Dr. John Stephens gives update on Harvey Recovery; work teams needed

Dr. John Stephens, senior pastor of Chapelwood United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas, served in the South Georgia Conference before moving to Texas.

Friends,

Thank you again for your support of Houston after the horrific Hurricane Harvey.

I wanted to share an update from Chapelwood UMC in Houston that you can share with those in your church and across South Georgia who supported us in Hurricane Harvey relief. It's been a busy time at Chapelwood and the Texas Conference. We have spent approximately $1.5 million to date to:

• assist hundreds of families with rent/furniture/repairs
• muck out 150 homes from November through February 
• provide teams and resources to rebuild 25 homes in our neighborhood
• host out-of-town teams in our facilities (including hosting the Houston UMCOR Recovery Office) 
• and host FEMA on our main campus for the first two months following the hurricane. 

Since rebuild started in November, 10 teams from different states have already served through Chapelwood with more than 20 teams from across the country scheduled through May. Each team stays at our Fair Haven campus and is greeted by two welcome volunteers who make them feel at home while they spend the week installing drywall and insulation so another family can move back in to their home. Local member teams also go out every Friday and Saturday. If a church wants to bring a work team, they can contact Janine Roberts (jroberts@chapelwood.org) or Suzanne Harter (sharter@chapelwood.org) for information.

There are many amazing stories from all over Houston as families are helped by our Chapelwood and The UMC's generosity.

I have learned to greatly appreciate the power of our connection. I have also learned the importance of local churches on the ground in disasters - our churches are able to respond quickly and make a huge difference!

Thank you for your continued support and prayers,

John Stephens
Chapelwood UMC
Houston, Texas