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Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Tornado Hits Close to Home

Last week’s tornadoes in Southern Illinois hit a little too close to home. Our former home, anyway. Prior to moving to Petersburg in August last year, we lived in Ridgway, IL, the “Popcorn Capital of the World,” home of the Dinger baseball bats, and a town now recovering from the devastation an EF-4 twister left behind as it quickly roared through the village early last Tuesday morning.

Most of the media coverage appropriately focused on Harrisburg, where six people were killed, over a hundred injured and hundreds of homes and businesses damaged or destroyed. I did not personally know any of the deceased, but some of my pastor friends in Harrisburg conducted their funerals over the weekend.

Ridgway is about 20 miles east of Harrisburg, a town of about 900. Nearly half of the village’s 400 structures have been damaged or destroyed. Thankfully no lives were lost. The house we used to live in was not damaged, but homes only a block away suffered great loss. The local hardware store was demolished. And a particularly visible and majestic landmark, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, was practically reduced to a pile of rubble. 

As far as I’m aware, the building with the painted mural highlighting the Ridway Eagles’ 1973 State Basketball Championship – the year in which they defeated the Porta Blue Jays on their way to the title – still stands. Just thought I’d let you know.

The St. Joseph’s church was like the Titanic, magnificent in appearance and seemingly indestructible. If you have a chance to go online to view some of the pictures of this church building, try to find what it looked like before the tornado inflicted its wrath. It’s hard to believe it’s gone.

On one hand a church building is just a building. It’s a structure made of brick and mortar, wood and stone. It’s a lifeless piece of property.

But on the other hand, any church member will tell you there’s an undeniable emotional and spiritual attachment to the building. For many in the heavily Catholic community of Ridgway, their own forefathers erected the walls of that building with their blood, sweat and tears. Many have sacrificed financially and physically to maintain and improve the building. Generations of family and friends have been baptized there, raised there, married there and buried there. It’s more than just a building.

Personally, many of the friends I had in Ridgway were Catholic, which may come as a shock to some old-school Baptists and to hardline Catholics! But I say that to say that I hurt for them in this loss. On Sunday I had the chance to speak on the phone with my friend Stephen Beatty, St. Joseph’s priest. While he understands the sorrow this tragedy has brought upon the members and the community, he’s also very encouraged the church will emerge stronger than ever. As he said reflecting on recovery efforts, “The church is not the building. The church is the people going around picking up bricks.”

True indeed. Our God is a God who brings good out of trouble. He is a Shelter in the storm, a Refuge for the hurting, a Healer of the broken and an ever-present Help in time of need. Friend, may I say that whatever storm you’re going through today, look to the King who sits enthroned above the raging rapids, the howling winds and the fiercest downpour. He is the faithful and Almighty One who gives strength to His people, turns their mourning into dancing and clothes them with gladness.

Yes, weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes with the morning (Psalm 30:5). That storm hit pretty close to home, but God’s strengthening His people, drawing the lost to seek Him, and getting the glory through it. May His name be praised!     

1 comment:

Pastor John Adams said...

Been praying for you guys. :)