New Wineskins Anglican Partners: A Joyful Collaboration in a Time of Deep Tragedy
The Rev. Dan Jones’ home was destroyed in the flood.
In the wake of the devastating flood in the Kerrville County area in Texas that has claimed at least 120 lives and left 173 still missing, New Wineskins Anglican Partners have come together in a powerful demonstration of unity and compassion. Two truckloads of supplies, coordinated by the Anglican Relief and Development Fund, made their way from Baton Rouge, LA and Spring, TX to St. Michael and All Angels Anglican Church in Kerrville, TX, a congregation of the Anglican Diocese of the Living Word.
The effort was a joint mission involving representatives from:
Anglican Relief and Development Fund (ARDF)
Anglican Diocese of the Living Word
Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast
New Wineskins Missions Network
The Order of the Daughters of the Holy Cross
The supplies which included flood buckets filled with cleaning materials, hygiene kits, socks for first responders, and various tools were provided in large part by the Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast, utilizing two emergency response trailers they received through ARDF’s “Hitch a Trailer and Go” Grant.
Bp.-Elect Marc Steele & Shelly Sorem help unload the truck.
The delivery was received by Bp. Julian Dobbs and Bishop-elect Mark Steele, both from the Diocese of the Living Word, and was met with both gratitude and sorrow. The supplies were distributed to local families, first responders, the local American Legion, and into the neighborhood of Rev. Dan Jones, Rector of St. Michael and All Angels Anglican Church, whose own home was tragically destroyed by the flood.
“It is a joy, even in tragedy, to see the Church come together as the hands and feet of Christ,” said one local volunteer. “This is what it means to love our neighbor.”
The operation was coordinated by Brian Stewart, ARDF’s Director of Domestic Disaster Response, and Doug Lee of the Anglican Diocese of the Living Word. Stewart, familiar with disaster zones through his work in previous crises, emphasized the long road ahead. “Relief is only the beginning. Recovery will take months, maybe years. But the Church will remain.”
As communities reel from unimaginable loss, the compassion of those familiar with past disasters — including the Anglican teams from Baton Rouge and Houston, themselves no strangers to hurricanes and flooding, is being lived out in real time.
2 Corinthians 1:3–4 (ESV) reminds us:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
Bp. Julian Dobbs and Doug Lee partnering to distribute supplies.
This spiritual reality was visible in what was jokingly called a “bishops’ bucket brigade”, as Bp. Julian Dobbs and Bishop-elect Marc Steele physically participated in unloading and distributing the flood relief buckets.
Amid the heartbreak, Psalm 34:18 (ESV) speaks clearly, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
Please keep Kerrville County in your prayers.
Please pray for:
Those whose loved ones are still missing — that God would grant peace in the waiting.
The families mourning loss — that the Holy Spirit would bring comfort.
The first responders and local clergy, including Rev. Dan Jones, who continue to serve even as they grieve personal loss.
And as the recovery continues, consider supporting the ongoing efforts of the Anglican Relief and Development Fund (ARDF) Domestic Disaster Response Network. Every gift helps equip the Church to respond swiftly and compassionately in times of crisis.
In the midst of loss, the visible unity and service of the New Wineskins Anglican Partners is a testimony to the love of Christ at work through His people — a light in the darkness.
Deacon Shelly Sorem, the Assistant Director for New Wineskins Missionary Network, serves in the Diocese of Western Gulf Coast. She has a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology. She serves on the Women’s Leadership Network, which is part of the Next Generation Leadership Initiative, and on her diocesan women’s ministry team, and she is a Global Mission Initiative Advocate in her diocese. She served on the Provincial Council for the Order of the Daughters of the Holy Cross as president and previously vice president for the past six years. Shelly’s heart is to see the name of Jesus taken to the ends of the earth. She is active in leading women’s conferences and retreats nationally and internationally. She loves to see organizations in the Anglican communion partner with one another to further the kingdom of God. She and Bill have been married for 33 years, have two wonderful daughters, two great sons-in-law and three precious granddaughters.