HACCRT (Houston Area Christian Crisis Relief Team)

New HACCRT photos on Flickr

2006-02-15T22:36:00.000-08:00

I've added new images to the HACCRT photo pool on flickr from our January 21st trip to Sabine Pass.

View the Photos

Sabine Pass, February 18th!

2006-02-08T14:15:00.000-08:00

Dear Crisis Relief Team member:

We’ve been asked to go back to Sabine Pass, in our ongoing program to aid the families of that hard-hit little town. Here is what to plan on:

Meet: Shell Station at 5 AM in Fulshear, Saturday February 18th.
Jobs to be done: tree removal, electrical work, plumbing work, debris removal
Equipment Needed:
Tractors with front end loaders
A couple of box blades
Chain Saws
Drag Chains
Plumbing tools
Electrician’s tools
Carpentry Tools
People needed:
General Workers for cleanup and debris removal
Electrician (Jimmy LeFleur!)
Plumber
Food servers

New friends from Saddleback Church in California are coming out to work with us…. It should be a great day! Start now to prep your equipment and service it.

In the next few days, I’ll have more details on the specific jobs we’ll be doing. YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE’S LIVES, AND YOU ARE PART OF A TEAM THEY WILL NEVER FORGET, BECAUSE WE KEEP ON COMING BACK!!!!

~ Grove Norwood

Houston Chronicle: Many in Louisiana and Texas lament Hurricane Rita 'amnesia'

2006-01-26T22:10:00.000-08:00

The Houston Chronicle had an insightful article yesterday on the challenges still facing those affected by Hurricane Rita, who seem somewhat overlooked in light of the devastation wrought by Katrina.

Four months after Rita caused $4.7 billion in damage, people in southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas say they're concerned the storm has been erased from the country's memory, overshadowed by Katrina's assault on New Orleans. While New Orleanians fret about "Katrina fatigue," people here say they've been victims of "Rita amnesia."

Obviously not everyone has Rita amnesia, but the news cycle has passed and people are still hurting and in need. True compassion stays until the job is done. We will continue to organize trips out to Sabine Pass and Port Arthur as long as we can be of use.

Houston Chronicle: Many in Louisiana and Texas lament Hurricane Rita 'amnesia'

Directions to Sabine Pass

2006-01-19T12:15:00.000-08:00

Dear Team Members,

• Meet: 5 am at the Shell Station, Fulshear, Texas, on Saturday morning, January 21, 2006 (day after tomorrow!)

• What to Bring: WORK GLOVES, HARD SOLED SHOES OR BOOTS (NO SNEAKERS!) RAKE, PITCHFORK, WHEELBARROW IF YOU HAVE ONE

• Lunch: will be provided by the Team.

• Directions: Attached to this email. Distance: 132 miles. If you stop, please make it short and keep moving. Be in Sabine at 8am.

• Plan to Arrive At 8:15 am in Sabine Pass. Try to be on time. We have an important Team Meeting for Work assignments at 8:15.

• Convoy Instructions. At 5 am, we’ll try to consolidate riders, so we take as few vehicles as necessary, parking overflow vehicles behind the library. Due to the number of vehicles which are scheduled to travel with us, we will not be “convoying” like we usually do. You can follow someone down, but feel free to stop on your own for an enroute break. Just have your map and driving directions, attched to this email.

• Jobs and Work Assignments. After arriving at Sabine Pass, we will meet in the High School Parking lot to make the Work Team assignments. We have 7 Work Team Projects scheduled for completion. Thanks for coming. We’ll try to have all projects finished by 3-4 pm.

Suggestion: On Friday, get all your make-ready tasks done. Check and adjust equipment, fill all tanks, tires, etc, get thermos ready, and snacks for the road. We have a lot to do on Saturday and need to do all maintenance before we leave for the job site, so we can all arrive no later than 8:15 if possible. See you Saturday morning!

Grove.

Saturday 21 Early Punch List-- Ya'll come!

2006-01-09T18:00:00.000-08:00

Dear All Crisis Relief Team Members:

We have a GO! On one is too old or too young to experience helping those in need. All are welcome on this one, as always. There is no greater blessing than to be smack dab in the middle of an outreach-for-Christ project on a Saturday, as I’m sure you will agree.

If your schedule permits, join us.

Early needs received thus far, from Pastor Dale Martin in Sabine Pass:

Project 1: Major tree removal A single giant, that will yield a large amount of cuttings to be sub-cut and hauled to the right of way A job that must be planned carefully, tree is under major stress, very tall, at a 45-degree angle and resting on the large building It is leaning on the steel building adjacent to Mr. Timms’ property which we cleared, on the south edge of town, last trip. This tree will require we again rent the 50’ towable boom life, bring at least two tractors, chain saws, chains, hard hats, etc. We will also likely need some very long length of rope on this one, for influencing the fall if necessary

Project 2: Electrical work: A young single mother can’t move into her house until some interior electrical work is done that must be up to code. Do we have a licensed electrician on the Team? I will call Jimmy LeFleur and see if he can come with us; he’s not on the email list. Electrical wiring, boxes, outlets, possibly lighting fixtures, will get more detail from Pastor Martin Ideas, please

Project 3: Debris removal at the site of the Old Church: Gloves Wheelbarrows Rakes Front end loader(s) Hand work, picking up debris to clean the site, removal to right of way
More projects to be forthcoming. Please begin to let me know if you will be able to make this one, we’re starting to plan for food, vehicles, trailers, etc. If you can’t go and want to help with expenses, that’s fine too. Make a check to HACCRT and we’ll fill up a truck (it takes two tanks to pull a trailer down there and back).

