Our recent mission trip to Waverly, Tennessee, was both a sad and a wonderful experience, all at the same time. Last August 21, about 15 inches of rain fell in six hours. I imagine such a heavy rainstorm is what fell over 40 days and nights in the time of Noah.

 

The creek flowing beneath a raised railroad berm became blocked by fallen trees and debris, forming a dam across the creek and creating a sixty acre lake about twenty feet deep. The pressure of the water broke an 800 yard section
of the railroad berm, sending a tsunami-like wave through the town. Twenty people lost their lives, including five children. Seven-hundred-fifty homes were damaged or destroyed. Most of the victims were poor and had no flood insurance, because the town is not in a flood plain. Residents lost everything.

 

About 28 homes have been rebuilt, but the owners had some type of insurance and were able to pay contractors. All the rest of the work is being done by Christian volunteer groups. Our team listened to harrowing stories from resident’s survival, being rescued by a helicopter as their house floated away or a man standing on an end table to keep his head above the water, and a woman getting three cats and two dogs into an attic.

 

I was touched by several observations and experiences.

We plan to go out quarterly to serve those affected by natural disasters and are always looking for others willing to serve as the hands of God’s mercy.

 

Pastor Ed Grant

New year – old problems! Somehow the struggles we faced in 2021 have followed us into the new year. Mr. Covid goes by a new variant now, Mr. Omicron, and I read the wonderful news this morning that 46 more variants have been identified in France!

 

I think the only people rejoicing in this news are the pharmaceutical companies and the Chicago teachers union, always on the hunt for a reason to stay at home, though 91 percent are fully vaccinated. But enough of that!

 

I am excited about what God is doing among His people at Calvary, and the good works He has prepared for us. What are they you ask? I don’t know exactly but, like a hen sitting on her eggs until they hatch, I am confident God is going to reveal them to us in the coming months. They will be revealed TO YOU because they involve you. I am not looking for ideas for you to suggest to me, the elders, or the Vestry—expecting us to put a program together while you watch. The Holy Spirit wants to put opportunities on your heart – and perhaps He has already been at work doing so – in which others can come alongside you to support you.

 

You’ll have an opportunity to share your ideas at a special meeting after worship on February 6. We’ll share in a potluck lunch, and, following lunch, I’ll lead us through a planning session that will lay out a schedule of activities for the coming months. 

 

Two Sundays ago we considered Paul’s words to the Corinthian congregation:

 

“I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.”
1 Corinthians 9:22

These words led me to reflect and to ask you this question:
To what lengths are you willing to go to gain someone for Christ?

 

A dying world faces grim prospects for the future far worse than 46 Covid variants: They face God’s judgement without a Savior and the endless eternal torment of hell. We cannot save them all, but we are right to embrace Paul’s confidence in the Holy Spirit’s work that we will be able “to save some”!

 

Pastor Ed Grant