I thought Dave and Rhonda Heck had some great thoughts to share yesterday in the service about their experience with losing their home to the flood. Dave talked about putting faith in other places besides God and how important it is in the midst of loss to have faith God is there. Rhonda mentioned the difference between offering a helping hand and receiving a helping hand. How humbling it is to receive help from others.
My question still for our congregation is what will our continued response be to the floods? We have taken two offerings specifically for flood relief and given generously with almost $4,000, but is that all we are going to do? Are we just going to offer money?
I had a pastor friend from seminary call from New Jersey last night asking how he can organize a group to come to Iowa and help. I heard from Brother Dave that the church we served in Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina is planning a trip up here in August. If these groups are coming 1,000 miles to help can't we go 30 or 40 miles?
These questions are somewhat rhetorical because I know we will go and help, but we first need someone or a group of people to lead us in this work. We have been busy with our new building and there is still work to be done there, but we have more able bodies. I personally can not try to organize anything more than I am right because I have too much as it is.
So what will be our next steps? Who can we ask to organize us for action?
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My attempt to connect each day with God and his people.
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About Me
- Pastor James
- I am married to the beautiful and talented Helen. We have two wonderful children that keep us on our toes. Together we pastor St. Paul's UMC in Williamsburg, Iowa, a congregation that is growing and following God's great adventure.
2 comments:
Interesting. I was also thinking to myself not long ago that we should be able to go help out somewhere along the flood lines but also didn't know where to start. When my friend Patt from AZ called to see if we and our community was spared from the flood, I mentioned to her how surreal it was to be having this wonderful celebration of our new building and how hard we were all working to finish up the last minute things so everything was just perfect and that just down the road, people didn't even have a house, much less perfection. Her response was, "Well, this will give you an opportunity to show your faith to others so that they might see." I wondered to myself if she had been given a copy of our mission statement on the sly or if she was truly clarivoyant. I agree that we MUST do something to help. Where to begin? I don't know. But I will be looking about and asking others to help us focus our intentions...will you? Jeanie
Hello from down in TN. Everyone I run into that knows I am from Iowa, asks me how recovery is from the flood. I know there is people all over the states that would be willing to help. I do hope our new church building can help house people that come in to assist with flood recovery.
Blessings to everyone this week. I miss my church family,but I am enjoying my new niece, Kendall Ann Thornton.
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