their Lord and Savior, while several evacuated church buildings miraculously survived, BosNewsLife monitored Thursday, October 30.
Of the 80 people who fled their homes and rushed to the Immanuel Baptist Church in San Bernardino County at least six gave their lives to Christ, last Sunday October 26, Baptist Press (BP) reported.
"Surrounded on three sides by roaring flames a mile (less than two kilometers) away, the Church became a beacon of God’s love to families in crisis," noted BP stringer Kelli Cottrell. Three California Southern Baptist Convention mobile kitchens and a portable shower unit have been deployed in Southern California to minister to those affected by wildfires raging throughout the region.
"It was so exciting to see how even out of a tragedy the church ministered as the hands and feet of Christ," said Gail Mullennix, director of the Thrift Store at the Highland, California, church.
CHURCHES SAVED
In addition two Baptist churches in San Diego County within the raging wildfires’ striking distance were miraculously saved, after they were forced to stop Sunday morning services to evacuate and help fire victims reported BP, the voice of the Southern Baptist Convention.
First Baptist Church of Tierrasanta was saved as the fire skirted around it and First Baptist Church of Mira Mesa saw flames as close as a half-mile away. "God intervened," said Wayne Wester, pastor of the Mira Mesa church.
Two dozen families of the Mira Mesa congregation, mostly those living in the Scripps Ranch area that was completely evacuated, were displaced from their homes and were still waiting October 29 to hear whether they still have a place to call home.
LOST HOMES
"We just don’t know how many have lost their homes yet," added Wester, a trained chaplain who has been called by the Red Cross to minister at shelters for the past three nights. "Today we’re hoping they let the families back in to look at their neighborhoods."
The Tierrasanta church held a short prayer service Sunday morning, October 26, after TV crews in their parking lot were told to get out because the flames had jumped over the freeway and were skirting around the facility.
"We put out our sprinklers and had to leave," BP quoted Wayne Eurich, who has served as pastor of the church for the past year, as saying. "Our building is only 10 years old and we feel very fortunate God spared it. We are very fortunate that more homes weren’t destroyed."
CHURCHES ACTIVE
Despite the dangers, Baptist churches remain active in the region, supporting families with both humanitarian aid and spiritual support.
"Southern Baptist public safety chaplains aren’t fighting wildfires in Southern California, but they are at the front lines of grief faced by the hundreds of families who have lost their homes, possessions, pets and even loved ones," said BP.
The fires, now blamed for at least 16 deaths, had destroyed nearly 2,000 homes as of early October 29. Thousands, unsure whether they will be able to return to their homes, remain in evacuation centers and in churches.
