News from the Episcopal Church
Episcopalians among dozens dead in Texas floods as church leaders call for prayers, donations
By David Paulsen
Posted Jul 7, 2025
Onlookers in Kerrville, Texas, look down July 6 over the damage along the Guadalupe River. Photo: Associated Press
[Episcopal News Service] Episcopal leaders are calling for prayers and donations to assist relief efforts in central Texas after flooding there killed more than 80 people. Most of the victims were in Kerr County, including 27 children and adults at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp. Several Episcopalians have been identified among the flood victims.
The worst of the flooding from the rain-swollen Guadalupe River occurred in the San Antonio-based Diocese of West Texas, where Bishop David Read traveled to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Kerrville on July 6 to support the congregation and its clergy.
“[Our] hearts go out to you all, to you all who are grieving and those of you who are waiting and those of you who have lost homes or businesses or livelihoods or lifestyles, to parents who just want to hold your kids really, really close right now,” Read said. “The Diocese of West Texas is with you in the midst of all that’s going on.”
The diocese has launched a donation webpage to receive financial contributions to support relief efforts. Donations also can be made to the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country.
One of Camp Mystic’s young victims, 9-year-old Lila Bonner, was remembered July 6 at a prayer service held by her home parish, Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Dallas. More than 600 people attended, according to The New York Times, many of whom had generational connections to the camp, located about an 80-mile drive northwest of San Antonio.
“This service is meant to be that safe, calm space where we come together to be reminded of God’s presence,” the Rev. Christopher Girata, Saint Michael and All Angels’ rector, said in opening remarks quoted by the Times.
The deadliest flooding hit Kerr County, where at least 68 people were reported dead, including 28 children. Officials said at least 41 others statewide were still missing as of early July 7, according to ABC News.
“We are living through the most devastating days here in the Hill Country,” the Rev. Bert Baetz, rector of St. Peter’s in Kerrville, said July 5 in a message to his congregation, shared to Facebook. “We have been brought to our knees and deeply hurt by the loss of life. … I continue to pray for and care for our extended family, which is you. Also, keep praying boldly for all of our loved ones and those yet to be found.”
Support already is pouring in from Episcopalians across Texas and churchwide. Read said he had spoken with Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, who had offered prayers on behalf of The Episcopal Church. Representatives with Episcopal Relief & Development have been in contact with local leaders to help coordinate their response.
“My prayers are with the thousands of people impacted by the flooding in Texas, and with our congregations who have lost cherished members and leaders,” Rowe said in a written statement to Episcopal News Service for this story. “As a parent and longtime camp counselor, I grieve especially with the parents and camp communities now facing unfathomable loss, and I pray God will comfort them and surround them with the support they need. In addition to your prayers, please consider donating to the fund set up by the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas to support flood relief efforts.”
Texas Bishop Andrew Doyle, whose Houston-based diocese borders the Diocese of West Texas, also issued a message calling for an outpouring of financial assistance.
“Our West Texas family is hurting this morning especially along the Guadalupe and across Kerr County,” Doyle said in a July 4 post to Facebook. “We have been through fires, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes in our diocese. We know they are in the midst of the flood as we speak. Right now, they need our prayers, and our own parishioners with kiddos at camp out there need to know they are not alone.”
The Diocese of Texas followed by pointing its members to a donation page to support the Diocese of West Texas.
The impact of the catastrophe in Texas extends far beyond diocesan or even state boundaries. Southeast Florida Bishop Peter Eaton issued a message July 6 to his Miami-based diocese revealing that Episcopalians from Fort Lauderdale are among the victims. Bill and Alyson Hardin and their daughter, Josephine, were at a family home in western Kerr County, when the home was swept away. Alyson and Josephine Hardin are missing and presumed dead.
“Alyson has been serving as the senior warden at All Saints [Episcopal Church] and has been a significant leader in our diocese for many years, most especially as an effective and committed diocesan trustee of the University of the South, where Josephine was an undergraduate,” Eaton said.
“This is an unfathomable loss for the Hardin family, for All Saints and for our diocese. Please keep everyone in your ongoing prayers.”
The Diocese of West Texas also operates a camp, Camp Capers, near the banks of the Guadalupe River in Kendall County, but it was not affected by the flooding. It is a member of Episcopal Camps & Conference Centers, whose Executive Director Jess Elfring-Roberts issued a statement of support for Camp Mystic and its families.
“In the wake of the devastating floods in Texas’ Hill Country, our hearts are breaking,” Elfring-Roberts said. “We are profoundly aware that in our community, all camp is family. When one camp suffers, we all do. When one camp cries out, we all bend to listen. The connections formed in this network of camps are sacred, enduring, and now grieving.”
– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.