The church under fire – literally By Bob Davis Tuesday, October 28, 2003 Fire hit San Diego yesterday (Oct. 27). The flames are still burning throughout the county. Smoke still fills the air; it is difficult to be outside without choking. Schools are closed and most businesses are not opening today. One family in the congregation I serve lost a daughter to the fire and has a second daughter suffer 2nd and 3rd degree burns over 85 percent of her body. They also lost their home. Their story is frightening. Their faith is an amazing witness – that they are trusting in the promises of God even in the most horrible circumstances. Even in the midst of their grief, they are consoling each other; reminding me of the refrain, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness." Many families have been evacuated from their homes. They scrambled to get out, having to answer in a moment the question, "What do we take?" When the word to leave came, that meant, "now!" Some who left still do not know if they will be returning to homes or ruins. The brunt of the fire was about 15-20 miles south of Escondido (where I am). The congregations in San Diego Presbytery will be in disaster relief mode for the immediate future. Local media says that an area approximately half the size of Rhode Island has burned in Southern California. I grew up on the east coast, lived for a number of years in the Midwest, and never appreciated how ferocious wildfires really are. The only way to describe how fast it moves is that it is like a flowing river of flame. If you think of lava, you have a pretty good image of how this thing moved. For the last several years, I have exhorted Presbyterians to "be the church where you are." For the next several days, that will be my and our charge, too. As a congregation and as a presbytery, we have a lot of things to do. Denominational issues will take a back seat for a few days as we try to sort things out locally. We do ask for your prayers: comfort for the families who have suffered tremendous loss; strength for those seeking to minister in the midst; for the communities that have been devastated, for the firefighters who are bravely and tirelessly working to limit the damage, and for those in the local governments seeking to provide relief. When reports like this are sent, the natural response is, "What can we do?" When we are able to provide those details, I'll send out another update. Bob Davis is a pastor in San Marcos, Calif., and executive director of the Presbyterian Forum, a renewal ministry.

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