Water and supplies from ministry partners represent the gospel in action during the biggest disaster on the island in a generation.
Christians on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent made their way through ash-covered streets and poor air conditions to attend church Sunday for the first time since the eruption of the La Soufrière volcano more than a week before.
Over the past week, ministry leaders worked together to organize resources and care for those displaced by the disaster. Around 20,000 people have evacuated from their homes in the northern areas closest to the explosions, which could continue for weeks.
Many churches remain closed, and several church buildings in the region near the volcano—including a Baptist and a Pentecostal sanctuary—were destroyed when their roofs collapsed under the weight of a foot or two of fallen ash. But in the “green zones” to the south, church leaders were able to spend a couple hours together in worship.
Pastor Kelron Harry gathered with Arnos Vale Church of the Nazarene, a congregation of 190 people. Harry, the district superintendent for the Nazarenes, has spent every day since the eruption messaging fellow denominational and ministry leaders and helping with relief efforts.
They update each other on the safety of their members, receive donations at the ports, and coordinate to get supplies and water to not only the 3,000 people in shelters but to the majority of evacuees who are staying with friends and family. Churches are also preparing and serving meals for the displaced.
This is the first volcanic eruption on St. Vincent in 42 years, and because they don’t know when the eruption will be over, people are afraid and anxious. The island was already struggling because so many people work in restaurants and hotels, which suffered widespread shutdowns due to the coronavirus.
“We ...
from Christianity Today Magazine
via
