Hurricane Irma
The majority of Alliance churches in Florida have come away from Hurricane Irma with minimal damage. Many trees and fences have collapsed, and some roofs have lost shingles, but praise the Lord that He has kept Alliance family members safe through this devastating storm.
However, some churches are reporting more than incidental damage. Please pray for these churches and families as they recover from the losses they endured.
- Pastor Gerges, lead pastor of Arabic Christian Church in Lake Clarke Shores, Florida, suffered major damage to his patio and roof. He does not have insurance and was told that he is facing extensive repairs.
- Fusion Miami, an Alliance church in Homestead, Florida, received major damage. There are leaks all over the church, many trees have been downed on the property, and there is no phone or power.
- Rev. David Lane, pastor of Edgewater Alliance Church, reports 16 inches of water inside his home. They lost many major appliances and furniture, but their important documents and pictures were saved as they were stored up high.
- An Alliance church in Camaguey, Cuba, is without power and water. Fourteen church families lost their homes in the storm as well.
Hurricane Harvey
Mark Searing, superintendent of the Southwestern District, writes:
“Over 100,000 homes experienced water damage. Some will have to be torn down since the water has been in there for over two weeks. We will be visiting Baytown where the church is in the rebuilding phase. They urgently need sheet rock for four homes that didn’t have flood insurance starting next week. They have dry storage for this nearby and have work teams coming. More teams and materials for rebuilding are needed.” Learn more at CAMA’s Volunteer Information page.
Members of Alliance Bible Church in Baytown, Texas assisted Bruce, an elderly man who had no one to help him when his home flooded. His story was mentioned in a previous article. “It’s neighbors helping neighbors,” says David Young, pastor of the church. “It’s been extremely powerful.” Watch Bruce’s testimony.
Two members of Greenhouse Community Church in Katy, Texas, who suffered from this hurricane share their testimonies:
- “Through this all, God has been here,” says Tim Barker. “I’ve seen His blessing.” Watch Tim’s testimony.
- “You cannot go through anything hard unless you have community,” says Kim Thompson. Watch Kim’s testimony.
Earthquake in Mexico
John Howard, director of the Mexico field, writes:
“When I was at Ensenada, the quake was happening or had just happened, so no one really knew or thought much about it on Thursday night. I was with the pastor of the Juchitan, Oaxaca, church, Ruben Luna. I have been going to his church now for the last three or four years. That is the place that was hardest hit, with at least 17 people dead and a lot of damage to the city. His church is about a 15-minute drive from Juchitan. But I have been told that of the dead, Ruben knew several. The best thing we can do now is continue to pray and seek the Lord, and He will guide.”