"DINE TO DONATE" FOR ST. MATTHEW'S CHURCH

Click on the images for the larger view.

If any of you live near Thibodaux or Houma or will be passing through, you may want to kill two birds, as they say, and have a meal at That Place! on a Wednesday and, at the same time, help with the rebuilding of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church and School. The church was completely destroyed by fire, and the fire spread to part of the school.

Here's the link to make a donation to St. Matthew's to help the congregation rebuild their church.

IF YOU'D LIKE TO HELP ST. MATTHEW'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN HOUMA, LA

I bumped up my post on St. Matthew's in Houma to include the information below for those who may want to contribute.

A relief fund has been established at South Louisiana Bank. Donations may be mailed to:
St. Matthew's Relief Fund
c/o S. Louisiana Bank
PO Box 1718
Houma, LA 70361
Please include the account number
in the memo section of the check: 02-0195-2.

Watch the slide show at WDSU.

Historic Church Destroyed In Morning Fire - Photos - WDSU New Orleans

Almighty God, we give thanks for the gift to the parishioners of St. Matthew's of many years of fellowship and worship in their beautiful church building. We ask you to give your people comfort, consolation, and the peace that passes understanding as they grieve the loss of their building. May the people of St. Matthew's remain bound together in love and obedience to you, ever mindful that a church is the gathering of its people to give you praise, honor, and glory. Give them strength and courage to continue in worship and fellowship, as they move forward to rebuild their building. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

FIRE DESTROYS ST MATTHEW'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN HOUMA, LOUISIANA

From WDSU News:

The Houma Fire Department officials are investigating an early-morning blaze that destroyed St. Matthew's Episcopal Church at the intersection of Barrow and Belanger Streets.

The fire was reported around 3:41 a.m. Thursday.
Officials say the church was completely engulfed in flames. Portions of the school and surrounding trees are reported to have been destroyed as well. Witnesses reported seeing flames up to 100 feet in the air.

St. Matthew's Church is on The National Register of Historic Places.

Pray for the rector and congregation of St. Matthew's and for the students and teachers at St. Matthew's school.

Houma, Louisiana, is about 20 miles away from Thibodaux, where I live. I've attended activities at St. Matthew's on several occasions. How sad. St. Matthew's was a lovely old church.

UPDATE: From the Daily Comet:

The full extent of the damage remains unclear, but damage was sustained at the church and the lower building of the school. Houma Fire Department District Chief Chris LeCompte said nobody was in the church or the school at the time.

All that remains of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Houma at daybreak today.

Members of the tight-knight congregation learned of the overnight fire by way of a flurry of phone calls made as the community awakened and encountered firefighters and flashing lights still surrounding the smoke-filled intersection.

Some parishioners, teachers and school workers gathered nearby to watch firefighters work.

Beulah Rodrigue, a church member for 70 years, said she was among a group of ladies who spent the past 11 years on needlepoint work that decorated the sanctuary's prayer kneelers.

Rodrigue peered down Barrow Street this morning, toward the spot where the church's steeple once poked through the trees.

“You can't see the church from here any more,” she said. “To me, (the church) was the star of Houma.”

Updates continue at the Daily Comet website.

UPDATE 2:

But church officials said they will rebuild the historic church.

“The church will be rebuilt. We're not sure what it will look like, but the outpouring of support we've gotten from the community has been very encouraging and affirmative,” said the Reverend Craig Dalferes, pastor of St. Matthew's.

He added that much remains uncertain in the immediate aftermath of the fire. Church administration will meet tonight to decide where the congregation will meet on Sunday. Dalferes said a number of community churches have called to offer St. Matthew's aid.