As wildfires continue to blaze across Southern California, razing homes, schools and churches to the ground, local churches have been pulling together to lament, pray and provide relief – seeing God at work amid the tragedy.
The first and largest wildfire in California broke out on 7 January in the Pacific Palisades and was quickly followed by four more that same week – in Eaton, Hurst, Lidia and Kenneth. With 100 mph winds whipping up the fires, churches across the region reported extensive damage.
At least a dozen church buildings in the Los Angeles (LA) area were destroyed or badly impacted – including the Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church, which was almost entirely gutted. The Revd Dr Grace Park commented on social media: ‘God will see us through this’ and quoted Isaiah 41.10: ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God…’
However, Justin Anderson, the Lead Pastor of Calvary Church in the Pacific Palisades, was surprised by what he found when visiting their church, having reached the site on foot and by navigating around police blockades.
‘We have experienced the miracle that we have been praying for,’ he shared in a video on Facebook. ‘God answered our prayers, it is a genuine miracle how little damage there is…considering the level of devastation I had to walk through in order to get to it.’ The only part of the Calvary Church campus that was impacted, other than by a degree of smoke and water damage, was the roof and interior of the sanctuary. However, 90% of their congregation had to evacuate their houses and dozens of members lost homes completely, including both associate pastors.
Anderson had only taken over as Lead Pastor the week the fire began. Remarkably, the house he was planning to move into was also left untouched by the flames, despite the surrounding area being, in his words, ‘an absolute war zone, with debris everywhere’.
Map showing affected areas (red) – the home that Justin was about to move into and Calvary Church were untouched. Source: X | Justin Anderson
‘I’d love for you to pray for those who have lost most of their worldly goods,’ Andersen added on social media, ‘the pain and shock are real and won’t be fully realized for years. Also, pray that our facility can reopen soon so we can be a resource for those in the area.’
Calvary Church weren’t alone in seeking to provide relief for the community around them. To the north, Restored Church LA set up a benevolence fund, while nearby Pacific Crossroads Church in Santa Monica began co-ordinating aid through their ministry Hope for LA.
Brian Colmery, a pastor at Cornerstone West Los Angeles, told The Gospel Coalition how he and 60 others from five churches across LA hosted a prayer meeting during the week. ‘We braved the traffic and ash in the air to be together and lament, intercede and plead for God to grow His kingdom through all of this,’ he said. ‘I know of similar events happening the last several nights all across the city. So God is at work in the disaster, as always, and we are probably only seeing slivers of what He is doing.’
