Katy church ministers to victims in Galveston

KATY—Redeemer Community Church went outside its walls one Sunday morning to help people in Galveston who no longer had walls.

“We had told our people on Sept. 7 that we were going to do an outreach event on Nov. 2, but we didn’t know what that event might be until about three or four weeks before we actually did it,” said Bill Freund, student and outreach pastor at Redeemer, a Baptist church in Katy.

Hurricane Ike hit the Texas Gulf Coast Sept. 13, and the church’s mission became clearer.

“We had all seen the pictures of the devastation left there after Hurricane Ike. And when you see FEMA pull out and then see the Red Cross pull out, you think maybe it’s time to step in and help,” Freund said.

One hundred people made the 80-minute drive to Galveston, half the number in the pews most Sundays at Redeemer, plus another 30 workers and children who stayed behind at the church.

Those at the church had an outreach effort of their own.

The children drew colorful pictures and workers hand- addressed envelopes as the pictures were used to decorate Christmas cards for the 1,000 homes closest to the church. The cards included an invitation to the church’s upcoming Christmas events.

Nathan Dagley from Redeemer Community Church in Katy hauls a pallet.

The workers in Galveston had a much more physically taxing job. Good News Galveston—a faith-based organization made up of about 200 churches and other organizations working to rebuild the island community—had been given the use of Alamo Elementary School for at least a year. The school will serve as a dorm and feeding facility for volunteer crews from across the country as they come to help with the rebuilding.

The Redeemer team helped move the organization’s accumulated food supplies and other equipment from the funeral home where they had been stored.

“With what we were able to accomplish, they could use the school to house and feed volunteers as early as the next day,” Freund said.

“We were kind of like a bunch of John the Baptists,” he continued. “We were forerunners of the ministry that is to come.”

Jessica Freund from Redeemer Community Church in Katy takes out the garbage.

Volunteers also helped with general cleanup in the neighborhood around the school.

They cut down damaged trees, picked up trash and generally offered residents working on their homes that day any assistance they could.

The crew was made up of many families, with children and teenagers getting the opportunity to do missions alongside their parents.

“We had a praise service that evening, and a number said that it was moving for them to see the families and the children work so hard,” Freund said. “I think the impact of that day will be felt for a long time.”

Pastor Mitch Maher agreed. “I’m hopeful that this sort of thing will become the DNA of who we are as a church—doing tangible acts of love and service.”

The congregation will meet future acts of service with enthusiasm, he believes. “They saw this sort of thing as not only fun but helpful. They also saw that if we organize and strategize, we can accomplish a lot in a short time.”