Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2
Dear Friends in Christ,
As news starts to come out of stricken mountain locations after the remnants of hurricane Helene passed through, we’ve heard of tremendous devastation. The southern Appalachians have a climate often described as “temperate rain forest.” Conditions that bring regular rainfall magnified the rain from Helene, and steep mountain valleys filled in hours, raising the flood levels to devastating effect. Asheville, NC and Erwin, TN have had buildings wiped out, roads and bridges destroyed or impassable. Florida and Georgia are also digging out from high winds and storm surge.
Several people have asked what we can do to help. A few kayakers from the mountains have said to leave room for the official response teams because of such limited access. But those response teams take a lot of support from relief agencies. Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) is a church organization that supports relief efforts around the country and around the world. One immediate way you can help is with donations to ERD, or the American Red Cross. A community group from Erwin called ‘RISE Erwin’ has this Facebook page with information about support opportunities as well.
Jesus spoke about natural disasters and wars and rumors of wars. There is a lot of tragedy and loss in this life. There is also a lot of blessing and grace in this life, where God reaches out to us to sustain us through. We do best to hold loosely to the blessings we have and live in gratitude for today. Part of how God sustains those in need is by the compassion of God’s people, reaching out to share the generous grace God has given us. How can you reach out to help others, those close to home, or those in disaster zones?
Yours in Christ,
-Tom