Church of God Ministries has advanced Rev. Tim West, area administrator for Texas an emergency distribution of funds to assist our congregations there following the devastation caused by Hurricane Ike. But more money will be needed for the relief and recovery operations.

Rev. West has been in close communication with Rev. Obadiah Smith, coordinator for compassionate ministries at CGM. In spite of the difficulties with communications due to phone lines being down, West was able to provide an initial report of the damages from a few churches affected by Ike:

• Parkgate Community Church (Pastor Jim Fiertag) has sustained a large amount of damage due to flooding and windows being blown out.
• Houston First Church of God (Pastor Don Bergstrom) has sustained widespread damage.
• Sugarland Church of God (Pastor Tim Gould) has experienced water damage, but the extent is not fully known.
• Dominion Christian Centre (Pastor Anthony Parrett) has lost much of their sound equipment due to looting.
• Port Arthur First Church of God was flooded when the river spilled over the banks.
• Beaumont, First Church of God (Pastor Gary Hammons) was flooded with about seven feet of water (unconfirmed).
• Spring Branch Church of God (Pastor Roy Conwell) reported damage to the sanctuary roof and several other buildings.
• The northern churches in Texas have been impacted by heavy winds. There have been no reports of loss of life, but electrical power outages, phone lines down and water damage have been reported.

West has received a number of other, unverified reports from congregations and is working to find out more information about each situation.  “The main dilemma for congregations impacted by Hurricane Ike is how much will the insurance companies pay to churches damaged by the Hurricane,” said West.

CGM will continue to work closely with West and other leaders within the affected areas.  More information will be released as it becomes available regarding the full extent of the damages and plans for assisting in the relief operations.
 
In anticipation of the great need for assistance to our congregations, Rev. Smith encourages individuals and churches to prayerfully consider making a donation to the hurricane relief fund.

To contribute online, click here to give with your credit card. You can also send checks made payable to “Church of God Ministries” to Church of God Ministries, PO Box 2420, Anderson, IN 46018-2420. Please write “Hurricane Relief, Project 45.04506” on the memo line.

Your gracious donation to the Hurricane Relief fund will be used to support this crisis through the replenishment of those funds initially advanced that provided an immediate assistance to those affected by this situation.  Additional monies received above and beyond the initial disbursement and designated for this specific situation will be forwarded on to provide additional assistance to those in need. 

CGM maintains small, but limited Hurricane and Disaster Relief Funds in order to provide an immediate response to disasters and crisis. Replenishment of these funds is necessary so CGM can continue to respond to future disasters in an expeditious manner.