Texas churches delivered firewood, repaired pipes, took in others during historic freeze

The problems that the historic cold front brought with it in Texas last month were many: bitter cold, power outages, frozen and broken pipes and a shortage of drinking water are high on the list. However, the list of southern Baptist churches that cater to these needs is even longer.

Temperatures across the state have returned to normal, with highs this week well into the 1970s and even towards the 1980s. A few weeks ago, members of the University of San Antonio Baptist Church offered their homes to others who had no power. It made for a few days of up-close life, but kept people away from the cold that had invaded their own homes.

Early on, many churches served as heating centers for those who had lost power. However, the University Baptist building went dark before the sun rose on Sunday, February 14, Pastor David Norman said. This led to the cancellation of the Sunday service. Most in the region had rolling blackouts. Some, like Norman, never lost power. So he and other church leaders decided to go in a different direction to ease the cold.

“Our church has responded en masse across town,” he said. “A family whose temperature in their house has dropped below 50 degrees has stayed with us. Our worship pastor Terry Samplaski took in two elderly couples. The members of the Church did not wait for someone else to do it, but reached into the body and into the congregation for whatever needed to be brought in. “

Education Secretary Jim Williams had no power in his home for 60 hours. But he used his manual skills to help others with minor repairs and leaks in homes and churches.

Repair pipes

In Rockwall, Pastor Josh Howerton of Lakepointe Church made the first announcement on February 19 that the ward would be allocating more than $ 200,000 to help low-income families in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with broken pipe repairs.

When other churches offered to join the effort, Lakepointe announced on Feb.22 that more than $ 400,000 would be used on the repair.

The day before this announcement, Howerton sermon thanked the Church for its work not only in arranging repairs, but also in delivering water, food, firewood, and other items to others and inviting them to their homes.

“It was an honor to be part of this church this week as hundreds – probably thousands – went forward to do whatever we had to do to meet the needs of those around us,” he said. “I believe what we celebrate as a church, we maintain.”

The macroeconomic impact of the Texas storm could reach $ 295 billion, making it one of the most expensive in the state’s history, according to one group.

In Stephenville, Pastor Anthony Svajda of Harvey Baptist Church said temperatures in many members’ homes were nearing freezing and some families were without electricity for days. It wasn’t long before his church responded.

“We got people together and had about 20 firewood cutters, another five or six delivered it in their trucks,” he said. “We did this from Monday (February 15th) until this Saturday when the temperatures started to rise again. We had also bought a lot of bottled water and distributed it to the people. “

Love for jesus

This firewood, he added, was used not only to keep warm, but also to cook food and boiling water.

“I am honored to be a pastor here and to see how God works through these people,” he said. “They responded to the needs of the church and helped others see the love of Jesus. These situations provide an opportunity to present the gospel in a relevant way.

“They don’t just deliver firewood. You bond with families because they saw you as the hands and feet of Jesus. “

At the University of Baptist in San Antonio, Norman had preached through 1 Peter since September (with the exception of a Christmas break). That sermon schedule was interrupted again earlier this year when he signed COVID-19.

When he resumed his sermon series, the message at 1 Peter 4: 7–11 that was originally planned for weeks earlier was instead delivered on February 21. Verses 9 and 10 had a special meaning: “Show hospitality to one another without complaining. When each has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s many graces. “

“This Sunday I was able to point out the hospitality and generosity of our church,” he said.

Editor’s Note – This article was originally published by Baptist Press, the news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. This article also appears on TAB News, a digital regional Baptist publication. For more information or to subscribe to the TAB News App, visit tabonline.org/TAB-News-app.

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