i'm back - but who knows for how long? things have been a little crazy since the hurricane hit beaumont. here is a post telling about damage to the Wesley Foundation Campus Minsitry at Lamar, where I work.
Wesley Foundation – Lamar
Hurricane Rita Flood Report
Dear Friends of the Wesley,
Hurricane Rita has deeply impacted the Wesley Foundation. The facility flooded, with 2-3 inches of water entering the building. Because the building was closed for so long with the water inside, the interior of the building could not be saved, except for a few items. All floor materials, including tile, has been removed, as well as everything up to 6 feet from the floor being torn out – paneling, all cabinets, shelves, etc. All wood/fabric furniture touching the floor is ruined. The cabinets in the kitchen, sacristy, and office, all bookshelves are gone. The only things that could be salvaged were items on the walls and on desks, and plastic or metal materials, and some supplies above the floor. We have tables and metal chairs. We have our files and our computers. Our data is secure. The Wesley had two complete sets of chancel furnishings. One set was saved because it was elevated on a platform, along with one grand piano. The other set and two pianos are gone. The upper floor apartments are in good shape and do not have to be gutted. We likely have roof damage to the Wesley as well. Some of the shingles found around the ground are Wesley shingles.
In a few days the building will be completely dried out. We are working on the contents list from extensive documentation and are waiting for information from the insurance company on the amount we will have to reconstruct the interior.
The Wesley Parsonage escaped serious damage from the storm. The roof is intact but likely damaged as its rock/tar surface doesn’t contain much rock. A side fence is damaged, and there are lots of very large limbs all around. No water came into the house, and the windows are intact. None of our large trees around the parsonage came down. The parsonage received power twelve days after the storm hit. Lamar received power a few days earlier, and classes resume Oct. 17th.
All our staff is safe, with their homes in fairly good shape, at least inside.
The Wesley Building restoration will take some time, and a lot of money. Until that time, we will be active in ministry on campus to the full extent of our capacity, offering a witness to the campus, as before. Only the building has been gutted, not our capacity to be in ministry to and with the students of Lamar.
Our Foundation Board will be meeting soon, doing as much preparation as possible for the Division of Campus Ministries meeting at the end of October. We are not in a holding pattern, but actively imagining the new future for the Wesley Foundation from this point forward.
| 
