Faith at Work in a Hurricane-Ravaged America

Irma flooding in Charleston, SC

Many Americans who have been concerned about and praying for hurricane-ravaged areas in TX, LA, and FL are encouraged to see whole neighborhoods, churches, and local and federal agencies coming together as never before to provide assistance. Faith-based groups have exercised a particularly large role in the recovery effort in Texas and Louisiana. According to the The Daily Caller, “Faith-based relief groups are responsible for providing nearly 80 percent of the aid delivered thus far to communities with homes devastated by the recent hurricanes.”

I was surprised to see that the contribution from people of faith was this large. Even though televised news has provided accounts of how Christian and other faiths are working heroically, much of the attention seems to center on government agencies, particularly FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency).   Josh Gill, writing for the The Daily Caller, uses the dominant role of faith-based groups to make the point that once again the private sector is outdoing the government.  Gill writes, “Christian non-profit organizations have outdone FEMA and provided the vast majority of the relief aid to victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.”

While statistics may support Gill’s opening statement to his article, I was glad to read in Gill’s article that the real issue is not competition between private sector and big government or between faith-based and secular groups.  Instead, Gill emphasizes the cooperation between these groups in a wonderful, complementary relationship that reflects the evidence that the Spirit of Christ is at work in these acts of compassion, generosity, and sacrifice.

Still, it is easy for those of us who consider ourselves political and social conservatives to relish stories that demonstrate how private enterprise outdoes big government.  Cheryl K. Chumley of the The Washington Times writes that “…people who put God first, people who are committed to serving Jesus, people who are driven by a moral compass that comes from above, are the real doers and shakers and movers — the ones who see a need and respond.  The Big Government types?  They see a need and dial their lawmaker — call for a committee hearing — petition for a study.  It’s only after they navigate the hoops, and fill out the proper forms, they respond.”

While Chumley’s contrast between Christ-followers and “Big Government types” can be supported by comparisons of amount given to charitable causes, I am more encouraged by the fact that the hurricanes are providing opportunity for Americans of all persuasions to strive for understanding and cooperation.  On the one hand, there is no doubt that God means what He says in His Word  that “without faith, it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11: 6).  This truth means that if Christ were to return today while Christ-followers are working alongside Christ-denier’s at a hurricane recovery site, only the Christ-followers by their faith in Christ's shed blood “…will be caught up together with [other Christ-followers] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air… (v. 17).”  But on the other hand, this promise of sins forgiven and assurance of eternity with God ought to make the believer all the more Christ-like toward other believers and toward unbelievers as they serve together in needy neighborhoods.

In this spirit of unity, purpose, and compassion, Christ-followers who work cooperatively among unbelievers or people of other faiths can be the salt and light that Christ calls us to be (Matthew 5: 13-16).  Chumley explains how this biblical principle has influenced true Christ-followers and in so doing, has made America great in years past:

America’s greatness was, is and always will be rooted in the fact that our rights come from God, not government. With that, comes a responsibility — that we conduct ourselves on an individual basis as if we believe in God. Bluntly put, it’s what the founders believed; it’s how they envisioned a moral and limited government not just shaping, but staying around a while. Happily, it’s what a large portion of America’s population today still believes.

Those who live by this kind of faith in God, understand the importance of a complementary relationship between faith-based groups and government.  Rev. Jamie Johnson, director of the Department of Homeland Security's Center for Faith-Based & Neighborhood Partnerships understands this principle.   The Daily Caller’s Joshua Gill quotes Johnson as follows: “FEMA cannot do what it does so well without the cooperation of faith-based non-profit organizations and churches.  It's a beautiful relationship between government and the private sector and it is something to behold."  According to Johnson, as Gill writes, “FEMA does not assign work to the state agencies or the faith-based groups.”  Rather, according to Johnson, "we affirm the work that they are already doing ... FEMA brings the groups into its national command center to work with us because they have their people on the ground."

Samaritan's Purse praised FEMA for its excellent cooperation.

Luther Harrison, vice president of North American Ministries at Samaritan’s Purse, said in USA Today, “FEMA, they have been a big blessing to us, they’re an assistance to us. For Hurricane Irma, the majority of our equipment has already been dispatched to Texas ... so our office in Canada is bringing their equipment across the border and FEMA was instrumental in helping us clear that with customs and getting all the paperwork done."

