Our Story
In the weeks and months after Hurricane Harvey devastated the Gulf Coast in August of 2017, many people were left asking the question of what to do next. During that time, we saw the people of Houston rise up to take care of one another and respond in remarkable ways. Local churches from across the region stepped up to love their neighbors in many tangible ways. In September 2017, four churches joined together to work on a long-term recovery strategy: Chapelwood UMC, St. Paul’s UMC, Westbury UMC, and St. Luke’s UMC. During that time we collectively decided that we had the resources to empower our individual congregations, host out-of-town volunteers, and significantly contribute to the long-term recovery efforts of our city.
Like many other organizations in the region, these churches initially helped hundreds of families muck, gut, clean, and sanitize the flooded homes of our neighbors. But who was going to help restore those homes and families to wholeness? Through the leadership of the original four churches, The Restoration Team was formed and intentionally expanded to include many different bodies of faith that call Houston home working together with one common goal.
Being a light…
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead an organization that is dedicated to helping people. My goal for The Restoration Team is to shine God’s light to all we come in contact with, and be the Church of a living God through the hands, feet, and passion of our staff and volunteers.”
— Trevor Barnett, Executive Director
During that same time, similar discussions were happening across the city, and other coalitions were being formed as well. The Restoration Team became on of several coalitions to join under the umbrella organization of Houston Responds. This partnership allows each coalition to have uniformity and consistency of care for all families assisted across our region. We are also a member of the Harris County Long Term Relief Committee, which has allowed us to foster relationships with many great organizations to ensure holistic support for every family.
In November of 2017, Chapelwood UMC was awarded a grant from the Greater Houston Community Foundation allowing us to expand our scope of work to a broader service area going into 2018. During that time we began assisting families in more zip codes, focusing on West Houston homes in the Buffalo Bayou watershed, North East Houston, and near the Greens and Halls Bayou watersheds. In late 2018 we received additional funding from the American Red Cross to help cover operational expenses and hire a full-time staff.