How Your Church Can Support South Texas Flood Recovery
- Libby Janes
- 8 hours ago
- 4 min read
Written by Rev. Libby Janes, SPDR Director
For months leading up to July 4, 2026, disaster anniversary observance events were thoughtfully prepared by community churches and organizations in Kerrville, San Angelo, and small Texas towns. Solemn prayer services and public events commemorated a year since the tragic losses of homes, businesses, roads, and at least 138 people during the July 4, 2025 floods.
These remembrance events held vigil for what was recognized to be only the start of long-term emotional and community recovery. For many, making it to the year point was a long worked-toward milestone. Massive community care programs and tireless community leaders worked hard to rebuild their communities after a truly unimaginable disaster.
The flood anniversary, July 4th, 2026, was a day of strikingly beautiful weather. For many, this anniversary remains a day of terrible sadness still deeply experienced. For some, this anniversary felt like an exhale of effort, and a day of meaningful reflection. On my drive into Kerrville that morning, I remember listening to the song “New Every Morning” by The Porter’s Gate as the sun rose over the hill country, and praying for this community’s peace.
Amidst prayer walks, along the river we saw red, white, and blue floats and barbecues returning to the riverside. I left Kerrville that day to drive to Mo-Ranch to support Junior High Jubilee, a Presbyterian conference for middle schoolers, canceled last year, that returned once more.
And then, less than two weeks later on July 16th, another flood came.
Communities that continue to grieve the terrible loss of life, who have long been rebuilding efforts, experienced another major flood. Alerts were heard and heeded, and “swiftwater rescue equipment granted to the Kerr County Sheriff's Department following the 2025 flood was deployed immediately on July 16, helping save lives that might otherwise have been lost.” (Kerr County Lead) And yet hundreds of homes and businesses were flooded. For the structures still standing, mold recovery is greatly needed. Areas that had just been carefully rebuilt, such as the Kerrville River Trail, are devastated all over again.
Relief is dearly needed, for both physical damage and to support community helpers who feel burned-out by new challenges on top of an exhausting year. The communities of the First Presbyterian Church of Uvalde and the First Presbyterian Church of Kerrville were greatly impacted.
Here’s how your church can help:
There is a great need for volunteers. “With state contracting timelines too slow to match the urgency, the city [of Kerrville] is turning to organized volunteer labor… Brimhall framed this as a deliberate shift from last year, when active search-and-rescue operations kept volunteers off the trail. With no search operations underway this time, the city is counting on community labor.” (Kerrville County Lead)
Kerrville has the infrastructure in place and urgent need for volunteers to assist in debris clearing, muck & gut, and mold recovery, especially.
Mo-Ranch Presbyterian Assembly is developing a partnership with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance to host disaster response volunteers at a discounted rate, and then deploy groups out into the community for volunteer needs that match the group's physical capabilities. Lisa Winters (lwinters@moranch.com, subject line "volunteer interest") is the Mo-Ranch coordinator for this program. Mo-Ranch is a beautiful camp and conference center and offers a restful place to stay after a day, or series of days, engaging volunteer work in Kerrville and the greater community.
When was the last time your church went on a mission trip? Come and serve!
Donate for Disaster Relief:
- Donate to FPC Kerrville to provide direct assistance through their case management flood recovery program.
- Donate to FPC Uvalde by sending funds to Mission Presbytery: FPC Uvalde was hit hard and are still organizing their relief capacity. Please send funds for FPC Uvalde to Mission Presbytery, under the memo, “Disaster Assistance” at Mission Presbytery’s "Give Now" website.
Mission Presbytery will hold funds for FPC Uvalde here, for when the church is ready to receive these funds.
- Donate to Mo-Ranch to support flood relief and the relief-worker housing program.
Mo-Ranch is also partnering with Grief & Faith (https://www.faithandgrief.org/about/) to provide spiritual respite programs, such as the First Responders Wellness Retreat.
- Donate to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (designated to DR000191: note 'Texas Floods’) to support flood long-term recovery efforts & grant assistance programs.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) provides initial, long-term recovery, church repair, and faith leader respite grants to presbyteries. PDA also partners with presbyteries to provide Spiritual-Emotional Resiliency programs following major disasters.
Pray. Please pray for the comfort, relief, and resilience of communities like Uvalde and Kerrville, who are recovering from multiple recent disasters. Please pray for those who care for communities amidst their own loss.
Hold these communities in your Prayers of the People during worship service, and on your congregation’s prayer lists, and when you pray alone or with others.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to move your heart with a response of genuine compassion for these communities. Pray as you donate to FPC Uvalde or FPC Kerrville, or as you coordinate a church mission trip to Mo-Ranch and Kerrville, for God to use your gifts and your time and your love to further Jesus’s work of reconciliation and recovery.
Together, as many Presbyterians, as many Congregations, as 11 Presbyteries, and as one united Synod of the Sun Partnership for Disaster Recovery, we will care for the needs of our neighbors in need in Mission Presbytery. We will show up for them to remind them they are not alone after disasters, and that we love them.
How will your church respond?
Rev. Libby Janes, LCSW, MDiv
Synod of the Sun Partnership for Disaster Recovery, Director
(972)741-5777