Oakwood University Church and Breath of Life Ministries Provide Aid to Texas

The recent historic winter weather has continued to take a huge toll on the people and communities of Texas. Many have continued to struggle with the effects of the icy blast they experienced just a few weeks ago, including electricity loss, rolling blackouts, supply shortages, burst pipes and work disruptions.

In response to this crisis, Oakwood University Church and Breath of Life Television Ministry in Huntsville, Alabama, joined forces to collect supplies for those in need. The two ministries worked together to host a “water drive” where they were able to collect over 30,000 bottles of water, an essential resource for an area where many are dealing with burst pipes and water shortages. Along with the water, they were also able to collect other supplies such as used clothing, socks, undergarments, feminine products, cleaning supplies and other essential items. On Feb. 22, 2021, the supplies were loaded into trucks and taken from Huntsville, Alabama to Houston, Texas. The collected items were delivered to the World Harvest Seventh-day Adventist Church, which has recently been acting as a supply distribution center. The next day, they were distributed to the grateful residents of the Houston area.

As a former pastor in the Houston area, Carlton P. Byrd, the senior pastor at Oakwood University Church and the speaker/director of Breath of Life Ministries, was grateful for the opportunity to help serve the people of Texas. “This will be the first of several trips we will make with supplies to Houston,” said Byrd. “Our brothers and sisters in Texas have gone through so much with the cold weather and winter storms. We wanted to help, and clean water is an essential commodity that we must have, which many residents don’t have access to at present.”

The Oakwood University Church and Breath of Life Ministries have no plans of stopping any time soon. They plan to continue to collect and deliver donations to the Houston area in the coming weeks for as long as they are needed. If you would like to learn more about their efforts or how you can help, please visit the Oakwood University Church website at www.oucsda.org or the Breath of Life website at www.breathoflife.tv.

Hannah Olin is a sophomore

history education major from

Princeton, Ill.