Grace, Mercy mark Galveston church’s outreach to storm victims

toys

image_pdfimage_print

GALVESTON—A bit of Christmas cheer is coming early for people affected by Hurricane Ike.

On Dec. 6 and 13, First Baptist Church of Galveston is giving away free clothes, house supplies, cleaning supplies, children’s toys, food and furniture to people affected by the storm. The congregation also is offering free medical clinics both days.

The offerings—called Grace Mart and Mercy Clinic—are the result of church members, the community and other churches pooling resources to help people who continue to recover from Hurricane Ike, which flooded Galveston Island.

Some of the toys collected for families victimized by Hurricane Ike.

Items will be available in the church sanctuary, which was flooded by rising water as a result of the storm. While the sanctuary is not ready to accommodate worship services, it makes an ideal warehouse for the supplies, said Sherry Meador, who is leading the community ministry efforts.

Recovery slow in some areas 

Recovery on the island continues, but is slow in some areas, Meador said. She and her husband, Pastor Ray Meador, have barely begun repairing the damage their home suffered from the storm, focusing instead on helping others through the church.

Sherry Meador estimated 80 percent of First Baptist Church members sustained some property damage from the storm. Overall, she believes about 90 percent of people on Galveston Island suffered some hurricane damage.

The needs of the community are diverse; so, the church is attempting to provide a wide selection of items to help people, Meador said.

“We’re just going to give out stuff,” she said. “We’ve got a variety of stuff.”


Sign up for our weekly edition and get all our headlines in your inbox on Thursdays


800 toys 

Bear Creek Baptist Church of Katy is helping First Baptist Church by providing at least 800 toys for children of all ages. The church normally participates in the Operation Christmas Child program but chose to focus this year on the needs of people affected by Hurricane Ike.

“Because of the need in our area once the hurricane hit, we knew we could make a difference.”

If the church has enough items, Meador hopes the church will offer a Grace Mart and Mercy Clinic twice in January as well. She wants to help as many people as possible.

“I think we’re the forgotten group,” she said. “I think there was a lot of media with Katrina and Rita. I think there was a lot a media with the political scene and the economy. And we just happen to have a hurricane. I think we’ve been overlooked.”

The congregation continues accepting items to distribute. For more information about how to donate items to the church for Grace Mart or Mercy Clinic, contact First Baptist Church at (409)763-1671.


We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.

Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. For comments to be published, please specify “letter to the editor.” Maximum length for publication is 300 words.

More from Baptist Standard