LOS ANGELES—Southern California churches have been praying in the midst of the devastating fires in their area, and the answer to a specific Sunday evening prayer has been noticed and appreciated by others in the community.
Rand Jenkins, Texans on Mission’s chief strategy officer, participated in the Sunday evening prayer service at Highlands Church, north of downtown Los Angeles.
“On Sunday, the weather forecast anticipated winds topping 70 miles per hour through Wednesday,” he said. “The high winds never came, and forecasters canceled the warning.”
Pastor David Johnson shared about the prayer service on Instagram.
“On Sunday night we rebuked the wind in Jesus’ name,” the pastor said. “We contended for our city and its people. … While we aren’t out of the woods, … we are certainly praising God for his faithfulness.”
After the social media post, Johnson received a “thank you” text from a neighbor who doesn’t go to church.
‘Glimmers of hope rising from the ash’
“In the midst of this tragedy, people are noticing that Christians are both praying and working to help,” Jenkins said. “Prayer is our first job, but it’s also important for someone who is hurting to see we care about them.”
Johnson said the prayers and helpfulness are “so consistent with the gospel.”
“We’re just starting to see those glimmers of hope rising from the ash,” he said.
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Los Angeles-area Christians believe “God is going to do an amazing work of calling the city back to himself,” he added.
Texans on Mission is partnering with churches to provide respite centers for fire victims. These are places where volunteers will do people’s laundry in special units provided by Texans on Mission.
“Volunteers are going to wash their clothes while the people, the homeowners, can sit and have a cup of coffee and their children will be entertained,” Jenkins said. “It will be time to breathe, to rest and to recover.”
‘Ash out’ ministry likely in weeks ahead
Fire recovery efforts—typically known as “ash out”—will follow in the weeks to come.
In that next stage of relief, volunteers will “sit down with a homeowner and find out what mementos they hope to recover,” Jenkins explained. “What are they trying to find that ties them back to their history?
“We sit next to them and scoop the ashes and then sift, hoping you find that memorabilia. It could be wedding bands. It could be photos. It could be Christmas ornaments, something that ties you back to your house. Those things don’t have a monetary value, but they have so much meaning to people. They connect you back to who you are.”
Texans on Mission shower/laundry units left Dallas for California Jan. 15. Other volunteer disaster relief leaders are expected to arrive in Los Angeles Jan. 19 to establish incident command centers for coordinating relief efforts.
In the meantime, Texans on Mission supporters are asked to pray and give toward the effort.
Chief Executive Officer Mickey Lenamon has asked people to pray specifically for:
- A swift end to the fires.
- Those who have been affected by the fires.
- Strength for the firefighters who are serving valiantly.
- The churches serving with Texans on Mission to minister to people impacted by the fires.
- The clear proclamation of the gospel.
To learn more about financially supporting the effort, visit TexansOnMission.org/wildfires or call (214) 275-1100.
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