In the midst of the upended communities, flooded homes, and scattered rubble we can see a blessed unity of purpose among people of all persuasions.  After all, the grace of God is present in all human beings, and at times like these humans sometimes rise to show the character of the One Who made us and died to redeem us.  

As we remember those in hurricane-ravaged areas along our southern coast, we pray that God will protect lives and restore the material infrastructure of homes and communities.  In the process of restoration, may God bring spiritual revival to many individuals, families, communities, and our nation through the witness of people of faith serving on behalf of those in great need.  As the Apostle Peter so aptly wrote,” But set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess (1 Peter 3: 15 NET).

What About You?   Comments are always welcome.  If you are considering material donation to assist hurricane recovery efforts, I would recommend Samaritan's Purse whose website is https://www.samaritanspurse.org/ 

Fundamentals of Conservation, Part 3 "Serving with Our Neighbor"

Thanksgiving is a special holiday to me because it has been generally less commercialized than nearby Halloween and Christmas.   Thanksgiving invites us to remember the only true Object of genuine thankfulness— God Who is the ultimate Provider of all things.  Indeed, thankfulness without an object to receive our thanks is narrow and incomplete.

In our recent blog entries on “Fundamentals of Conservation,” we have emphasized that conservation, or “con-service” means to serve with.  Thus, both “thanks-giving” and “con-service” suggest the need for an object.  Conservation has two objects of “service”—with God, and with creation.  Furthermore, both “con-service” and “thanks-giving” imply that a certain quality of character be expressed toward the object in question; namely, a submissive spirit and a thankful spirit.  But how do these character qualities come about?

Biblically speaking, conservation is a practice of individuals who have acknowledged that rebellion and sin, not submission and service, are “in their DNA” inherited from Adam and Eve (Genesis 3).  As a result, they recognize their utter inability to exercise true dominion (submissive stewardship; Genesis 1: 16-28; 2: 15) without first humbly confessing and seeking God’s forgiveness through the atoning blood of Christ.  The true conservationist is submissive and thankful that God has redeemed him and enlisted him to serve on a planet that groans under the wages of sin (Romans 8: 19-23).

For the spiritually reborn child of God, biblical conservation grows out of an intimate relationship of serving with God.  Serving in this partnership with the Creator, we can learn the origin, true value, and significance of creation (Part 1, Article #1 April).  The quality of our stewardship is further enhanced as we learn more about the workings of creation (See Part 1, Article #2 May) and what is pleasing to our Creator (2 Corinthians 5: 9 and See Part 1, Article #3 June) as we serve Him by serving with creation.  Serving with creation in turn requires that we become students of both the historical influences on the land (See Part 2, Article #1 September) and the current processes at work in the landscape (See Part 2, Article #2 October).

This month’s “Fundamentals of Conservation”, Part 3, emphasizes that biblical conservation (or stewardship) of creation is practiced not only by serving with God and serving with Creation, but in serving with our neighbor.  This notion is based on the fact that God in the three Persons of the Trinity is a relational God.  It is this relational God Who created humans to exist in relationship with Him and with one another as His image bearers.  It follows that conservation blossoms in its fullest sense as we realize its relational nature as expressed when the conservationist serves with all three agents in right relationship—with God, creation, and neighbor.

I will now illustrate how conservation rests upon all three agents noted above, like the three legs of a stool in proper proportion.   I am thankful that God sought me out and redeemed me as His own son, then gave me a great love for His creation, and has blessed me with many good “neighbors” with whom to work.  Allow me to share first a few of the “neighbors” who have been partners, teachers, and mentors.

My dearest prairie partner in early 1980's
with Prairie Dock ("cut-leafed variety)

First, God has blessed me with my wife Alvadell (“Abby”), my nearest and dearest “neighbor” who has been “one with me” since 1969.  She has been beside me as wife, mother of our children, and companion in church, community, forest, and field.  Some of our most cherished communion with each other and with God has been as we’ve enjoyed the beauty and wonder of His creation.

