No Time Like The Present

The waters rose past the pews and over the chancel at the Cypress Creek Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Houston, TX, where my good friend Rev. Bruce Frogge (pronounce Froche) is serving.  Bruce posted a live stream on his FB page showing the devastation.  It was hard not to stop the tears.  Bruce is such a great pastor and has such a passion for people, I already know he will do EVERYTHING in his power to bring an end to the suffering in the area, and not simply to rebuilding the church.
 
For those of you that are unfamiliar with how our Week of Compassion Offering works, a call is made to the local pastors from our offices to see how to help local congregations and their families.  This call is made EARLY in the process and followed up by the W.O.C. staff. 
 
More than a phone call, W.O.C. resources will come pouring in with people who want to help.  Expect a mission station to be set up for the long recovery.  You will be able to donate time, money and prayers to the people of Houston.
 
Long after the rain and flood waters recede, W.O.C. recovery efforts will continue.  Working with our Local Pastors, our church will remain diligent until the recovery is complete.
 
Much of this information comes from firsthand experience with the W.O.C. staff (we went through a flood while I was serving in Indiana).  Nora and I helped with the Katrina rebuilding project in 2008 (2 ½ years after that disaster).  We stayed in a W.O.C. mission station and helped rebuild homes in the 8th and 9th Wards (hardest hit) in New Orleans. 
 
I highly suspect such a mission station will be added to the “To Do” list of our national staff.
 
Stay Tuned for more.   There are lots of ways to help. 
 
BTW – Week of Compassion has a B+ rating (equal to the American Red Cross).  These rating are based on actual dollars used for mission and how much is used for operational costs (yes, those costs are real, and our staff makes every effort to keep those low).
 
Prayers for the people of Houston,
 
Interim Pastor Neil Allen