God Answers Prayer

Prayer walking in areas where we are serving has become an important part of our ministry.  There is a brick church in the Lower Ninth Ward well-known for the boarded up entrance with a warning painted in bright red letters, “Keep Out of God’s House”.   Many Crisis Response team members have stopped to pray for the future of this church flooded by Hurricane Katrina and for the surrounding neighborhood.  For nine years, nothing seemed to be happening, but God was at work.

Willie, a local homeowner we have been assisting, told us one day the church had been purchased and was being gutted.  A new sign announced the coming of Disciples of Christ Christian Church.  Lois Riska shared, “We called the number listed on the sign and arranged to meet Pastor Turner at his home. From the moment we met Darrell Turner, we were sure that God had called us to this project. He is a go-getter, pastoring the church, attending seminary, and restoring the  church building in the Lower Ninth, all while holding down his full-time job as chef for the Federal Reserve Bank of New Orleans.”

It is exciting to see how God answers our prayers in His timing.  Pastor Darrell shared his vision for this church to be a beacon of light in the community, “not just be a church in the community, but be a force in the community rebuilding it physically and spiritually.”  Keep praying for New Orleans and come on a team to be a part of rebuilding this church.

Willing to Risk Everything

In the countryside outside Kathmandu, a church service was being held when the ground began to shake.  The congregation fled the building.  As they reached safety outside, a nearby building collapsed, sending a large cloud of dust plunging toward the already frightened group.  The children panicked and ran back into the church.  One couple raced in to retrieve the children.  As the husband was once again exiting the building with the children he had rescued, he felt the building collapsing.  He grabbed for his wife, but only reached her scarf.  The force of the implosion knocked him out.  He lay on the ground clutching a piece of his wife’s scarf.  She and their three children were killed as the 3 story church was flattened like a pancake.  Please pray for this man and the many others dealing with tremendous loss and trauma.  Please give to help supply needs and rebuild lives.

PRAY for:

•The local churches to play a significant role in the ‘new normal’, one where the church is holistically caring for and serving their neighbors.

•Peace to overcome fear.

•Wisdom for local leaders and our assessment team in developing recovery strategies that tangibly express the Gospel.

GIVE to help these present and pressing needs, but also invest in the long-term recovery and ongoing Crisis Response ministry.

 
Email crisisresponse@efca.org with questions or for more information on how you can be involved or  go to http://go.efca.org/resources/project/nepal-earthquake-response