Wilshire’s Missions Committee has launched a partnership with First Baptist Church of Galveston that will focus on helping the church and its members recover from Hurricane Ike.

In an emergency meeting last Wednesday evening, the committee approved sending $10,000 in unspent missions funds to First Baptist Church and agreed to enlist additional gifts and volunteers.

The church’s facilities were heavily damaged by Ike but are repairable. However, the church’s income has been slashed due to members being out of work and having to repair their own damaged homes.

Wilshire has a special connection to First Baptist Galveston because it is the church attended by Chad and Catherine Conner. Chad is the son of Steve and Sheila Conner and grandson of Dale and Edith Conner. He grew up at Wilshire and now is in medical school at Galveston.

Chad and Catherine’s own home was severely damaged by Ike, as were the homes of many of their fellow church members. And their church home fared no better.

“We had 12 inches of sewage water in our main building and 18 inches of sewage water in our chapel and first floor education building,” explained Sherry Meador, wife of Pastor Ray Meador. “We are scaling down and moving all services to our educational space and using the chapel for a once a week service for now.”

But none of that space is air conditioned, because it was damaged in the storm. “Just to turn on the air for our education space and chapel will take $80,000,” Mrs. Meador said. “We did not have very much flood insurance, and what we did have has all been used to dry out our facilities to keep the spread of mold down.”

There had not been a flood in the area of the church since the 1900 hurricance, and therefore insurance coverage had not been increased. 

Meanwhile, other churches and relief groups are asking to use the First Baptist facilities, but there’s no air conditioning.

“We have a request to house relief crews, but need air,” Mrs. Meador said. “We have also been asked to house the Chinese church, which was a total loss. Also Trinity Episcopal, which is next door, has asked to use our second floor of the education space to house their school. We cannot meet these needs without help through other Christians.

“Our church has always been a mission-minded church, and now we are in need of mission help.”

As soon as possible, Wilshire hopes to enlist volunteer crews to travel to Galveston and focus on needs such as:

• Rebuilding walls in the education space. 
• Sheet rocking and dry walling in the education space.
• Cleaning out the nursery area and all bathrooms.
• Cleaning the kitchen area, including washing walls and cabinets. 
• Refurnishing the nursery. 
• Painting walls. 
• Cleaning out offices in the main building.

First Baptist Galveston is “a very important mission point,” Mrs. Meador noted. “We have a large homeless ministry, and we had a Bible study and ESL for the internationals who worked at University of Texas Medical Branch. We also worked with the A&M students who have been moved to the other campus. We had a large medical student population, and they have been relocated all over the United States.

“This is part of the reason we need so much help. Our congregation has been displaced, and a lot of the ones left have lost everything from their homes and businesses. We do not want them to lose their place of worship.”

Common needs among members include laundry detergent and cleaning supplies. Another common need is cookware, because in homes that received water damage, pots and pans and bakeware oxidized and rusted due to exposure to salt water. 

At this point, Wilshire will receive contributions of new, unopened cleaning supplies and new cookware, as well as cash gifts designated for “Ike Relief.” All financial contributions so earmarked will be used to help First Baptist Galveston and its members.

Anyone interested in volunteering hands-on services in Galveston should contact Minister of Missions Mindy Logsdon at (214) 452-3110.