based on a report by Kirk Lithander, Global Outreach pastor, Fairhaven Church
On the evening of Memorial Day, 13 confirmed tornadoes ripped through the Greater Dayton Area in southwest Ohio, leaving one person dead and more than 200 injured; at least 40 homes were damaged or destroyed, according to news reports. One of the hardest hit areas was Trotwood, a northwest suburb. Governor Mike Dewine declared a state of emergency in three Ohio counties in Dayton on Tuesday, May 28.
We are grateful that two of our C&MA churches in North Dayton were spared from the devastating winds. However, the 130-mile hour gusts ripped the roof off the newly purchased home of Rev. Darrico Murray, Faith Life Church’s senior pastor, causing major structural damage. At the time, the family was out of state attending a nephew’s graduation. The Murrays’ neighborhood was devastated by the tornado, with houses completely demolished and huge trees uprooted, making the streets in the subdivision inpassable. “My neighborhood looks like a war zone,” the pastor said.
CAMA Services, the Ohio Valley District, and Dayton Area Alliance churches—along with the Red Cross, Samaritan’s Purse, and the Dayton Emergency Management Agency—are assisting in disaster relief efforts.
- Fifty $50 Walmart gift cards were distributed by our two Alliance pastors to their neighbors whose homes were damaged by the tornado.
- The staff of Fairhaven Church is assisting Samaritan’s Purse in clearing debris in devastated areas.
- Alliance churches are helping to provide food and water to people staying at area Red Cross shelters.
- Local Alliance churches are sending work teams to help with relief efforts; CAMA, the Ohio Valley District, and Dayton area Alliance churches are raising funds to help with these efforts.
- Phil Lohmeyer, CAMA’s coordinator for Disaster Response Ministries, will assess the devastation and help Alliance churches with a long-term, strategic disaster relief plan.
As an Alliance family, please pray for all those affected by this disaster.
For more information and video footage, go to this breaking news article.