Mission Yearbook: Presbyterian leaders from California share impact of devastating wildfires and look to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance for support

The Palisades fire grew to more than 20,000 acres. (Photo courtesy of CalFire)

‘The stronger we’re connected, the stronger our response will be’.

Reeling from wildfires that are continuing to devastate California, leaders from various presbyteries in the Los Angeles area recently gathered online with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, sharing the severity and emotional toll of the disaster.

“I’ve lived in the LA area for 54 years and witnessed many fires, but I've never seen so many of our church members being impacted by fire,” said the Rev. Mark Hong, synod executive and stated clerk of the Synod of Southern California and Hawaii. “Right now, I imagine we’re in kind of a shock stage.”

As a result of a series of wildfires that have ravaged densely populated parts of the region, there have been at least 10 deaths and thousands of impacted structures, including perhaps 15,000-plus homes and commercial properties damaged by the two largest fires (Palisades and Eaton), according to FEMA and others.

Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church is one of the buildings lost, according to the Presbytery of the Pacific.

PDA is continuing to monitor the situation and has been asked by the American Red Cross to deploy some of its disaster spiritual care providers to support their operations, said the Rev. Jim Kirk, associate for National Disaster Response for PDA.

The Rev. Heidi Worthen Gamble is Mission Catalyst for the Presbytery of the
Pacific.

During the online gathering, facilitated by Kirk, leaders from the Pacific, San Fernando and San Gabriel presbyteries participated at PDA’s invitation to sharing information, praying together and hearing about PDA services, including initial assistance grants and emergency grants.

“PDA has begun awarding emergency initial assistance grants to assist presbyteries as they support the impacted communities,” Kirk said. “These grants are typically used in partnership with congregations serving the impacted communities.”

The Rev. Edwin González-Castillo, director of PDA, led opening prayer and remarks, assuring the leaders that the denomination is ready to walk alongside them, both now and in the long-term. He also praised them for being “beacons of hope and resilience” at a time when people need help and reassurance.

“We are grateful for your leadership in this time of crisis and of devastation,” González-Castillo said. “… Smoke may cloud the skies and dim the light of the streets but not the light of compassion and solidarity.”

González-Castillo also quoted from Psalm 46:1 and commended the leaders for doing work that “reflects the love and the care that God calls us to embody in moments of trial.”

The Rev. Heidi Worthen Gamble, mission catalyst for the Presbytery of the Pacific, summed up the disaster, including the loss of Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church, to the group by saying, “It’s devastating. It’s catastrophic, y’all.”

The Rev. Jim Kirk (Photo by Rich Copley)

She has been checking in with pastors in the fire zones and said “many, many people in our churches have lost their homes. Most of the members of Palisades Church left with nothing, at the last minute, and have lost everything. We still don’t know how many churches we might lose or how many more homes will be lost. We are at the mercy of the winds and these winds are like hurricane fire.”

Worthen Gamble, who’s also been staying in touch with Emergency Network of Los Angeles (ENLA), said it will be important to create a sense of community and focus and to be there for “our people” as well as one another. “The stronger we're connected, the stronger our response will be,” she said.

The Rev. Linda Culbertson, general presbyter for the Presbytery of the Pacific, said she’s been taking calls from people previously affiliated with the presbytery who wanted to express their concern. She’s also heard from churches that want to help with things like housing and respite. “I think that's very encouraging, that we can come together as a community.”

Donations can be made to PDA’s U.S. wildfires account, using the code DR000165.

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is one of the Compassion, Peace & Justice ministries of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Unified Agency.

Darla Carter, Communications Strategist, Interim Unified Agency Click here to read original PNS story)

Let us join in prayer for:

• David Gambrell, Associate, Worship, Interim Unified Agency
• Greta Garbo, Accounting Clerk III, Administrative Services Group, A Corp 

Let us pray:

Lord God, grant us the humility and wisdom to follow those that you have appointed. Grant us the willingness to perform the tasks that you have commanded for us to do. Let us be constantly reminded of your sovereignty and protect us from those who put stumbling blocks in our way. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Southern California fires affect churches and presbyteries

The Palisades fire has been challenging for firefighters. (Photo courtesy of the
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection)

At least one PC(USA) church is destroyed, and dozens of people have been killed in the wind-whipped blazes.

A series of dangerous fires in the Los Angeles area had grown so large and so destructive that the Rev. Heidi Worthen Gamble could hardly wrap her mind around it. 

“This will go down as the worst disaster in the history of Los Angeles, no doubt, and quite possibly the whole state,” said Worthen Gamble, a mission catalyst for the Presbytery of the Pacific. “It’s monstrous. It's hard to put words to it.”

Communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena have been affected by the wildfires, which have killed at least 29 people, according to The Associated Press. Scores of structures have been damaged or destroyed, including Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church.

“Multiple churches have been impacted and multiple Presbyterians have lost their homes,” said the Rev. Jim Kirk, associate for National Disaster Response for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.

In addition to the Presbytery of the Pacific, the fires are also thought to have impacted the San Fernando and San Gabriel presbyteries, Worthen Gamble said.

“PDA is reaching out and has been in communication with the impacted presbyteries, offering support,” Kirk said. “However, at this time, because it's still an ongoing disaster, it's not safe for people to come in. We pray for the hundreds of first responders who are working diligently and faithfully to keep people and property safe.”

While California is no stranger to wildfires, people are more used to them happening in “canyonlands,” Worthen Gamble said. The individuals who build out there “know those risks,” but the current fires are affecting densely populated areas.

Some roadways became choked with abandoned cars as people opted to flee on foot because of the fast-moving flames in places such as the Pacific Palisades, according to the AP.

Worthen Gamble confirmed that the Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church, which is part of the Presbytery of the Pacific, was lost in the massive Palisades fire, the largest blaze at more than 17,000 acres.

“It's a beautiful church, beautiful campus,” she said. “They had a nursery school on that campus, and it sits on one of the most expensive pieces of real estate in the country … so it's a tremendous financial loss, but we are grateful that there were no lives lost. They were able to evacuate everyone.

The Palisades fire has ravaged Southern California. (Photo courtesy of
the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection)

In Facebook posts, the church thanks neighbors who reportedly picked up hoses to assist firefighters when the church caught fire. Another post quotes Isaiah 9:10: “The bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place.”

“Pray for those who are in harm's way and the hundreds of firefighters who are risking their own well-being to keep people and property safe” in all areas, Kirk said.

Worthen Gamble said she is grateful for PDA’s support. “I just want the denomination to know how helpful, how effective, how wonderful PDA is, and just encourage folks to support PDA, to help us through donating to PDA for wildfires,” she said. “We will really need all the resources and support possible here. This is just catastrophic.”

Donations can be made to PDA’s U.S. wildfires account, using the code DR000165. 

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is one of the Compassion, Peace & Justice ministries of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Unified Agency.

Darla Carter, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Click here to read original PNS story)

Let us join in prayer for:

• Louisa Gallup, Project Associate, Director’s Office, World Mission, Interiam Unified Agency
• Marissa Galvan-Valle, Associate, Hispanic Resources & Relationships, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation 

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, grant us grace to live lives of devotion and discipline that reflect your grace and truth. Amen.