The following churches and Christian groups are working here in southeast Houston to help evacuees from Louisiana and other Gulf Coast states:

Camp Good News (6205 Delany Rd. Hitchcock, TX 77563 Phone: 409-316-0501 Fax: 409-986-4219) is open as a shelter for hurricane victims. My church will be serving meals a couple of nights this week at the camp. I don’t know how many people are being housed there. A member of our church writes:

I just came from Camp Good News and what they desperately need are phone cards and small denomination Wal Mart Cards ($5 & $10). The people there are needing unique items like denture cream that they don’t want to have a lot of. It is easier just to give them a small gift card to get what they need. Also, the phone cards are for getting in touch with relatives. Several people have been able to leave after they were able to get in touch with relatives which is the goal.

Clear Lake Church of the Nazarene has opened a shelter in their building. They had about 30 people living there as of this afternoon, and the lady I spoke with said that they could house up to 50 people. The church is not a Red Cross certified shelter (would take too much time), so they’re doing this ministry on their own with a little help from Nazarene Compassionate Ministries.

The people who are staying at the Nazarene church are going to the church next door for lunch and for supper each day, and this church, Bay Area Christian Church, is also feeding storm victims who come in from the motels and other shelters. They told two of my teenagers who went over to help today that they are spending about $1500 per day so far and will continue to do so as long as there is a need and as long as funds hold out.

University Baptist Church in Clear Lake is supporting the Red Cross shelter at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church by preparing and taking meals to the shelter. There are already 300 people living in the shelter at Gloria Dei, and according to UBC it costs the church about $1000 per meal to feed these people. So far members of UBC have contributed enough to cover the cost of some of the meals the church will be providing. Another member of UBC is working with the Salvation Army to provide pastoral care and counseling to some of the New Orleans residents who have taken refuge in the Astrodome. Here’s an idea that churches all over the country could use:

The UBC Wednesday Night dinner on 9/7 is red beans and rice with cornbread. We are asking you to pay full price for this meal and the proceeds will go to the UBC Hurricane Katrina Fund to help feed refugees. At the dinner, you may also donate money to the UBC Hurricane Katrina Fund.

Texas Baptist Men, an organization of men that are members of Baptist churches in Texas, “is providing assistance to disaster victims in Louisiana and Texas shelters. Currently we have 20 units and approximately 220 volunteers responding. Texas Baptist Men has been asked to provide assistance to those affected over the next four months.” They ask that we help in the following ways:

Pray:
– Pray for those that were affected by Katrina.
– Pray for those responding and providing assistance in Christ’s name.
– Pray about how you can be personally be involved in assistance.
Give:
– Please mark checks for Hurricane Katrina and send to Texas Baptist Men, Disaster Relief, 333 N. Washington, Dallas, Texas 75246. To give by credit card please call (800) 558-8263. 100% of your gifts go directly to disaster relief.
Go:
– Volunteers are needed in providing assistance. If you are available to help, please call (214) 381-2800.

Eddie Butler, a blogger from Kansas City, Missouri, asked in this post “Where Is the Church?” Well, here’s the answer, and there’s much more.

To be continued.
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