Many of us in the
Conference awoke on Monday morning to news of the destruction that
has occurred in Slave Lake as a result of raging wildfires pushed in
to the town by winds of up to one hundred km per hour. As the day
progressed we heard estimates that a large percentage of the town was
destroyed, including many key buildings and churches, but more
importantly, the homes of hundreds of Slave Lake residents.
With the town having been
evacuated it is likely that many Slave Lake residents do not yet know
what happened to their homes.
I know that you along with
me are praying for the residents of Slave Lake as they face the
devastation and grief of so much loss. All reports so far have
indicated that despite the tremendous speed at which this catastrophe
has happened, and the large number of homes, businesses and other
buildings that have been destroyed, there has been no loss of life.
We can hope and pray that this small blessing in the midst of such
ruin will continue to hold true.
The work of re-building
will take not only hard work, but also the strong commitment of many
people, and a strength of will that will be hard to find in the midst
of such loss.
We all know that the
church is more than a building, but for those people who have lost
their place of worship, it will be an especially traumatic time.
However, the church is
more than a building and I know that the church is also more than the
people in a particular community. And so I invite us as the church to
be with the people of Slave Lake, offering the hope and presence of
God in all the different ways that are possible.
Please hold the people of
Slave Lake in your thoughts and in your prayers, and be encouraged in
whatever way you can to offer whatever other assistance you can.
We also hold in gratitude
everyone who has responded to this crisis, and made things just a
little bit easier in the midst of shock, loss, fear and disbelief.
We will continue to
monitor the situation in Slave Lake, with particular concern for the
community of faith, and we will provide updates as soon as we can,
along with any information we can provide about ways that you can
help in the days to come.
And to the people of Slave
Lake, may you know the power, strength and love of God in this time,
and may God's presence be made known to you by the people of God who
are standing, praying and working with you in this very difficult
time.
