Rain hampers work by 3 Seguin churches

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But city UMs remain
committed to helping
neighbors in need

By Claudia M. Williams
Staff Writer
Rain postponed the second Tri-Methodist Housing Project workday July 16 in Seguin.
But the wet weather didn’t dampen the spirits or commitment of church members to help their neighbors.
Members of Seguin’s three United Methodist congregations—First, La Trinidad and Wesley Harper UMCs—arrived at the home of Lula Glass prepared to replace the flooring and build shelves in a new storage building. But they could do neither.
After 45 hot, sunny days, rain had begun falling July 15, leaving the yard around Glass’ home muddy and slippery and the house without power.
As rain continued to fall, the Rev. Linda Montgomery, associate pastor of First UMC, conferred with the crew before declaring that the work would be postponed until another day.
A third work day is scheduled for Aug. 6, but the work postponed from July 16 may be completed sooner, Montgomery said.
“It all depends on the availability of the flooring contractor,” she said.
Reminded by one volunteer of Hurricane Emily approaching the Gulf of Mexico, she added, “And the weather.”
Glass said she was disappointed that work couldn’t be done. But she said she was grateful for the rain—and for the people who came out in it to work on her home.
“I feel really blessed,” she said. “What God said he would do with his people, he is doing.”
Eighteen months ago, Glass and her husband, Charles, took custody of their five grandchildren, ages 5 through 11.
“It’s a challenge to have everybody in the house,” she said. “We’re stacked on top of each other sometimes, but it’s OK.”
It was the nurse at the children’s school, Linda Redix, who approached Glass to ask if she would like some help. The house had needed some repairs, but now with five children living there, some modifications had to be made quickly.
One was to build a shed.
“We have to get a lot of stuff out of the house to give the children some room,” Glass said.
Another was to refinish the floors.
Seguin’s Tri-Methodist Housing Project grew out of discussions by pastors of the congregations about doing a mission project together.
“We’ve done united Lenten services for the past two years,” said Rudy Herrera, a member of La Trinidad. “We always said we have to do more. We’ve all done individual kinds of volunteering, so why not get together to help others? We’re all working for the kingdom of God.”
Lionel Redix, a member of Wesley Harper UMC, said, “This is about sharing God’s promise. When we get together, when we share with one another, it’s all about connecting and helping—one human being connecting with another. We’re giving back what God has given to us.”
Glass and her family belong to Holy Temple Church in Seguin. She said she was honored that the United Methodist churches were helping her.
“I’m not a member of the Methodist church,” she said, “but there’s only one God, and we serve him. I am blessed, and that blessing is a testimony to the children, too—what God will do.”
Montgomery said that during the first day the group worked on the house in June, Glass took her aside and said, “When you do this again, I’m going to be your first volunteer.”
The money for the project came from Lenten offerings designated specifically for the Tri-Methodist Housing Project. Montgomery said she could calculate the dollar value of repairs on Glass’s home only on the cost of materials the workers had to buy, which was about $2,000.
Redix and Herrera pointed out that with the cost of donated material, that figure would easily quadruple.
Montgomery enlisted First UMC member Tommy Acker to be the “supply guy.” Because he is in the remodeling business, he said, some suppliers he dealt with contributed materials.
“That stretched our budget,” he said. “It worked quite well.” That day's workers could not work on the flooring because they couldn’t remove the furniture from the house. The logical place to store it out of the mud and rain was the storage shed.
But the storage shed was full—of flooring material.

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