Episcopal Press and News
TEXAS: Historic Galveston churches awarded Hurricane Ike recovery grants
Episcopal News Service. January 22, 2009 [012209-03]
Pat McCaughan
Two historic Episcopal congregations were among ten Galveston, Texas churches affected by Hurricane Ike that received grants from Partners for Sacred Places and the Galveston Historical Foundation.
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church, founded in 1884, and Grace Episcopal Church, which was established as a Sunday school mission in 1874, sustained significant damage. Hurricane Ike made landfall at Galveston on September 13, 2008 with winds of more than 100 miles per hour. Damage estimates are still being tallied but are expected to reach into the tens of billions of dollars, according to a federal government report released January 21.
Each initial grant is for $5,000. Grace Church will use the money for an architectural assessment of buildings on its campus, according to the Rev. Paul Wehner, rector. According to the parish website, churches that successfully use the initial $5,000 can apply for an additional $25,000. Wehner also said that although the church was fully insured, he estimated that parishioners will need to raise about $300,000 to complete the recovery work.
Plans for St. Augustine's grant were not immediately available.
"We are excited that Partners' initiative is bringing hope and new resources to congregations," said Bob Jaeger, executive director of Partners for Sacred Places in Philadelphia when making the award earlier in the month. "The planning grants we are providing will renew the capacity of churches and synagogues to help Galveston recover from the hurricane. For us, it's not just about sacred places, but about the vitality and resilience of one of America's great historic communities."
The Texas office of Partners for Sacred Places dedicated its 2009 funding and resources to assist congregations with building assessments, capital grants, technical assistance and training. The congregations were selected based on a number of criteria, including the historical significance of their building as well as their work in providing human and social service programming in the community.
Other congregations awarded grants include: Congregation Beth Jacob; First Baptist Church of Galveston; First Presbyterian Church; First Union Baptist Church of Galveston; Primera Iglesia Bautista; Reedy Chapel AME Church; Saint Luke Missionary Baptist Church and West Point Baptist Church.
With offices in Philadelphia, Chicago, and Fort Worth, Partners is the only national, non-sectarian, non-profit organization devoted to helping congregations and their communities sustain and actively use older and historic sacred places.