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Church becomes emergency shelter after Harvey

The Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, Houston native and pastor of the city's 17,000-member Windsor Village United Methodist Church, reflects on Hurricane Harvey, where he sees God in times of disaster, and how his church transformed into an emergency shelter.

Find more stories about churches' responding to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma below.


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Disaster Relief
The Rev. J. Andre Wilson (center) shares a message with children during Altadena United Methodist Church’s first Sunday worship service at its new temporary home on the campus of the former First United Methodist Church of San Gabriel, Calif. Altadena is one of two United Methodist churches destroyed by wildfires in January. Photo courtesy of Heather Wilson.

LA-area churches seek to rebuild after fires

The January wildfires destroyed two United Methodist churches, and many of their members lost their homes. The road to recovery remains long but hopeful.
Disaster Relief
Gary and Sallie Uhl describe their decision to try to stay in their flooded home following Hurricane Katrina and their eventual escape from the Lakeview neighborhood in New Orleans. They are members of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in New Orleans. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Riding to safety on a prayer

When it became necessary to leave their New Orleans home following Katrina, a United Methodist couple found a way out by driving their van down railroad tracks to Baton Rouge.
Church History
“A boy at Gulfside Waveland, Miss.” is the original description of this undated photo taken at Gulfside Assembly in Waveland, Miss. The historic African American camp, founded in 1925, was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Photo courtesy of Gulfside Assembly.

Gulfside Assembly 20 years after Katrina

Gulfside Assembly was wiped out by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but the spirit of this special place can still be felt today.

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