Core Values

Mission                      

Uniting, empowering, and mobilizing churches and synagogues to expedite recovery from Hurricane Harvey.

Though terribly devastating, disaster-generated crises can be transformational for churches and synagogues, volunteers, and their communities by opening new doors for people to love their neighbors through the physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of recovery.

Volunteers   

Prioritizing engagement of church and synagogue volunteers in sustainable transformational disaster response.

Local congregations are well-positioned to know their neighbors’ needs, uniquely called to compassionately care, and sufficiently numerous to provide a volunteer engine that drives recovery.

Partnership               

Gratefully working together with all other faith communities and organizations involved in disaster response.

Developing a coordinated community response means working together with long term recovery groups, government and other agencies, and all faith-based and non-faith-based organizations involved in disaster recovery.

Collaboration           

Relating and functioning synergistically with other Houston Respond networks.

Rather than building independent operations, SHUR and the other Houston Responds networks will be individually and collectively most productive by sharing needs, resources, knowledge, and best practices.

Representation         

Striving to reflect the ethnic and socio-economic demographics of the community.

Effectively reaching and reflecting the diversity of our city requires both including a broad spectrum of member congregations and intentionally securing SHUR leadership that reflects the ethnic and socioeconomic character of our communities.

Inclusivity                  

Serving all disaster-affected families without discrimination.

Fulfilling the mission of loving our neighbors means gratefully and enthusiastically assisting any and all families in crisis regardless of age, gender, race, religions, sexual orientation, or socio-economic background.

Stewardship              

Using resources to meet needs and close recovery gaps without duplication.

To wisely steward disaster recovery resources SHUR prioritizes meeting needs of under-resourced disaster-affected families and filling gaps in a community’s disaster recovery efforts while avoiding duplication of services.

Resilience                  

Developing community resilience through sustainable disaster response networks.

Meeting the current needs of disaster-affected families and developing systems and processes that stand the test of time and inevitable future disasters requires building disaster response networks that are organized, funded, and staffed to meet current requirements while passing its learnings on to those organizations that will address future disasters in similar settings.

Integrity                    

Filling client needs with the highest degree of quality and efficiency possible.

SHUR is committed to restoring homes according to established standards, seeing every project to completion, working truthfully and lovingly with clients, and operating with honesty, transparency, and accountability.