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Responding to Hurricane Harvey
Hello all,

The storm of the century has begun to pass. Yet the destruction and human toll will remain with us for a long time to come. People are just beginning to grasp the scale of the disaster that was Harvey. Yet St. John the Divine has already begun to respond to meet immediate needs.
Today we opened our buildings as a temporary donation drop off point. You can see in the photo that we were overwhelmed with generosity. We collected supplies for various shelters around Houston. Last count was that we had 300 people serving in Sumners Hall. Seventeen full vehicles took supplies to the Forge for Families, one of our mission partners in the 3 rd Ward. We aren’t taking more donations now but will let you know about more focused collection as the needs arise.

We are also calling EVERY MEMBER of the church to be sure they are safe. Since Sunday we’ve been contacting families that have been flooded out of their homes. Today we mobilized 65 parishioners and staff to call every one of our members. If you don’t hear from us in the next couple days then please call us. We want to talk to you. 2000+ calls can be a lot, but that is what family does – we check in on each other in the storm.

We’ve begun our noon day prayer for those affected by the storm. We gathered in the chapel to pray specifically for those in need. Today we texted our Call to Prayer to over 40 people. (Sign up by texting Prayforhtown to 313131.)

We’ve provided a way for you to give for Hurricane Harvey Relief. You can give online at  http://www.sjd.org/harvey/, by texting SJD Harvey to 73256, or by writing a check and putting “Special Discretionary for Harvey Relief” in the memo line. You can also give to the diocesan relief fund at  http://www.epicenter.org/harvey/ or to the work of the Red Cross at https://www.redcross.org/donate/hurricane-harvey.

I’ve been amazed at the faith of the people of this church. Those who have been flooded out have been sharing their testimonies of God’s goodness with me. Those who have been rescuing families and serving in the shelters have told me stories of seeing God’s hand at work. I am humbled. And then reminded that our God is BIGGER than any storm – even Harvey.

Blessings,

Clay

The Rev. Dr. Clay Lein