Hope and Help in Hard Times
Hey Friends,
As I'm sure you're aware, great sections of the southeastern states of America have been devastated by the impact of hurricane Helene. Unprecedented rains and flooding have wiped out entire towns. In many places, transportation, power, communications and emergency services are simply unavailable. The loss of life is not even understood yet, with hundreds, maybe thousands being lost to the floods. It will be many months, and even years, before many of these towns are restored to normal. Some of them will never be restored. It's heart breaking to consider.
And there's another hurricane forming in the Gulf of Mexico, headed for the southeast states again.
Besides prayer, what can we do to help?
I recommend partnering financially with Samaritan's Purse for relief efforts, as they are greatly equipped to work with governmental and private groups in the areas affected, keep the Gospel at the center of their message, and use the funds designated with integrity and good stewardship. You can donate directly to them here >
You can volunteer directly with Samaritan's Purse here >
On a personal level, I want to encourage every family reading this to do what it takes to be better prepared for a future crisis. Yes, we trust God to meet our needs and be faithful to His people, yet He also instructs us to be prepared for danger when it arises.
Proverbs 22:3 & 27:12 instructs us this way:
"A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions.
The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences." (NLT)
As a church family, we will be having conversations and planning to be better prepared at River to meet one another's needs and be a resource in our community. I invite you to prayerfully consider joining us in those conversations, or having those conversations with your local church family.
May God give us wisdom in these things, and may we pray faithfully for God's people as they serve to be a source of strength, comfort, peace and hope to those who are affected by the storms in the southeast.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Keith Radke