In 1979, God led us as a family to Cedarville College where we grew spiritually in the light and warmth of pastors, friends, and colleagues for over three decades while I taught in the Science-Math Department.  Abby and I had discovered Cedarville ten years earlier while students at Malone College.  At Malone, it was Professor Charles C. King who had ignited my interest in botany and ecology.  Later Dr. King, as director of the Ohio Biological Survey, was responsible for identifying some of the remnant forest and prairie communities, including the railroad prairie remnants mentioned in this blog series.

Jack McDowell (center) and Charles C. King (right)

During my years at Cedarville, I became closely acquainted with two other prairie enthusiasts.  One was Jack McDowell who was so instrumental in conservation efforts through Columbus metroparks.  Jack explained to me how he and Charlie King had become fast friends after they had “chanced to meet” in, of all places, a prairie remnant community in central Ohio.  The other prairie enthusiast is Lynn Holtzman, a wildlife biologist with the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources.  Lynn’s commitment to land stewardship based on his pursuit of God and a scholarly understanding of biblical environmental ethics was instrumental in the development of my own conservation ethic.

Lynn Holtzman (Photo taken at Milford Ctr. Prairie, Union Co.)

In fact, Lynn’s master’s thesis was entitled “Nature as Neighbor: Aldo Leopold’s Extension of Ethics to the Land.”  God has allowed Lynn and I to be “good neighbors” in several land stewardship projects in SW Ohio.  Of course conservation efforts require the neighborly cooperation of local land managers as the following paragraphs should illustrate.

When the last freight train passed through Cedarville in the mid-1980’s, remnant prairie communities along the railway from Xenia to Columbus, Ohio became of greater interest, particularly because of the plan to convert the rails to bicycle trails.  Rather suddenly, the abandoned railways--long, narrow swaths of land with lots of “surface area” adjoining land owned by many “neighbors” per mile were about to undergo a change in land use. 

Native Royal Catchfly, Silene regia, in the narrow railway
corridor (now Prairie Grass Trail) surrounded by agriculture

Having gained some botanical knowledge of the flora along the abandoned railway, several park districts enlisted me in 2001 and 2002 to inventory and map the native plant species along the abandoned railway in Greene, Clark, and Madison counties.  In an effort to create interest in prairie plants of the abandoned railway among local residents, I created a webpage featuring color photos of remnant prairie flora.

As the bikeway was being completed, my students and I developed and conducted an opinion survey of landowners adjacent to the bikeway.  We had three goals the first of which was to determine how “bikeway neighbors” viewed the new bikeway.

Royal Catchfly and Culver's Root
growing in the narrow railway corridor surrounded by cropland

Second, we wanted to use the survey as an opportunity to locate individuals who would provide historical information about the prairie remnant communities.  Finally, we hoped that face-to-face encounters with landowners might spawn cooperative efforts leading to the development of buffer zones adjacent to the otherwise long, narrow configuration of the remnant prairie communities surrounded by agricultural cropland.

As a result of our “boots on the ground” presence, the students and I were able to meet several interested “bikeway neighbors” and we soon learned the necessity of neighborliness in our land conservation effort.  We were also welcomed by the Friends of Madison County Parks and Trails (FMCPT) capably led by Wayne Roberts.  As a result of our landowner survey and cooperation with Julia Cumming, Madison Soil and Water Conservation District, we were able to secure cooperation with Jim Mitchell, whom we had met through our opinion survey and who was interested in devoting some land adjacent to the bikeway to the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).  

Transplants of native prairie plants into Mitchell field along
bikeway (upper R). Jim Mitchell & son (L), J. Zehring and I

The Mitchell land was sown in prairie grasses.  Jim allowed us to add prairie forbs to the field and used his skid-steer loader with forestry attachment to cut and remove trees and shrubs encroaching on the prairie adjacent to the bikeway.  We hope that the partnership with Jim Mitchell can be a prototype for more partnerships between the park district/bikeway program and “bikeway neighbors.”

The FMCPT has been very effective in promoting the “Prairie Grass Trail” bikeway in cooperation with the Soil Conservation District and other organizations.  We are using a strategic management plan in an attempt to conserve prairie remnant plant species using a combination of approaches including mechanical removal, controlled burning, and herbicidal applications to simulate the environmental conditions that preserved these historic prairie remnants.

