Ten counties in Ohio are reeling after 21 tornadoes touched down the evening of Memorial Day and wreaked havoc throughout the following morning.
Ms. Stewart, an 89-year-old grandmother, was inside her house when a tornado touched down in her neighborhood. All she could do was lay on the ground and pray. God protected her, as the only room that remains today is the one she was in that night.
Stewart is the neighbor of Alliance pastor, Rev. Darrico Murray of Faith Life Church. His own newly purchased home, which is six minutes away from his church, was severely damaged in the same tornado. Watch him describe the devastation.
The C&MA Ohio Valley District and CAMA partnered to provide local Alliance churches with thousands of dollars in gift cards for families in their communities. Pastor Murray and a few of his neighbors delivered many of these cards door-to-door—and Ms. Stewart was one of the recipients.
“I have been impressed with the amount of love that has been shown,” notes Pastor Murray. “Churches have come from far away to trim branches, clean up debris, and help families to get water, supplies, and food. The face of the church has shown the love of Christ.”
As Rev. Ron Ballard, pastor of Christ Community Bible Alliance Church in northwest Dayton, was out delivering gift cards in his community, one grateful recipient broke down and cried, “Hallelujah!”
“It’ll take a couple months to clean up the mess that surrounds us, but it will probably take a couple years to rebuild Dayton,” says Pastor Ballard. “So we still need your help, and we still need your prayers.” See his appeal for ongoing help.
The community is rejoicing this week with announcement from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine that counties impacted by the tornadoes and severe storms will receive federal assistance. But Alliance churches in the Dayton area realize that won’t be enough for every family to fully rebuild.
“We don’t take this lightly, because we also want to share the gospel,” Pastor Ballard said. “This is the mission of The Christian and Missionary Alliance.”
Ron Wende, recently appointed as the part-time Ohio Valley District Disaster Response Coordinator, will lead recovery efforts over the next several months. He will be working with local Alliance pastors to identify families who were most severely impacted by the tornadoes and organize work teams to help meet those needs.
Your gifts will go a long way in helping our Dayton-area Alliance family demonstrate the love of Jesus in word and deed to those in their communities who have suffered damage and loss.