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This is a letter from Bishop Janice Huie of the Texas Conference

Dear Friends on the Council of Bishops,

Grace and peace to you in the name of the One who calms the wind and waves.

I write to share the story of Ike Recovery in the Texas Annual Conference of the UMC and to ask for your help. Although it has only been eight days since Ike roared through Galveston, Houston and East Texas, the news of Ike's impact has already disappeared from the national media.

The good news is that the evacuation and warning systems worked. For its size, Ike's death toll was very low. However, damage to family, churches and property is great. Some officials are saying that Ike will be the largest natural disaster in Texas history, and most of it occurred within the bounds of the Texas Annual Conference. More than one hundred churches or parsonages have been damaged. About a million people are still without power.

These are our greatest concerns:

• Three-four months compensation for pastors whose congregations have evacuated and/or where whole communities are dispersed such as congregations on the Bolivar Peninsula, Galveston Island and Sabine Pass.
• Assistance with church and parsonage construction and/or reconstruction.
• Many families and churches had little or no flood insurance.
• Assistance for families who have simply run out of money for food, gas and necessities due to two consecutive evacuation orders.
• Assistance with home reconstruction in our communities with greatest need.

By way of comparison, the total recovery cost for Hurricane Rita in 2005, including church support, pastoral needs and home reconstruction was approximately $5 million. UMCOR contributed $4 million. Over 850 homes are being re-built with those funds. Ike's challenge will far exceed Rita.

We have learned a great deal in the last three years. For example, we have learned that volunteer hours double every dollar given to recovery. We know that the early response of the UMC invites other groups to engage with us and stay committed to long-term recovery. Whatever you give in time and money is multiplied many times over.

I am asking for your help. I hope that you will encourage a special offering for Hurricane 2008 Recovery. The Advance number is #3019695, and funds will be used for hurricane recovery in Texas, Louisiana, Haiti and other parts of the United States.

Both UMCOR and UMCOM have sent communications persons to our area, and you should be able to get more information from those websites. Of course, you can also check the Texas Annual Conference website at http://www.txcumc.org/. We've got lots of photos as well as reports. We are in the process of making a three-minute DVD that can be shared with congregations across the nation.

Thank you, my friends.