Jerry Miller, FMCPT volunteer with Royal Catchfly and
Prairie Coneflower (dry seed heads) in the Mitchell field

Yes, conservation is “con-service”—serving with Creator, creation, and neighbors.  The relationship goes both ways; as we serve God and His creation, God keeps us by providing both spiritual and physical “bread.”  Likewise, land under proper care will yield its fruitfulness back to us in the form of food, fiber, medicinal compounds, aesthetic enjoyment, etc.  Thus, conservation is made complete when neighbors work together for the cause of serving both God and creation.  Don’t forget the three supporting legs of a stool.   These truths were illustrated this past summer during the Prairie Appreciation Bike Ride sponsored by the Friends of Madison Co. Parks and Trails.  Some of the riders on this July Saturday had been volunteer “bikeway neighbors” who had, during the late winter months, toiled together to cut and burn encroaching shrubs and trees to allow space and light for the prairie plants to grow.  Many had not seen the worksites since winter, and they responded with glee at their first sight of colorful native prairie wildflowers flourishing in places that had been overgrown with woody species.  This satisfaction and joy was the blessed result of their willingness to serve creation and share with neighbors in valuing the purposes of our conservation plan.

Prairie Appreciation Bike Riders
learn more about remnant prairie history and conservation.

The same commitment to land stewardship, or conservation, is expressed through the older and more comprehensive Town of Dunn Land Use Plan under the leadership of Calvin DeWitt.  (In Part 1, Article #1 of this series I had referenced Dr. Calvin DeWitt as the author of the book Earthwise (3rd. ed., 2011, Faith Alive Christian Resources) in which he develops the notion of con-servation.)  DeWitt reflects on the Town of Dunn conservation effort in his recent book, Song of a Scientist: The Harmony of a God-Soaked Creation (2012, Square Inch. Grand Rapids, MI).  I conclude with an excerpt from this book which illustrates the ingredients and outcomes of conservation—a relational process in which willing people in community serve with Creator, creation, and neighbor:

The members of our community made the decision to get to know our place well and to act on that knowledge for the benefit of the land and its life.  Many were motivated simply by love of the land and their community, others by their Norwegian Lutheran upbringing or their Irish Catholic heritage.  Together, by all of our mutual efforts, a land ethic was instilled in the heart of our community, and we have dedicated our lives to its defense.  Our land ethic is published on our town website.  But it is published best in our community: in the lives of citizens and in the remarkable landscape of our town, which proclaims the stewardship we practice in this place.  With our land ethic we join the glorious chorus of those around the world who proclaim God’s sustaining provisions in creation.

Restoration Stewardship of People and Land by Local Cooperation

…he didn’t know it existed until he became involved in protecting the watershed.  And the heart of that gem is definitely the waterfalls, he said.

These words, quoted from the Fall, 2013 issue of my WVU Magazine describe the reaction of Tom Sopher, a city councilman and president of the Raleigh County Historical Society when he became involved in an effort to secure legal access to a 3-acre tract of public land for the City of Beckley, West Virginia.   Accomplishing this goal would not be easy because the land was being held under a private claim made 8 years earlier.  Sopher and other community leaders realized they needed help from outside the Beckley community.

In order to secure legal claim to the beautiful tract, Beckley officials followed the advisement of Jeremiah Johnson, general manager of the sanitary board, to contact the West Virginia University (WVU) College of Law’s Land Use and Sustainable Development Law Clinic (LUSD Clinic).  According to the LUSD Clinic website, the clinic provides legal services to local governments, landowners and non-profit organizations to develop land conservation strategies and practices.  WVU law students who participate in the clinic gain practical experience in the field of land use law and policy…  Guided by experienced attorneys and other land use professionals, students contribute to land and water conservation efforts throughout the state.

Remains of 1800’s gristmill on Piney Creek, Beckley, WV
Photo:  M.G. Ellis, WVU Magazine

The research by the WVU law students and their mentors led to the discovery that Beckley had owned and continued to own the 3-acre tract.  Furthermore, the parcel was home to a waterfall of beautiful Piney Creek which had powered a gristmill commissioned in the mid-1800’s by Alfred Beckley, founder of the city.  The WVU LUSD Clinic report made Beckley community leaders even more convinced of the importance of the Piney Creek property for its potential in watershed protection, aesthetic beauty, recreational value, and historic significance.   Details of this cooperative effort are recounted in the Fall, 2013 issue of WVU Magazine and the larger context of community development of Beckley, WV is presented at the attractive website of the City of Beckley.

