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Please pray for a sister congregation

This prayer request is from GCI pastor Rand Holm.

A couple of days ago, I was shocked to learn on TV about a tragic accident at Port Heuneme First Assembly of God church where the congregation I pastor meets in Southern California. An elderly member of the Assembly of God church who deals with disabilities was leaving the parking lot in her car. Evidently she confused her accelerator with the brake or had some sort of episode that sent her car through the retaining wall surrounding the church parking lot. In a profoundly sad and unbelievably painful accident, one of the other members of the church was killed and another was critically injured.

I called the First Assembly of God pastor and both of us were choking on tears as we spoke. I struggled with what to say to him as he struggled with this unspeakable horror. He told me that nothing in his 45 years of ministry had ever hit him like this. That’s quite a statement, knowing that he has seen a lot as a chaplain serving in New York City following 9/11 and serving with the police and fire departments in Port Hueneme. But this was different. This was home. I told him that I am grateful he is their pastor in this time of great pain and that I believe his whole life prepared him to help his congregation through this worst moment in its history. I also told him that we are united together in the body of Christ and that our prayers and hearts would be and are with him, with the families, with their congregation and community.

Please join me in praying for these brothers and sisters in Christ. Here is a prayer that I’ve offered:

Father in heaven, where do we go, what do we do when something like this happens in our body? Where do we put our emotions, our losses, our sight, and what do we do with our hope which feels so battered? We come together at the foot of the cross—the only event and place that can help us through this. Hear our pleas, hear our cries for healing for the injured, for comfort for those who have lost a member of their family and for a reason to live for those who are in shock. Please help our brothers and sisters, Lord. As they lift their hands and hearts to you, please comfort them with your presence and heal their wounds and heal their hearts. And for the ones who are right now too weak to reach out their hands to you, well, I’ve been there before too. Please reach down and don’t let them go. They need you. We all need you. Thank you for great faithfulness. In Jesus’ name, amen.

3 thoughts on “Please pray for a sister congregation”

  1. Amen. What a terrible situation to go through. And, what a blessing it is to be able to support and encourage our brothers and sisters in the larger Body of Christ. God may well use this situation in a powerful way and to His glory so that His love and compassion is manifested to all.

  2. Thank you for being so gracious and reaching out to this hurting part of the body. Please let them know there are those of us who join you all in prayers for our God to reach out and touch each person affected by this tragic accident. He is bigger than our pain and has solution to all our problems, answers to all our questions whether they are revealed or not. He is faithful and mighty in power. We know He is already answering our prayers for our sisters and brothers there. We thank God for His comfort and strength at this time for those who are hurting so badly. Mt. 11:28.

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