HOUSTON, TX (September 15, 2008) \u2013 Hurricane Ike forced all of the Evangelical Covenant churches in the Houston area to cancel services on Sunday and they may be without power for up to two weeks, Covenant News Service is advised.
\n
\n\u201cThere are a lot of challenges for the churches,\u201d Midsouth Conference Superintendent Garth Bolinder said Sunday night.<\/p>\n
The extent of the damage was unknown Sunday night. Pastors of the affected churches could not be reached for comment.<\/p>\n
Bolinder said he believed it would be difficult to get immediate damage assessment from area pastors because power was out and people were unable to charge cell phones. Local officials have said that power may not be restored in some areas for two weeks.<\/p>\n
The Covenant churches in the area are:
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Mosaic Community Covenant Church in Missouri City
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Life Covenant Church in Sugar Land
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Hope Community Evangelical Covenant Church in Houston
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Access Covenant Church in Houston
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Faith Community Covenant Church in Houston
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0NewSong Covenant Church, a \u201cfriend of the Covenant\u201d in Beaumont.<\/p>\n
Missouri City and Sugar Land are contiguous and are Houston suburbs. Faith Covenant and Hope Covenant are the only congregations with their own buildings.<\/p>\n
Willie Peterson, assistant to the Midsouth Conference superintendent, said on Sunday evening that getting assistance to people in the area was impossible due to the flooding. \u201cYou can\u2019t get in and out of those places.\u201d<\/p>\n
Authorities also asked people who evacuated not to return to their homes. Residents who remained were asked to stay inside. \u201cThey don\u2019t want anyone getting in the way of first responders, Peterson said.<\/p>\n
Houston Mayor Bill White on Sunday ordered a weeklong curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. because of the widespread damage and darkness.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s sad,\u201d Peterson said. He noted that NewSong nearly canceled its grand opening services last Sunday due to Hurricane Gustav. The evacuation order for people in the community was the second in two weeks. They were able to return in time for the service.<\/p>\n
Covenant News Service will publish additional information as it becomes available.<\/p>\n