‘You stepped up’
ROGERS, ARK. — In front of a torn projector screen, the worship leader led singing at the Southside Church of Christ on a recent Sunday morning.
With songbooks in hand, the northwest Arkansas congregation leaned on the words from the hymn “Be Still, My Soul”:
Be still, my soul; the Lord is on thy side;
bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
in every change He faithful will remain.
The storm damage to the stained glass at the front of the Southside Church of Christ auditorium building.
Behind the screen, broken stained glass littered the baptistery.
The church — which averages Sunday attendance of about 220 — had canceled its assembly the previous Lord’s day, May 26, after this growing community of 73,000 took a direct hit from an EF2 tornado.
The 1.7-mile wide tornado that struck Rogers came as powerful storms killed at least 15 people, injured hundreds and left a wide trail of destruction across Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, according to The Associated Press.
The first Sunday service since the twister focused on the theme “For Such a Time as This,” a reference to the biblical account of Esther stepping up when the Jewish people desperately needed it.
The Southside Church of Christ congregation worships in its auditorium after an EF-2 tornado hit Rogers, Ark.
As lead minister Jared Mayes spoke to the storm-weary congregation, his attitude demonstrated a sense of gratefulness.
“I don’t quite think it’s the worst church day ever,” said Mayes, alluding to his 6-year-old daughter’s disappointment that Bible classes and children’s worship were canceled. “In fact, I find it to be a tremendous blessing.”
“Amen,” the churchgoers responded.
Smiles and hugs, despite the difficulties
A week earlier, the church doors flew open during the tornado, filling parts of the building with debris.
Above the lobby entrance, the awning barely withstood the storm.
The congregation came together to repair and mend the damages before the Sunday service. No Southside members were injured, although some of their homes were hit.
Members smiled, shared hugs and affirmed Mayes’ sermon with frequent amens, despite the previous week’s difficulties.
“When you stare tragedy in the face, it’s tempting to go down and say, ‘There is nothing I can do,’” Mayes said.
“When you yourselves were shaken, you stepped up,” he told his fellow Christians, many of whom helped with disaster relief efforts. “When your homes were damaged, and you were without power, you stepped up.”
Pastoral minister Paul Woodhouse said the church was fortunate not to suffer more damage considering the property is located “in ground zero.”
“I did not think it was possible for us to be able to be back here a week after this happened,” Woodhouse said. “I was figuring at least two weeks.”
A damaged cabin at the Green Valley Bible Camp in Rogers, Ark.
Along with Southside, Green Valley Bible Camp in Rogers sustained damages.
The camp — which is associated with Churches of Christ — reported “many trees down with damage to some buildings.” The caretakers, Curtis and Pam Skelton, were not hurt.
It’s “extremely fortunate” that children were not on the property, said David Cherry, the camp board’s vice president.
“I’m hoping that God continues to have his hand on everything,” Cherry said. “This illustrates how important the church is to our kids and communities.”
‘You know that God was watching over us’
At 1 a.m. May 26, Alan Cruz grabbed a late-night snack in his kitchen. While he ate, a tornado warning alert sounded on his phone.
Cruz immediately woke up his wife, Sarai Martinez, and turned on the television.
As the tornado approached, the couple — who are Southside church members — sheltered in a closet with blankets and pillows.
“We just felt the pressure,” Cruz said. “Our ears popped like if we were on a plane.”
While the twister rumbled through the neighborhood, they kept their faith steady.
“We put our trust in God,” Cruz said. “That is how we always live our lives. He is in control, and his will is done.”
As the couple emerged from their closet, the damage was apparent. Trees toppled in their yard, and one fell on their car. Water seeped through cracks in the roof.
But the husband and wife did not ponder the destruction.
“It gave us a peace that no one else could give you,” Martinez said. “You know God was watching over us.”
‘We do love our neighbors’
As people rose from closets and cellars, it did not take long for Southside members to start serving the community.
Brothers and sisters teamed together to send chainsaw groups to homes and neighborhoods.
From one tree to another, the groups showed love to one another as they explored the destruction.
“Somebody said, ‘Y’all are so good to be doing this,’” Woodhouse said. “I don’t know that we are that good, but we do love our neighbors.”
Ocean Craig stands in front of a white board with the names of Southside Church of Christ members affected by the storm in Rogers, Ark.
In the church’s family life center, names of those seeking help filled a whiteboard.
Ocean Craig, the church media director, oversaw the groups sent into the battered community.
“I saw some people that you would least expect to come help,” Craig said. “It was a whole church effort.”
As Southside provided aid, relief poured in from fellow Christians across the U.S., including faith-based disaster relief organizations.
Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort sent four truckloads of supplies to the Arkansas church building. Elsewhere, the Nashville, Tenn.-based ministry recently rushed tractor-trailer rigs full of food and emergency items to help after tornadoes in Valley View, Texas, and Greenfield, Iowa.
Here in Rogers, Southside’s family life center transformed into a relief hub overnight and became a beacon of hope for the community.
Southside member Amy Dotson coordinated the relief efforts. She said the church has always been taught to “be the hands and feet of Christ.”
“In all my years of ministry, I have never seen anything that can compare to the beauty of what this church has done.”
“We did it the Southside way,” Dotson said. “If you came through those doors, we were going to love on you and find out what you needed.”
Karen Kofahl, volunteer coordinator for Churches of Disaster Relief Effort, said the Southside members have been “phenomenal.”
As Mayes wrapped up his sermon, the faces of those in the pews reflected elation and satisfaction.
“In all my years of ministry,” the preacher said, “I have never seen anything that can compare to the beauty of what this church has done.”
NIC FRARACCIO, a senior journalism major at Harding University in Searcy, Ark., is The Christian Chronicle’s summer intern. Reach him at [email protected].
The post ‘You stepped up’ appeared first on The Christian Chronicle.
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings