Tropical Storm or Hurricane Jose by Sunday or Monday.

Our prayers are for those who wait and watch and weep today for loss of life, home and livelihood. We pray for those who are in the midst of the storm and who await rescue and relief. In the meantime those who are able are helping those who are dependent upon the kindness of others. One of the most heartening things about this horrific weather event is witnessing neighbors helping neighbors in both small and enormous ways.

Click here to read the entirety of the Bishop’s message where he talks about Stages of Disaster, How to Connect, Spiritual Care Teams and Resources.

Visit our hub for Hurricane Harvey relief and response efforts by clicking below.
EDOT Harvey Hub

How To Connect

The Diocese will send out a daily alert to try to consolidate information about ministries taking place. While some may feel like you are not enough, especially in these early stages, the ministry adds up. We hope to be able to show you how much impact the Episcopal Diocese is having in flooded areas because of your efforts. Look for that text message to arrive on your phone at 6 each day and if you can, please respond. We will send texts to heads of all congregations to capture work that is being done in areas farther from the flooded area as well.

We are most grateful for the initiative of our rectors who got together to offer immediate aid. Our Dean, the Very Rev. Barkley Thompson, has coordinated their efforts in Houston as a network for relief and restoration efforts. Beyond Houston, rectors and their congregations are invited to join these efforts. Christy Orman will organize offers of aid and assistance with needs and we will begin to connect these in the most efficient manner as soon as possible. Orman’s contact information is: corman@christchurchcathedral.org, 713.590.3313 (O) and or 832.915.0223 (M).

Our churches in need of help should contact the Rev. Canon Joann Saylors with specific needs so that we can put the appropriate team of diocesan staff together for you. She will coordinate with Orman and our disaster relief coordinator, the Ven. Russ Oechse l.
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Quotes

  • "Christianity is not a theory or speculation, but a life; not a philosophy of life, but a life and a living process." Samuel Taylor Coleridge
  • "Most people are willing to take the Sermon on the Mount as a flag to sail under, but few will use it as a rudder by which to steer." Oliver Wendell Holmes
  • "Perfection, in a Christian sense, means becoming mature enough to give ourselves to others." Kathleen Norris
  • "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." John Wesley
  • "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." G. K. Chesterton
  • "One of our great allies at present is the Church itself. Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church as we see her spread out through all time and space and rooted in eternity, terrible as an army with banners. That, I confess, is a spectacle which makes our boldest tempters uneasy. But fortunately it is quite invisible to these humans." C. S. Lewis
  • "When we say, 'I love Jesus, but I hate the Church,' we end up losing not only the Church but Jesus too. The challenge is to forgive the Church. This challenge is especially great because the church seldom asks us for forgiveness." Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey
  • "Christians are hard to tolerate; I don't know how Jesus does it." Bono
  • "It's too easy to get caught in our little church subcultures, and the result is that the only younger people we might know are Christians who are already inside the church." Dan Kimball