Now, let’s travel an hour north of Beckley on I-77 to the West Side of Charleston, WV where Rev. Matthew J. Watts serves as pastor of Grace Bible Church.  According to an article by Jake Stump published in WVU Magazine entitled “West Virginia’s West Side Rising,” this part of the city of Charleston has a varied history.  The West Side community thrived after the abolition of slavery.  In fact, during the first half of the twentieth century, African-Americans owned a large percentage of the area’s businesses.  Washington Street is described as a bustling corridor and the educational system was in sturdy shape.

When well intended desegregation policies were instituted in the 1960’s, the West Side prosperity was decimated by the closure of black schools and black-owned businesses.  The departure of professionals robbed the community of entrepreneurs and spiritual role models, leading to poverty of body, soul, and spirit.  Rev. Watts arrived in the late 1970’s as the West Side was falling victim to the effects of crack cocaine and related violence.  After more than four decades, the community still suffers.  Forty percent of children live in poverty and the elementary schools rank among West Virginia worst.

Rev. Matthew Watts gives WVU officials a tour of the West Side.
Photo: Brian Persinger, WVU Magazine

West Virginia University Chief Diversity Officer, David M. Fryson, grew up on the West Side and earned his law degree from the WVU College of Law.   Fryson remembers the plight of his former community and therefore, was very receptive to partnering with Rev. Watts’ church and nonprofit groups like HOPE Community Development Corporation to “reinvent” the West Side of Charleston, WV.   The result is a partnership that recognizes the need for the professional interdisciplinary expertise and fresh perspective of a land-grant university combined with committed community leaders who can supply the vision of what they would like the community to become.  According to Fryson and Watts as cited in the WVU Magazine article,

Some possibilities include having Chancellor’s Scholars tutor children and involving the University’s urban design team in renovating buildings…  …the School of Public Health and the WVU Extension Service, specifically its Energy Express program, could also play effective roles in revitalizing the West Side. Energy Express is an eight-week summer reading and nutrition program for children...

Rev. Watts is optimistic about the partnership among community nonprofits, WVU, and other entities to revitalize the West Side.  He is particularly confident in David Fryson’s leadership, saying,

He knows that there’s tremendous potential in the population.  He always articulated about this mosaic quilt of humanity and how tapping into all of that diverse talent would make all of us better.

From my summary of the two WVU Magazine articles, we can see that Beckley and Charleston West Side are two very different communities with different histories and current needs.  But both are awakening to the awareness of their potential and are seeking ways to bring expertise and resources together to develop and strengthen their respective communities.  Whether it is watershed conservation, or preserving a historical site, or reviving a decimated human community, a common theme is restoration.  As the two accounts in WVU Magazine suggest, restoration starts with individuals in a community who identify elements that have great value – a beautiful stream and watershed, a historical site, a once bustling community, and the people living in strong families within community. 

Once a community realizes elements of value, a second theme should undergird restoration efforts; namely, stewardship. For example, the City of Beckley cannot go out and create a watershed or duplicate beautiful Piney Creek.  Instead, community leaders have worked with students and faculty of the WVU LUSD Clinic to resolve wastewater problems and develop land use planning consistent with good stewardship of the landscape as it exists. Likewise, the West Side case illustrates the importance of stewarding the sense of community by spiritual and educational renewal.  Instead of simply seeking a pipeline for state or federal monies, Rev. Watts, along with his church and the nonprofit organizations mentioned above, has partnered with Rev. James Ealy, a city councilman who helps oversee a local community center with his wife.  They, along with other West Side church leaders and laymen recognize the importance of stewardship of biblical principles and their transforming power in the human soul.  It is through redeemed human souls that God can bring about true human flourishing and community restoration.

At a time when many in Washington may be learning that hastily crafted federal programs costing billions can fall far short of their well intended goals, it is refreshing to read that my alma mater, WVU, is serving the state of West Virginia and local communities.  Furthermore, it is gratifying that WVU is doing so, not by prescribing an ivory tower vision of what communities should be.  Instead, energetic students and faculty come to a community with a willingness to listen to spiritual and civic leaders and to understand he vision of each community before offering ideas and resources needed to accomplish real change in individuals and community.