Ike Relief

The following is a letter that has been sent to churches who might be interested in helping our relief effort. The picture is of some of the damage our church building sustained.

September 15, 2008

Dear brothers and sisters,

I am the preaching minister for the Clear Lake Church of Christ located in the southeastern part of Houston, Texas. Many of you have asked about ways that you can help us after the damage caused by Hurricane Ike. Many of our church members, including myself, were under mandatory evacuation and have yet to return to our homes. However, those who are there are currently encouraging us to stay away until the situation has stabilized. There are long lines at the gas stations and limited gasoline available. People are waiting for hours at grocery stores where there are limited supplies.

Thankfully, our church building has power, however, it did sustain some roof damage and water damage. Most of the homes in our area have no electricity; water pressure is not yet fully restored, and some areas are experiencing sewer problems. We are currently calling all members of our church to determine their needs. We already know of some members who sustained damage to their homes. Most, however, will not know the condition of their homes until they return to the area.

We are in the process of expanding our pantry to help people with non-perishable items. Our resources are limited and in order to help the greatest number of people we are asking for financial donations. Our priorities will be: 1) help our members in need (especially our members with low incomes who are unable to work due to the hurricane); 2) repair our building; and 3) help others. Some of you may remember that we gained considerable experience in this kind of relief work helping evacuees from Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina. We will have a complete financial accounting available after the crisis so that those of you who can help us might know the good works your contributions helped to provide.

Until more of the infrastructure is restored we are not encouraging anyone to travel to the area to provide assistance. In the near future however, it will be helpful for people to come bringing non-perishable pantry items, chainsaws, and workers. Financial contributions can be made to:

Clear Lake Church of Christ
c/o David Layman
938 El Dorado
Houston, TX 77062

Thank you for your concern and support.

Byron Fike
281-797-6459 (cell)