Offering for Hurricane Irma Relief
Image courtesy of Julisa Marcel at The Juliloquy
Thank you for your concern and prayers for the Eastern Caribbean islands that were devastated by Hurricane Irma last week. With winds up to 185 miles per hour, this category 5 storm ripped through the islands, stripping vegetation, tearing away roofs, and bringing down power lines.
I have spoken with Pastor Stephen Marcel, the District Overseer, as well as Pastor Philip Gumbs and Pastor Kenrick Bukle. The islands in the district that were hardest hit were Anguilla (British Overseas Territory), St. Thomas (US Virgin Islands), and Virgin Gorda and Tortola (British Virgin Islands).
In St. Thomas, the church on the first floor was flooded, and the school on the second floor sustained major damages and the loss of the roof. Pastor Kenrick Buckle lost the roof of his house and sustained other damages to its windows.
Our two churches in Virgin Gorda lost their roofs.
We have no complete report from the churches in Tortola, as yet. The island as a whole has not had such a direct hit before, and their building codes were inadequate for the strength of the storm.
Many parishioners in Tortola and Anguilla lost their homes, their roofs, or sustained other wind and water damage.
Many people in the hardest hit areas survived in their bathtubs.
Storm damage in the British Virgin Islands :: Image credit: Andrea Friedlander/Facebook
Praises:
No loss of life in any of our church families and no damage in the two churches in St. Croix.
Some have already volunteered to go on a work team to help bring relief.
Haiti was spared from the brunt of this storm.
We know this has not been the only hurricane damage recently in the news. We’ve also heard of Harvey in Houston and Irma in Florida and the southern States. We have not had such storms strike our country for several years, and Jose sits in the western Atlantic, its path yet to be seen. The losses have been mind-boggling. Our Home Missions Director appealed for help for our Hispanic churches in Texas, and I know your response was a great blessing.
Now, we have an opportunity to help our family of churches in the Eastern Caribbean. Will you join us? We are asking for each pastor to solicit and receive a special relief offering this Sunday or at your earliest opportunity for the churches in Anguilla, Virgin Gorda, Tortola, and St. Thomas. Or, you can click here to donate today. 100% of all donations received will do directly to the churches in the EC! Let us show our compassion and help our brothers and sisters in their time of desperate need.
Compassionately,
Mark Surbrook
Director
