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Despite suffering damage of its own, Houston church reaches out to hurting community following devastating storms
HOUSTON
It was May 16, and the northern part of Houston was experiencing spectacular weather. But in Texas—especially in the springtime—the weather can change in an instant.
That evening, a weather advisory was issued suddenly, warning residents to seek shelter from a fast-moving and potentially destructive thunderstorm headed toward the area that had the potential to spawn tornadoes. Soon after, straight-line winds of more than 100 mph and a tornado barreled into the area, throwing the region into chaos. According to local news reports, the storms caused flooding, downed trees and power lines, some deaths, and nearly a million homes and businesses were left without power.
Among the places affected was Bethel Baptist Church, where, according to Senior Pastor Jaime García, the storm ripped off part of the roof allowing rain to pour into the sanctuary—causing extensive damage, including to sound equipment and musical instruments.
García is no stranger to storms. In addition to his duties as Bethel’s pastor, he is a storm chaser. That day, he was in another city recording video for a local news affiliate. As soon as he heard about the danger threatening his community and his people, he returned home to Houston.
“I saw all the destruction and people who were desperate and scared,” said García, noting that the drama only intensified once he learned how the storms had impacted his church and members of the congregation.
And yet, they were not deterred.
“We are constantly inviting our church to serve and love the community, because we may be the only Bible they will read.”
The next day, Bethel members mobilized to clean and repair the church as best they could, then went to work serving the community. The following Saturday, they came together to help the community by going to homes to cut down trees and “extend a hand of love,” García said.
God also opened doors for the church to distribute food provided by an aid organization from Mississippi while the power was being restored. Church members set up a distribution site in their gym to distribute food, cleaning supplies, and toiletries to those impacted by the storm.
Though hurting themselves, García said the storms provided a great opportunity for Bethel to fulfill its mission: to love God, love people, and serve others.
“That’s part of who we are,” García said. “If there’s something to be done, we’ll be there to serve and show them the love of Christ.”
So far, Bethel has not been able to fully repair its building because insurance only covered part of the damage. So, church members are trying to raise the funds to rebuild the church as soon as possible. In the meantime, Bethel continues to meet in the youth center to praise the Lord and share the gospel of Jesus.
“With all this experience, the church is growing in its faith. Our desire to worship God does not change,” García said. “We do not have the comforts of before, but God has not changed.”
García has served as Bethel’s pastor for 25 years—13 as youth pastor and 12 as senior pastor. He is also the director of Unique Student Ministries, which is dedicated to equipping and discipling students in evangelism through a conference that hosts 400 to 500 young people from area churches each year.
He said families have come to their church because they have lost all their food, and they have tearfully expressed their deep gratitude, not only for what they are being given, but also for the church’s willingness to serve in a part of the community where many shy away from helping due to the high crime rate.
“We are constantly inviting our church to serve and love the community,” García added, “because we may be the only Bible they will read.”
