Hurricane Disaster Ministry

Hurricane Harvey raged through Victoria and left our city and the surrounding area in shambles.  When we returned to Victoria, the front lawn of the church was covered with limbs and debris.  The wind had ripped the cover off of our sign, but the message remained……….

Over the past seven months, FUMC Victoria has embraced our new ministry of Hurricane Disaster Relief.  We have become the reason many believe; the reason many have hope.  Our church has become the center of a new storm – the fury of volunteers, staff and church members as we assist our community in their recovery process.  

To date, we have housed over 75 teams and hosted approximately 750-800 team members.  These groups have brought grace and love into the homes of every single person affected by the hurricane.  They work tirelessly to bring hope to those that have been affected so deeply.  One team, Westlake UMC out of Austin Texas, has served our community 13 times, with plans to come back and continue serving.  The week before Easter, FUMC-Arlington brought and Early Response Team and spent several days tarping, ripping out drywall and spraying for mold to make homes safe and livable until we can get their homes fixed up.  

To make their stay here as comfortable as possible, we have provided 31 bunkbeds and a shower trailer complete with washer and dryer.  They arrive with their tools, big hearts and huge smiles and they leave the church each morning to minister to so many.

In addition to housing teams and providing relief efforts, we are also home to the Rio Texas Conference Disaster Services as well as Society of St. Vincent’s DePaul.  Rio Texas has six disaster case managers, a construction superintendent and a project manager.  St. Vincent’s currently has four disaster case managers with plans to hire more.  

It wasn’t long ago that many of our rooms were vacant.  Now they are bustling with activity and it is a joyful sight to see.  Please welcome all of our disaster workers and employees – take time to thank them for their service and include them in your prayers each night.  The road to recovery will be a long one but our church is committed to serving until the work is done.