Late on the evening of May 1st, I received a phone call from a former church member who had maintained some close relationships with folks inside New Bethany. He informed me that the house of two of our church members was on fire. I threw on some clothes, called to get some folks there ahead of me and started toward the site.
The couple whose home was involved are in their 80’s are retired from the furniture business and have traveled the world. When in his late 70’s, the man became a published author having written a collection of stories about his life beginning in south Georgia during the Great Depression. They are a good natured couple, quick to laugh and always been very appreciative of me.
I arrived on the scene about 25 minutes after the initial call to find the fire, for all intents and purposes, extinguished. The ladder truck’s primary attachment was extended and one of Hall County’s finest was raining down a full spray from about 30 feet in the air. One glance told the story: complete loss.
Tours and travels, years and years of accumulation of memorabilia and furniture that can never be replaced gone forever. The fire started in the HVAC system and spread so rapidly that the only things saved were the car, the truck, her purse and the clothes they were wearing. As I approached them standing in the neighbor’s driveway, he turned and said with a laugh, “Well, the bad thing is that we’d just got back from buying $109 worth of groceries!” I asked, “Are you guys okay?” He said, “We’re fine. Marty, it’s just a house and stuff. It doesn’t matter.”
I was amazed. We talk that, don’t we? Echoing a friend, I’ve often said, “All this stuff is just fuel for the fire.” But, dang, eighty years of accumulation? Needless to say, I was grateful to God for such a biblical outlook in the face of calamity. (After a day or two of sifting through the rubble, they informed me that my book, JOURNEYS, had survived both the fire and the water unscathed. Another reason that you should buy it: home protection.)
After waiting for the inspector and salvaging a few things from the basement, I took them to Wal-Mart at about 1:00 am to get some clothes for the next couple of days until the insurance settling could begin. Talk about a trip. Nothing like going clothes shopping with two senior adults in the wee hours of the morning. He and I were finished with his in about 5 minutes. When we went to find her she was still looking at the first housecoat she’d picked up. I tried to get her to buy some lingerie, but she said, “I might as well not wear anything at all!” He said, “I thought that was the idea!” Neither was she too up on my idea for a T-shirt that said, “I’M PREGNANT!!” We had a blast.
One family in our church owns a bed and breakfast where I dropped them off at about 2:00 am. One of their other guests, some guy from California, collected several hundred dollars and left his credit card number with instructions to let our newly homeless family stay as long as they needed. Another church member called the next morning and offered their second home (nearby on the lake) for them to stay until they could rebuild. In almost no time, they had living money and a place to stay.
This week we received a note from them. It started,
We were not surprised at the way our New Bethany family responded to the fire of May 1.
“We were not surprised…
I want to let you know that was music to this pastor’s ears. The expectation was that the church would respond and that expectation was not disappointed.
In a video that I recently watched, Michael Frost made the observation, “If your church went away, would your community notice?” Normally, when Christians think about that question, the emphasis is on how we would feel if our church went away. Missional churches, however, ask Frost’s question.
Is our church known for being a blessing to our community, or only a blessing to itself? There are very few more important questions for churches in 2008 and beyond. Do your local schools know that there are people inside your building? If they do it’s because those people have been inside those schools to be a blessing. Does your local government know that you exist? What about the Homeowner’s Associations nearby? Business owners?
This September, we will be hosting the first annual New Bethany Community Benefit Run, a 5K walk/run to bless the Hope Housing Initiative, a local organization that seeks to find housing for single parents, provide budget training for them and assist with mentoring needs. All the profits raised by the run will go directly to Hope Housing, New Bethany will receive nothing. We’ll even be donating money as the primary sponsor. Next year we’ll pick another community group to bless with that effort. Frankly, I can’t wait.
How great are the expectations of your community for your church? If we don’t consider and constantly address that issue, then we will miss the purpose to which God has called us and placed us where He has.
