HOUSTON — The Category 4 Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall on August 25, dumped more than 50 inches of rain in some spots of Houston and its suburbs, putting large chunks of the city under water or devastated.
The St. Kevork Armenian Church in Houston has not been spared in the devastation. Rev. Martiros Hakobyan and Parish Council Chair Areg Sahakian estimate that a quarter of the parishioners have been severely affected — with many Armenian families displaced, their family homes uninhabitable, their personal belongings lost.
In a directive this week, Diocesan Primate Archbishop Khajag Barsamian called on all parishes to hold special collections on each of the Sundays of September — starting September 3, and continuing on September 10, 17, and 24 — to help provide relief to the affected people of St. Kevork Church.
Checks should be made out to the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016), with the memo: St. Kevork Flood Relief. The Diocese will be transferring funds to the Houston parish every few days, as proceeds from each week’s parish collections arrive.
Donations can also be made on the Eastern Diocese’s secure server (please select “Other” in the drop-down menu, and type “St. Kevork Flood Relief” in the space provided).
The Diocese encourages everyone to help with the general relief effort.
