"Dear Wonderful Friends, Our Church Family"

The People of St. John the Divine, gathered together in prayer.

Dear friends,

As the Director for Harvey Relief at St. John the Divine, I have been blessed and amazed to see the rapid mobilization of our congregation to meet the challenge facing our own SJD families and the surrounding community. As a new resident of Houston, what impresses me more than anything is how everyone has stepped up to act and do on behalf of one another. The power of God is unleashed among us as we go deep in love for one another. 

Yesterday, one of our SJD members, Melinda Abell, was interviewed by Fox News. Her parents, George and Bonnie Allen, were flooded and she was working with a team of parishioners to clean out their home. "These wonderful friends from our church, have come from everywhere, near and far," she said. "They have moved here from Florida recently and they have been through hurricanes and jumping in because they know what to do. Dear wonderful friends, our church family. I couldn’t be happier and blessed.” 

Parisioner Melinda Abell being interviewed by Fox News as she was working with volunteers from St. John the Divine to clean out her parents' home.

I loved hearing the shout out to the Florida people. My family was at the Allens' home yesterday helping them to do some of the remediation work. As one whose home was not flooded, it was so good for me to get into a flooded home and do some physical labor to help one of our fellow church members.

Charlie Holt's children working to clean out George & Bonnie Allen's home

Here are some things you can do now:

1. Pray for and with your SJD family. We are gathering for noonday prayer in the Chapel through the rest of the week and we invite you to join us. If you cannot be here in person, pause where you are and pray for all those affected by Harvey and all the people working to help them. Please also keep in your prayers the people of Florida and surrounding areas who find themselves in the path of Hurricane Irma.

2. Let us know how you can help. We are gathering a list of people who are able to help in the relief effort - now and in the days and weeks to come. If you can do laundry, run errands, make phone calls, host a displaced person or family, or any one of a number of other ways to serve, we want to know. Please fill out our volunteer resources form.

3. Join a work team to help remediate a flooded home. Work teams will be going to homes again starting on Thursday, September 7. Meet at the church at 8:30 am for orientation and we'll put you on a team. Be sure to wear close-toed, sturdy shoes or boots - waterproof if you have them!

4. Please continue to encourage people around the country to give to the Harvey Relief Fund.  We have already raised $33,000, but the need for financial resources is great. The best way to do that is send them to our website at www.sjd.org/harvey , or share that link on your Facebook page.

Dear wonderful friends, keep on doing the acts of love and kindness - it is working! The testimony of your generosity and love is making national news! You are an amazing church and the crisis of Harvey has only served to give you a platform to be who God made you to be.