The pictures of devastation have been everywhere. The tornadoes that ripped through several states have left havoc in their wake. Communities have been flattened and it seems like more than 100 people will have been declared dead before too much longer.
You can see in the pictures that the First Presbyterian Church of Mayfield, a beautiful building before the storm, was completely destroyed. Like your churches, FPC Mayfield has hosted weddings, and baptisms, and funerals, and the Gospel has been heard from its pulpit and through the lives of its members.
I’m giving generously to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) so that they will have the funding they need to address situations like this. They aren’t the first to arrive, but they stay far longer than other aid organizations, giving long-term support long after the headlines are over.
If you’d like to join me in giving, visit https://pda.pcusa.org/situation/december-tornadoes/.
I’m glad for the opportunity to give. When I was eight, a tornado destroyed our neighboring town, Xenia, Ohio (in Miami Valley Presbytery) and killed 32 people. That same day, friends I would come to know just after college were in the basement of their house in Brandenburg, KY, when a twister lifted their home off its foundation. Thankfully they were not one of the 31 people taken in that storm. People I love have had their worlds upended because of tornados. I’m eager to join the thousands of Presbyterians who will give to PDA to care for people that they have never met.
Your partner in ministry,
Rev. Charles B Hardwick, PhD
Interim Executive
chip@synodofthecovenant.org