Category: Hurricane Harvey
Fifteen Years of Disaster Response: A Labor of Love by David Nakhla, OPC Disaster Response Coordinator Almost from its beginning, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church has been concerned with bringing “a cup of cold water” in the name of Christ to those affected by disasters. Yet most would agree that it was Hurricane Katrina in 2005 that served as the catalyst
Disaster Response 2019 – Year in Review Slideshow This is a brief overview of the OPC’s disaster response efforts in 2019. If you would like to register as a Disaster Response Volunteer, sign up today!
I don’t think I would have this door for ministry with “S” had it not been for an unlikely providence of the Lord, as follows…
I persisted in trying to open up some form of positive conversation and did succeed in getting her to converse a bit. She was intrigued by the topic of grieving and community …
By the grace of our Lord and the assistance you gave, we are once again made whole. Words cannot express the impact you’ve had and how grateful we are to you…
This trailer provides a preview of the video on the story of the OPC’s Hurricane Harvey Response efforts in Houston, Texas …
Find out where OPC Disaster Response is currently mobilized and how to get involved…
NEW HORIZONS, March 2019: Stirring up gifts in the body of Christ in Houston and throughout our presbytery means helping one another to see the wide-open door for compassionate service in the wake of the hurricane. Having a full-time evangelist here for Harvey households includes his role in equipping all of us to do this work…
Many thanks to Hurricane Harvey volunteers who have served in Houston since the autumn of 2017…
Check out this 1 minute video clip from one of the families helped by OPC Disaster Response volunteers in Houston…
“They want to share God’s love with everybody…”
Please do not consider this the end of the story in Houston….The impact of this storm on the lives of millions of people and thousands of businesses is still being profoundly felt and experienced…
There are truly no words to express the gratitude we feel having such a church as the OPC to come around us and help in our deepest time of need. I will never forget what God has done for us, and my faith has strengthened…
NEW HORIZONS, June 2018: Not only had God sent them to Houston to serve and to give, but also to be served and to receive the blessings of fellowship awaiting them among the saints in Houston…
This has to be one of the greatest things the OPC has done recently…
Our prayer is that through the outreach ministry of disaster relief and recovery, we in the OPC can help people find an enduring answer to the question of “why?” It will be manifested by the work we do of physical and material assistance we provide in the name of Christ, and by the testimony of the gospel that we proclaim
From Jeff Davis, Site Coordinator: I was blessed to spend time with the team of 37 volunteers from the URC Youth Group in Dutton, Michigan. They proved to be very well organized and joyful in their work and play time…
Every person that we helped was so genuinely thankful and appreciative of the work. But while the help that we gave was very beneficial to the people, the impact that these people made on us was so much greater than the help they could have received from us…
The work here is unquestionably important and an incredible opportunity for us to reach people spiritually. I am confident that our love in action has touched many, many people and has borne witness to Christ’s love…
What began as a frenzied effort to respond to the immediate aftermath of the worst hurricane to hit Texas in decades, and the worst flooding in the Houston area in living memory, has blossomed into a sustained work of mercy and outreach in one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the United States…
Daily devotions set the tone for the outreach aspect of this ministry which is focused on being the hands and feet of Jesus. This leads to occasions almost every day for evangelistic conversations…
Thank you for coming and pulling out sheetrock, spraying vinegar and mold control, pulling out nails, demolishing bookcases, packing, cleaning, running errands, moving furniture, sweeping, repairing sheetrock . . .
NEW HORIZONS, December 2017: “We don’t want to be known as ‘OPC Building and Construction’….We want to be known as ‘OPC Building and Ministry…'”
As Christians, we must refuse to resign to feelings of helplessness and must instead stand in the great promises and instructions of our great shepherd, King Jesus – who has not left us helpless…
The conversation became an occasion for our Christian friends to testify how God has been helping them through their flood recovery. These kinds of conversations happen regularly and God continues to open doors for ministry…
This is exactly what we want our outreach to look like: sharing the work with a family, combined with generosity in the name of Christ…
Ellen wrote: “Three angels named Jeff, Rick, and Kenley came over today. They left us delightfully encouraged, prayed over, and feeling rescued. God knew what I needed more than I did. Jesus blessing to you all.”
We have entered homes and businesses inundated by flooding to tear out and clear away ruined furniture and household belongings, walls, floors, carpeting, cabinets, and plumbing. We are endeavoring to offer solace and support in the name of Jesus…
What seems like an impossible task that can lead one to despair can suddenly become bearable when the Lord’s people respond to the call to serve one another generously and without reserve. God has been good . . .
A number of families from two OP churches in the Houston area have been impacted by the flooding in various ways. This presents us with the opportunity to come alongside and help them to recover . . .
OPC Disaster Response has been in contact with the OPC church leaders in the Houston area all through the weekend. Stay tuned to our Facebook page . . .
Hurricane Harvey is expected to make landfall in Southeastern Texas on Saturday morning. Just to its east in Houston there are two OPC churches, an OPC Bible Study work, other sister churches, and more than 2 million people…