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PALACIOS, Texas?The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention recently donated $30,000 to the Texas Baptist Encampment to help the Gulf Coast camp with rebuilding costs after the forces of Hurricane Claudette ripped through the campgrounds earlier this summer.
Claudette’s 85-mph winds began pounding the Texas coast on July 15 with the center of the storm touching down near Port Lavaca. Just a few miles up the coast, campers at the encampment in Palacios were packing their belongings a few days early to head for safer ground near Houston.
According to Rob Nessler, interim executive director of TBE, very little of the campground was left unscathed. “Almost every roof in the camp will have to be replaced,” Nessler said.
The storm destroyed the open-air tabernacle and a 264-bed dorm. The dormitory housed about 40 percent of the camp’s students each week during the summer season according to Nessler. Two staff families were displaced because the storm leveled the duplex apartments on the camp grounds.
The damaged roofs left building interiors exposed to an additional five inches of rain that poured down the next day.
As the skies cleared, crews from area churches started the cleanup process. The storm left limbs and debris scattered all across the grounds, taking crews almost two weeks to clean up the mess.
The board of directors for the camp began meeting to discuss a recovery plan. Several churches and other organizations offered monetary assistance. Donald Hintze, director of missions for the Gulf Coast Association, suggested assistance from the SBTC and met with convention staff. Later, SBTC representatives Gibbie McMillan, mission services associate, and Deron Biles, minister/church relations associate, visited the campus and recommended that the money be donated to the camp.
Nessler, who had only been on the job as interim director for a few days when the storm hit, said the camp had already begun plans to build an air-conditioned tabernacle. Now the plans have been advanced to replace the tabernacle and other buildings before next summer.
Although most of the structures were covered by insurance, Nessler said a fishing pier would cost about $25,000 to $30,000 to repair.
The damage will be between $500,000 to $750,000. “Maybe in excess of that,” Nessler said. “We’re just not sure yet.” A final settlement will be completed in coming weeks.
Nessler said the donation from the SBTC could be used to cover income losses sustained by the encampment after two week’s worth of camps were cancelled during the cleanup process. Some of the money may go toward buying new items like generators and trash dumpsters that would not be covered by insurance.
Nessler said he was very appreciative of the SBTC and other groups and individuals across the state that gave money and time to the camp.
“I would like to express my thanks to the SBTC for [making the donation],” he said. “We have a great Baptist network taking care of people in need. And we were certainly in need.”
Biles said the SBTC was able to assist TBE due to Texas Baptists giving to the Cooperative Program.
“The SBTC is proud of the work at our Texas Baptist Encampments. Because the churches of the SBTC have given so faithfully to the Cooperative Program, we are able to help worthy projects such as the camp in Palacios,” he said. “We will pray that God will continue to bless the staff and the workers at all of our encampments and that many young people will be brought to faith in Jesus Christ through their efforts.”