Thanks,

Grove.

Next Trip to Sabine Pass: January 21

2006-01-05T14:54:00.000-08:00

Dear Member of the Houston Area Christian Crisis Relief Team:

Pastor Dale Martin has asked if the Team can return to Sabine Pass on Saturday, the 21st of January. I have told him that we can. That’s the third Saturday from now.

I’ll be getting specific project requests from him prior to that, and will let you all know. In the meantime, plan on virtually the same game plan as always: departure at 5am from the Shell station in Fulshear, and plan on debris removal, tree removal, and “hands on” cleanup. There may be some carpentry repair work also, as we know of one working mother who can’t move into her house until some additional carpentry repairs are made. I’ll have more on that soon.

Thank you for your continued work with this little community of 600 people. The name of Jesus Christ has definitely been uplifted, and made visible, in this community through your work and that of other Christians who have given sacrificially for these, our neighbors.

Grove.

2005-11-21T11:39:00.000-08:00

A group pool has been created for HACCRT photos on Flickr, a free photo-sharing service. If you have photos of HACCRT-related activities, please e-mail me and I will add you to the photo pool. If it's easier you can also send digital images on CD or printed photos to the following address:

Somerset House Publishing
c/o Luke Gilman
10688 Haddington
Houston, TX 77043

View photos already added to the HACCRT group pool at the following address:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/haccrt/

Follow UP on Groves and Nederland Trip!

2005-11-01T16:04:00.000-08:00

Dear HA-ChristianCrisis Relief Team Members,

I bring you thanks from the folks we helped last Saturday, and the Pastor and members of First Baptist Church in Groves, TX. They are SO amazed at what you did. There is a testimony from the house in Nederland, involving the daughter of the widow (Glenda) we assisted. Have you ever seen so many trees in one yard! That job takes the Blue Ribbon for “Big Mess.”

I sincerely apologize to those on the Nederland job who missed lunch. I obviously underestimated the size of the job, and even after “calling for backup”, with every tree there seemed that we found yet another. We counted 12, by day’s end. As someone said, it’s a learning curve thing—and next time we split the teams into two separate towns, we’ll make arrangements to bring our lunches with us, so we don’t have to take a hour or more for the round trip and lunch. Your willingness to keep working allowed us to finish early enough for everyone to get back home at a decent time. Again, I’m sorry and will try to not let that happen again.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! We are being encouraged to go to Sabine Pass, and NOVEMBER 19 IS THE TENTATIVE DAY. It will be a full Saturday at Sabine Pass, with all our equipment. Tree removal, trash aggregation, perhaps light carpentry. Pastor Joe Worley and some of the men from First Baptist Church in Groves will be on hand to work with us! It will be a great time to get to meet some of their men who will come to combine forces with us in our efforts. Pastor Worley is looking forward to working with us on that day.

Also, Pastor Dale Wright, the Pastor of the Community Church in Sabine Pass—the one that was “split in two” and floated off its foundations—the same pastor who gave us the Sunday devotions in the first station on our first weekend—Pastor Dale will be there to show us the remains of his church, which I saw last weekend. Perhaps the Lord will open up the way for our representative churches, or we men from our representative churches—to help him establish some type of new facility in which to worship. Who knows what the Lord will do?? Keep Praying for Pastor Dale, his congregation appears to be meeting in a tent, someone told me, though I have not verified that.

More later! NOVEMBER 19--- SABINE PASS! Where a 4-foot wall of water, sludge, and debris combined with 120mph winds to literally shred the little community, and float away many shredded homes.

Grove.

Crisis Relief Trip this Saturday!

2005-10-25T16:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Team:

Our Christian Crisis Relief Team has a trip to Groves, Texas schedule for this Saturday, October 29. Pastor Joe Worley will have a work list of families needing our assistance. Pastor Dale Martin, of Sabine Pass, the pastor whose church was completely blown away, along with the homes of every family in his congregation, will meet us on Saturday to show us the site(s) and meet with us. He’s the guy who led the Sunday worship at 6am in the fire station on our first trip. DEPART: 5 AM, Saturday, Oct 29 (THIS SATURDAY) WHERE: SHELL STATION, DOWNTOWN FULSHEAR, TEXAS BRING: WORK GLOVES, SNACKS, SUNGLASSES OR PROTECTIVE EYEWEAR, BOOTS, THERMOS FOR YOUR COFFEE, CHAIN SAW(S), CHAIN SAWS, GAS/BAR OIL, and YOUR OWN LUNCH IF YOU CAN.

We’ll be bringing at least two tractors and one front end loader, chain saws, gas, other equipment, ice, water, and drinks. Chris Slayden will pick up Murray Burns’ truck; we need it to tow Terry’s tractor and Terry’s truck to tow my tractor. We’re heading to Groves first, then to Sabine Pass in the early afternoon. Pastor Joe Worley will meet us at the church on Saturday morning at 7 am to get us our work list. Butch, from Texas Baptist Men in LaGrange, will be in Sabine Pass to direct us to some homes that need our help.

Any equipment you think you might need, feel free to bring it. If you can’t leave with us, the directions are simple:

DIRECTIONS
I-10 to the Winnie Exit, take SH 73 to Groves
Exit the 39th Street Exit in Groves. At the stop,
Turn left onto 39th street
Go straight ahead until you see First Baptist Church on the left, about 1 mile up 39th.
BE THERE BETWEEN 7-7:30 AM ON SATURDAY TO HELP UNLOAD AND MAKE READY.

See you then,

Grove.